Recent plein air work

Crosstown, 8x10, oil on panel

Waterway, 11x14, oil on panel

Winter in the city

Lawren Harris, member of the Group of Seven, had this house built in 1931. I liked the way the landscaping echoed the pines seen in many of the G07's work.

Lawren Harris House, 11"x12", oil on panel

Below is a car dealership seen through steady rain. I was sheltered in a doorway.

Dealership, 8"v10", oil on panel

It was very cold and windy, standing in a field painting this pumping station and skatepark.

Ashbridges Bay, 13"x14", oil on panel

All quiet...

Painting at night is something I really enjoy. It was cold enough on this night to keep most people indoors, and in three hours not a single soul passed by.

January Night, 11 1/4" x 11 1/4", oil on panel SOLD

Brutalism brings a smile on a gray day

Below is an example of Brutalist architecture. Usually distinguished by board-marked poured concrete, this exterior shows coloured resin-impregnated boards in the blocky form that also defines Brutalism. It's a real standout in this neighbourhood of prosaic late Victorians. The other side features a thirty foot bridge to the front door.


Moncur Park, 12"x10", oil on panel

I'll be included in the Best of 2011 TOAE show at FCP Gallery, January 17 to February 25, 100 King West here in Toronto. Check it out!

Christmas cards

If you celebrate this season, however you celebrate this season, I wish you a happy and peaceful time. My family celebrates Christmas, and for innumerable years I've enjoyed making Christmas cards. They're usually linoleum prints, though not always. I'm no printmaker, but thought I'd share some of the few that remain from over the years. Below is this year's card, a view of our back yard:


Below are a few random samples from years gone by. In most cases I made just enough to give away. The first one is a lino cut with gold leaf underneath and is a hand lighting a lantern. The second, another lino, was done the year my mother passed on, and features a lone doe walking away across the snow.
The third is my studio window at the time and shows my cat looking out the window. Her speech bubble was filled in with various messages. Beside that is Santa's list with the caption, "Aha! Just as I suspected...". Inside, the message was "...you've been good!", or "...you've been bad!", depending on the recipient. The fifth was an experiment with stippling, something I never tried again. It features an illustration of the tree that produces frankincense. The final image is my neighbourhood at the time.

Twenty one plein air paintings were hung last night at the Cowbell, a very fine and funky restaurant here in Toronto. It's at 1564 Queen Street West, so do drop in, won't you?

I am really pleased to see that this ad from my Toronto representative, Canadian Fine Arts Gallery, features a colour repro of my painting, Boxing Gloves. It's in November's Slate gallery guide. Thank you, CFA!

Painting the city

A few recent endeavors:

Satellite Dishes, 8"x10", oil on panel. I had set up and was an hour into this painting, when a running marathon began to pass by. A lot of breathless "Watcha doing?"s as a seemingly endless stream of runners went past. Plein air has its comic moments.


Billboards, 8"x10", oil on panel.

Rowing Club, 11"x14", oil on panel. SOLD