Well, I’ve returned from my first foray to The Artist Project in Toronto and it was a very successful trip. Thank you for all your best wishes for my success… they were appreciated and effective! Several sales, key contacts and many new fans coupled with a wonderful learning experience made The Artist Project a raging success, and it means we’ll be back next year for sure… we’re already signed up for The Artist Project 2013!

Despite a long standing hockey rivalry between our two cities, my reception in Toronto was warm and enthusiastic! A great city filled with wonderful people, Toronto rolled out the red carpet/welcome mat for independent artists from all over (Deborah, in the booth next to mine, was from Chicago) including artists from Montreal! Art fans filled the aisles, appreciating some of the best art being produced today.

Hoards of art fans... it was almost always like this!

The caliber of the art was top-notch and it was an honour to be included in the ranks of these artists. A spirit of camaraderie develops between the artists during the show that I’m sure will lead to lasting friendships (A shout out to Patrick, Mara, Dragan, Deborah and Elizabeth! Looking forward to seeing you all again next year!)

A continuous flow of visitors included some old friends (Hi Rick, Ava and Ann!) and many, many new friends (A special hello to Holly, Lee and Peterson!) I also had the opportunity to explore Toronto a bit so my new fans will be excited to see their own wonderful city portrayed in the glowing light, bright colours and geometric shapes of my style you loved.

I arrived Wednesday after driving through a snowstorm for the last hour of the trip, but I had no problems finding the place and unloading. Now all I needed to do was turn this…

Starting from this...

…into this…

We're ready for the hoards of visitors!

And the vistors did come. I had an absolute blast! I had so many opportunities to meet people who shared an appreciation for art and for the cities I paint.

Wonderful opportunities to speak with fans...

Though we could not sell prints at The Artist Project (originals only!), many people wondered where they could purchase prints of the paintings they saw in my booth. Just so you’ll know, you’ll always be able to purchase prints at Proud of My City. For those of you who use Facebook, you can find me here. And if you’re on LinkedIn, connect with me here.

I’ve got great news! I’ve been accepted into The Toronto Artist Project, which is a big deal, by the way. Why is it a big deal? Over 300 artists applied for the 75 spots available this year, and in years past, though I’ve applied, I’ve been among the artists thinking, “Well, I can try again next year.” But this year, my paintings (and drawings — yes, in response to a special request, my drawings along with my paintings) will be “rubbing shoulders” with some of the best contemporary art being created today. The Artist Project Toronto showcases original art from over 200 carefully juried independent and contemporary artists.

A bright, bright, bright sunshiny day... in New York City

The Artist Project is a rendezvous for artists (like me) and art collectors and enthusiasts (like you). I’ll be in Toronto (at the Queen Elizabeth Building at Exhibition Place) on the first weekend in March from the 1st to the 4th. It starts with a special VIP reception on Thursday evening and is open to the public on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They anticipate over 12,000 visitors! Buy tickets here, or if you want to come to the show as my guest, contact me. I have a limited number of tickets I’ll distribute to guests on a first come, first served basis.

I’ll be making more announcements as the show approaches. I’ll be previewing some new images I’ve been preparing for the show (some of my best work ever!) in the coming weeks (although I have one beautiful painting I’ll only be unveiling at the show in Toronto!) and some of my drawings right here. Or if you’d prefer just to be notified when I display new work, subscribe here (at the bottom of the page) and you’ll be the first to know every time.

I’d love to see you all there! If you or your friends and family are going to Toronto at the beginning of March, this is a show you won’t want to miss.

To your success,

Duane