Diversifying My Portfolio

When I get my flatbed scanner sitch sorted, I have a butt-load of drawings (and maybe a few water colours) to post here. Haven't been painting much in oil, but really stoked with the new water colours. I bought the Winsor & Newton Cotman pocket box, removed the cakes that came with it--standard, boring colours--and squeezed my own choices into the pans. I only use the Artists' Quality of course. Same as with the oils. No sense messing about.

I hit a few of the studios on the Art Stroll on Saturday. Some great stuff, and well worth showing up for. One of the main organizers of the event was Deryk Houston, a founding members of Collective Works Gallery. He's a hardworking guy, and very diverse as an artist. I also admire his sense of social and political justice.

Which reminds me that I have a meeting tonight, so I had better get cracking on some stuff.

N

A Weekend of Art

Fernwood is where it is happening this weekend!

On Friday evening at 7:00pm. Collective Works Gallery is hosting the opening reception of our new group show “Towards the Sun” in celebration of the summer solstice and Fern Fest. Julian and Blair Mulhall will be providing live entertainment throughout the event. Those of you who enjoyed Julian and Blair so much at my birthday celebration will want to hear them play again

I would like to extend an invitation--to Fernwood’s first annual studio tour. There are 21 artists involved who will be opening up their studios to the public on June 21^st and 22^nd (Sat and Sun) 11-4pm. Many members of Collective Works are involved in this. Now is your chance to meet them personally in their studios!

Join us for a glass of wine at Fernwood’s exciting weekend celebrations. Brochures available at the Gallery. More info on www.fernwoodvic.ca

Artist's Statement

Uniting the Post-Impressionist European tradition with the motifs and sensations of my immediate surroundings, my city and province, I craft unashamedly delightful images full of structure, poetry, and light using only the three primary colours of blue, red, and yellow.
I believe in the vocation of painting; it is something one is called to. Art has been the one joyous golden thread running through my life.

Although self-taught, I believe a strong technical foundation is necessary to communicate emotion effectively. Oil on canvas is and always will be my preferred medium, although the humble graphite pencil drawing will also have a place in my oeuvre. I also work with coloured pencil and watercolour.

My enthusiasm for art history occasionally finds expression in cubism, surrealism, or lyrical abstract expressionism, but no matter what the genre, my style may universally be described as “painterly” since all my work demonstrates a preoccupation with the physical surface.
I believe that art should have a strong and active role in society as a positive, transformative force, discovering, fixing, and preserving beauty and meaning, and inspiring and renewing the human spirit.

Under this fine rain I breathe in the innocence of the world. I feel coloured by the nuances of infinity. At this moment I am one with my picture. We are an iridescent chaos... (Paul Cézanne)

nicholaspaints@shaw.ca + http://paintingblind.blogspot.com + 250.886.6480

And Now For Something Completely Different.....

"Sea Music" Oil on Canvas, 20 X 24" Thirty-two hundred bux, yup.

Thought I didn't have it in me eh? And that I would never get tired of painting rocks and sky and trees? HA! comin' atcha with a Varley/, Macke/ Gris/ Matisse tribute sorta synthetic cubist nude thing.

Composition on this one is really complex. I actually tried to paint in a few bass and treble clefts. They were both supposed to coil into her left breast, but my intention went sideways there. Too much going on in that area as it is. The musical elements are not too obvious, and I did not take the faceting of the planes too far. It's synthetic cubism, after all.... My favourite local model, Ava, was the model for this, and yes, she does play the ukulele--quite well, too.

I did try to pack in some symbolism--but not all of it erotic ;) The face turned out quite well, and a few of the other bits, really giving the impression of simultaneous viewpoints. The figure came out non-white looking (all hail the dark Goddess), which is satisfying, and is literal enough to be pleasing. The colour has a Macke-esque density and richness. I suppose all those years of looking at and admiring Macke finally trickled out through my brush....

I had to make a few corrections to keep the lines from "running out" on the left side, but I think it holds the wall now, with a good dose of rhythm and visual cohesion.

I pride myself on being able to understand and work within most of the major ISMs of the last 150 years. Maybe one of these days I'll really step out of character and do some surrealism. You never know. I do also have a rather expressionistic self-portrait I should put up here sometime.

No matter what, though, I'll always put out images in bright colours.