ACRYLIC and LIGHT

Jacks on Jack Daniel's, an allegory

2026-10-19T10:53:37.554-03:00

9 x 12", acrylic on cradled aluminum panel

Painting #311, 2026 | Black wooden floater frame

The initial concept for this painting surfaced back in November 2015. While browsing at HomeSense, I spotted a classic set of Ball & Jacks inside a beautifully retro, cylindrical cardboard box. At the time, I envisioned a narrative about personal struggle, pairing the game with Margaret Atwood’s book Moral Disorder and an almost empty bottle of whiskey—a cautionary tale regarding dependence, gaming, substances, and losing one's way in life.

I carried that imagery in my mind for over a decade. However, a whole new narrative unfolded simply by changing the book at the center of the frame. While I retained the vibrant teal color palette inspired by the Atwood cover, the physical book transformed into George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The result is an allegorical piece infused with symbolism regarding the current political climate in the United States. At its core, 1984 illustrates how a nation collapses into a dystopian state when extreme nationalism and political apathy allow a totalitarian regime to erode the concept of objective truth. Orwell warned that a state can completely dominate its citizens by rewriting history, policing language, and demanding absolute, unquestioning loyalty to a leader whose manufactured cult of personality replaces all human affection. Ultimately, it is a chilling reminder of how easily democratic values vanish when a population surrenders its critical thinking to psychological manipulation.

The physical elements of the still life bring this warning into the modern day, built layer by layer:

The Gold Jack: Out of the set of twelve metal jacks, only one is painted gold. Recognizing gold as the President of the United States' favorite color, it sits prominently atop the stacked arrangement.
The Silver Jack: Balanced precariously on the Jack Daniel's bottle, this jack represents his administration, the right-wing media apparatus supporting his rhetoric, his enablers, and the MAGA movement.
The Bottom Jack: Cast down against the book, this piece represents all those who oppose the current regime, whether they be American dissidents or global citizens united in solidarity.
The Monopoly Card: The "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" card directly references Donald Trump’s sweeping mass clemency actions, which granted sweeping pardons and commutations to individuals charged or convicted in connection with the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
The Marble: This represents the pervasive mind games at play—denying the validity of the 2020 election, erecting barriers to restrict Black voters, and weaponizing falsehoods to reshape reality. The way the glass marble subtly distorts the surface beneath it mirrors how these strategies twist the public's perception of truth.

This political strategy relies heavily on the old saying that "if you repeat a lie often enough, people will eventually believe it." Since his return to office, we have seen systemic shifts that mirror Orwell's warnings: the breach of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) through blanket tariffs, the subsequent Canadian retaliatory restrictions on American goods (including Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey), the erosion of international alliances, and executive directives aimed at altering historical narratives within federal institutions and national museums. From pulling out of global agreements to threatening the sovereignty of close allies, the guardrails of American democracy appear entirely down.

I have visited the United States upwards of 25 times. My last visit was during the summer of 2016, when my family and I ascended Mount Katahdin in Maine's Baxter State Park. I have chosen to personally boycott travel to the US ever since. While I had planned to return after the 2020 election, watching the systemic delays that prevented accountability after the insurrection convinced me to stay put.

As a Canadian, I love the United States and hope to return one day when institutional order is truly restored. In the meantime, I am deeply proud of our Prime Minister, Mark Carney, for standing as a true statesman in defense of our nation and serving as a vital voice of reason on the world stage. We must collectively remember Benjamin Franklin's timeless warning that a democracy is "a Republic, if you can keep it."

This painting is currently on view in a two-person show with Jon Wilkinson at the Fog Forest Gallery, entitled:

"Still Lives, Silent Places"

October 16 – November 6, 2026

Opening Reception: Friday, October 23, 2026, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Gallery Hours: Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or by appointment.

To acquire this painting, please contact:
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
fogforestgallery.ca

The Last Cherry Blossom

2026-10-18T11:03:37.160-03:00

8 x 6", acrylic on cradle aluminium panel

painting #310, 2026, black floater frame

The Cherry Blossom has gone missing. Here is a brief 101 history course in a nano minute about this most unique and iconic Canadian treat.

The candy was originally conceived by the Walter M. Lowney Company, founded by an American who initially established his business in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1883. Looking to expand, Lowney established a Canadian subsidiary in the mid-1890s. In 1905, a manufacturing plant opened in Montreal's Griffintown, where the Cherry Blossom was officially mass-produced for more than half a century before production shifted to Sherbrooke, Quebec, in 1962. Other beloved candies made by Lowney included Glosette Raisins and Peanuts, Oh Henry!, and Eat-More. In 1987, Hershey acquired Lowney, and by 1989, they consolidated operations by moving to Smiths Falls—then known as the chocolate capital of Ontario. In 2008, as part of a global "supply chain realignment," Hershey shocked the town by leaving Canada entirely and moving its production line to Mexico.

The Cherry Blossom was made and sold exclusively for the Canadian domestic market and possessed a unique combination of structural traits: a lumpy mound of milk chocolate with a maraschino cherry floating inside an incredibly sweet, runny maraschino syrup, all paired with peanut and coconut bits. It held an intensely nostalgic, acquired taste that resonated deeply with generations of Canadians for more than a century.

Cherry Blossom commercial from the 1970s with a jingle that

will probably stick in your head for the rest of the day.

I guess nothing lasts forever. In January 2025, Hershey Canada announced the retirement of the candy, and production was immediately halted. Upon learning this, I rushed to a few stores to grab some of the remaining stock, but alas, the shelves were already bare. It wasn't long before the last remaining boxes were being resold online for astronomical profits. However, a week or two later, my wife Suzanne saw a Facebook post sharing that a small batch had been spotted right by a cash register at a Sobeys store in Dieppe. I quickly hopped in the car and was able to secure three boxes before they vanished for good.

During this final run of the Cherry Blossom, the iconic packaging had been altered by a black-and-white Health Canada warning label stating the product was high in saturated fat and sugar. Interestingly, back in September 2021, I had bought a few boxes with the explicit intention of painting them. I held several photo sessions, taking dozens of pictures with aluminum foil and Van Gogh's Almond Blossom background, but the composition never quite clicked. Thinking I had all the time in the world, I threw the empty boxes away, giving myself a reason to buy and eat more in the future. Nonetheless, those early photos served me well as reference imagery when I began a fresh photographic study this past summer using the precious final boxes I managed to acquire.

The Cherry Blossom was ultimately a victim of shrinkflation. It used to weigh 2 ounces (57g), and back then, the box was a perfect cube. When I was a teenager in the mid-1970s, it was my Mom's favorite candy. For Mother's Day, I remember going to the corner store and buying four of them—I think they cost between 15 to 25 cents each at the time. When I aligned them 2 x 2, the tops still formed a perfect square. I remember wrapping them up, making her a card with a fancy drawing, and I can still feel the smile and the kiss she gave me when she unwrapped them.

By 1990, when Hershey reduced the weight to 45g, they didn't just scale the chocolate dome down evenly; they flattened the candy slightly and altered the packaging cardstock to a shallower template to save on shipping volume and shelf space. Because the front face of the box was kept square to preserve the classic graphics on store shelves, the box became much narrower from front to back. With this structural refit, the dome-shaped chocolate no longer sat perfectly upright on its base, but tilted sideways. Worst of all, the original recipe had also been altered.

Back in 2016, Suzanne and I visited the Van Gogh Museum while spending a few days in Amsterdam. While photography was not allowed inside, I bought a jumbo postcard of Almond Blossom, which he painted in February 1890. I experienced a true "coup de coeur" the moment I saw this masterpiece in person. I loved it so much that I even bought two espresso cups and saucers featuring the Almond Blossom motif.

Van Gogh's masterwork was created during the exact same decade that Lowney introduced the Cherry Blossom to Canada. Almond Blossom was a gift for Vincent's brother Theo and sister-in-law Johanna, who had just welcomed a baby son, Vincent Willem. In the letter announcing the arrival, Theo wrote: ‘As we told you, we’ll name him after you, and I’m making the wish that he may be as determined and as courageous as you.’ Unsurprisingly, it was this work that remained closest to the hearts of the Van Gogh family, and Vincent Willem went on to found the Van Gogh Museum. Inspired by Japanese prints, Van Gogh painted those blossoming branches to celebrate the birth of his nephew, turning them into a universal symbol of new life and fresh beginnings.

Nature permanently regenerates and blooms, while our commercial childhood staples are not always allowed the same fate. By placing a discontinued, now-extinct consumer product right in front of Almond Blossom, it creates an artistic irony in itself. Later that same year, on July 27, 1890, at just 37 years old, Vincent van Gogh walked into a field and tragically shot himself in the chest, dying two days later.

On a brighter note, after completing this painting, I slowly ate and savoured the final Cherry Blossom I had acquired. Knowing it was the last time I would ever experience that taste made for a deeply nostalgic, bittersweet moment.

This painting is currently on view in a two-person show with Jon Wilkinson at the Fog Forest Gallery, entitled:

"Still Lives, Silent Places"

October 16 – November 6, 2026

Opening Reception: Friday, October 23, 2026, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Gallery Hours: Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or by appointment.

-SOLD

Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
fogforestgallery.ca

Peonies for Moira Rose, an homage to Catherine O'Hara

2026-10-17T13:35:24.958-03:00

12 x 12", acrylic on gessoed aluminum panel

painting #309, 2026, black wood frame with a 1" white linen liner

I had the TV on CBC, watching something or another, when an episode of Schitt’s Creek started playing. It usually takes a lot to make me laugh out loud, but I found myself having to pause and rewind scenes because of the sheer hilarity of Moira Rose, played by the brilliant Catherine O’Hara. This was back in 2017 during the sitcom's third season. Naturally, I proceeded to immediately binge-watch the first three seasons on Netflix.

The first five episodes of season one introduced a seemingly ordinary baseline: Moira Rose as a sarcastic, spoiled, eccentric, and melodramatic matriarch. She was a former daytime soap opera actress and wig-loving fashionista trying to settle into the dismal town of Schitt’s Creek after losing the fortune that had kept her in the lap of luxury. Then, in episode 6 ("Wine and Rose") and episode 9 ("Carl’s Funeral"), her vocabulary began its grandiose transformation as did her enunciation.

It was during that first season that Catherine O’Hara’s makeup artist, Lucky Bromhead, gave her a book: Foyle’s Philavery: A Treasury of Unusual Words. Because O’Hara was a master of improvisation—stretching back to her days with The Second City and her iconic sketch comedy on SCTV—she developed the character of Moira Rose in real-time. Moira’s language became progressively more cartoony, archaic, and heavily stylized with each passing season as she leaned further into the lexicon. Remarkably, O’Hara kept the book a secret from co-creator Dan Levy and the show’s writers until season five. During seasons one through four, she would quietly rewrite her assigned dialogue on her own to weave in these unusual words before filming.

By season two, she had already elevated the character to a new level. The brilliant writing simply gave her the perfect platform to showcase her generational comedic talent. She is the main reason I stayed hooked through all six seasons, though the entire ensemble cast made the magic happen together.

Classic Moira Rose scenes by Catherine O'Hara

from the series.

The video below, where Johnny and Moira venture out to buy a used car, might just be my all-time favorite and funniest scene. Here, O’Hara really goes all out, trying to minimize their wealth by fabricating a tragic backstory. Instead, she accidentally taps right back into Vivian Blake, the dramatic character she played on her old daytime soap opera, Sunrise Bay. Of course, Eugene Levy’s panicked replies and masterful facial expressions elevate the entire sketch.

Catherine O’Hara would go on to win six consecutive Canadian Screen Awards for the role—one for each season. The show's historic run culminated in a record-breaking night at the 2020 Emmy Awards, where Schitt’s Creek became the first comedy series ever to sweep all four main acting categories in a single year. Alongside Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, and Annie Murphy, Catherine took home the Emmy for Lead Actress, cementing the show's legacy as a cultural phenomenon with nine wins in a single night.

This painting is an homage to a great actress whom we sadly lost earlier this year in January. These peonies are a fulfillment of her request to spruce up their environment—as Moira famously asks, "Would it kill someone to plant a few peonies?" (Season 2, Episode 6 - "Moira vs. Town Council").

The Rosebud Motel Room 3 key represents the time Moira is asked to tend the front desk while Stevie is away (Season 3, Episode 8 - "Motel Review"). The canning jar holding the flowers was a Dollarama find from right before I started the painting in July, acting as a symbol of the Rose family’s current financial situation. However, I customized it for this piece, changing the raised glass letters on the front from "Home Design" to "Rose Apothecary" and altering "Since 1984" to feature a raised rose in the center.

Finally, the vase rests on Foyle's Philavery, a treasury of unusual words collected by Christopher Foyle. Published in 2007, this book is now out of print. When the secret got out regarding this specific volume and its connection to the Moira Rose character, Schitt's Creek fans quickly bought up the remaining stock. Before long, third-party sellers were listing this rare book on eBay and Amazon for prices often surpassing $1,000. I ended up downloading an image from the internet and printing my own custom dust cover using my reliable Canon printer.

Standing alongside the original Rosebud Motel sign from the Schitt's Creek set (2015-2020). Current home at the CBC - Canadian Broadcasting Center, Toronto - photo from a recent visit, May 2026.

I was crushed and shocked when I learned of Catherine O’Hara’s passing, especially since the public was entirely unaware she had been ill. It felt like losing a family member or a lifelong friend. From her brilliant days at The Second City and SCTV to her unforgettable roles in Home Alone, Beetlejuice, Best in Show, and so many other masterful performances, Mrs. O’Hara will forever be remembered as an institution, a Canadian icon, and a deeply funny lady.

This painting is currently on view in a two-person show with Jon Wilkinson at the Fog Forest Gallery, entitled:

"Still Lives, Silent Places"

October 16 – November 6, 2026

Opening Reception: Friday, October 23, 2026, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Gallery Hours: Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or by appointment.

-SOLD
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
fogforestgallery.ca

Held over Austen

2026-10-16T11:10:14.698-03:00

10 x 8", acrylic on cradle aluminium panel

painting #308, 2026

black floater frame with antique bronze front

Roma moulding, made in Italy

A great film has to start with a solid screenplay. Without it, it quickly starts to unravel. Then, the magic begins when the direction, casting, cinematography, editing, score, art direction, costumes, hair, and make-up all work in unison to support the story.

One of those films is the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, based on Jane Austen's novel published in 1813. Over 20 million copies of this classic work of English literature have been sold since it was first published. The film was directed by Joe Wright with the screenplay written by Deborah Moggach. The piano playing in the background during the opening scene immediately starts to paint a portrait of what's to come. The stellar cast, sweeping score, and visuals are arrestingly beautiful, instantly pulling you into the Georgian Era. The Director of Photography uses breathtaking camera movements to build this world—such as following a housekeeper through a room where all the Bennet girls are assembled, framing shots through windows or capturing two men lifting a white tablecloth that forms a parachute-like shape to dress a table. These minute details are seamlessly edited into the film, creating an art form unto itself. I've watched this film several times over the years and it never gets old.

I've been longing to do a painting featuring Austen's Pride and Prejudice for the longest time. However, I had to find the right book. HomeSense always has a curated selection of classic literature, where Jane Austen is a regular staple, but until last year, this specific title was a rarity. The year 2025 marked Jane Austen's 250th birthday; because of that milestone, last fall I had no less than five different editions of the book to choose from at once.

Top photo - Jean-Luc at 25 Gay Street, Bath, where Jane Austen lived for a year following her father's death. Bottom photo - 40 Gay Street, Bath - Jane Austen Centre - May 3, 2010.

My choice landed on an edition published by the Cranford Collection, printed in England, featuring a peacock on the cover with embossed feathers detailed in gold foil. I immediately made a connection to a Robert Held vase I had acquired about a decade ago, which featured a pulled peacock feather design done in iridescent glass. It was only once I started the painting and did a bit of research that I found the backstory about its cover and realized I had hit the jackpot with this book.

Jane Austen never mentions peacocks anywhere in the original 1813 book. In fact, the famous connection between Pride & Prejudice and peacocks didn't start until 1894, when illustrator Hugh Thomson designed the highly collectible and iconic "Peacock Edition" book cover. The 2005 screenplay nods to that famous piece of Austen history by giving a line to Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) during the Meryton ball scene: "Which of the painted peacocks is Mr. Bingley?"

The original 1894 peacock edition by Thomson also included a staggering 160 pen-and-ink illustrations that were fully integrated into the story. At a time when books only contained a few images, this allowed readers to see every major encounter, adding a whimsical, humorous layer to Austen's satire and comedy of manners. This edition kicked off a style known in the publishing trade as "Cranfordization" (named after a Gaskell novel Thomson also illustrated). It set the blueprint for the modern wave of "pretty books" and decorative cloth-bound editions we see in bookstores today.

I listened to the audiobook on YouTube while I was painting. It is brilliantly read by Karen Savage, who wonderfully changes her voice while reading the lines of Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins. Click HERE to listen. The popularity of Austen's work is far-reaching; this 10+ hour audio track has 7.7 million views and counting. The 2005 film remains faithful to the storyline but cuts long passages focusing on the courtship between Elizabeth's sister Lydia and George Wickham, which was fine with me. Jane Austen's writings have so much staying power that a new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility opens in theaters today, October 16, 2026, while a new 6-part miniseries of Pride and Prejudice is slated to release on Netflix on December 3 of this year. Period dramas remain alive and well for the Austenites.

I do have a soft spot for Jane Austen for another reason. Since my mother's name is Emma, I did a painting entitled, "Tea with Emma" back in 2010 to honor the author and my mom. (Acrylic on hardboard, 12 x 12'', 2010, #186) -Private collection

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Robert Held (b. 1943) is a pioneering American-born Canadian glass artist celebrated for his masterfully crafted blown glass and iridescent finishes inspired by classic masters. Born in Santa Ana, California, Held studied ceramics at the University of Southern California before moving to Canada. Upon graduating, Robert was offered a position as Head of Ceramics at a college being built in Ontario. He accepted the position, becoming the youngest department head at the Sheridan College School of Design. In 1968, he established the country's first college-level hot glass program, also at Sheridan College. Over a legendary career spanning more than 50 years—operating prominent studios in Calgary, later in Vancouver, and finally in Parksville, British Columbia—his art glass has found a home in prestigious collections worldwide, including the Royal Ontario Museum and the Smithsonian Institution

Robert Held in his studio, Parkville, BC - 2015

Shaw TV, Nanaimo, BC

This is the third time that I have painted one of his stunning vases, with previous pieces completed in 2010 and 2011.

Held over Klimt

12 x 9", acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 2011, #199

Private collection

Held over Monet

12 x 9", acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 2010, #183

Private collection

In 2013, he decided to retire and close his studio located in Vancouver. Upon learning this, that same summer while on PEI, we visited the Dunes Studio & Gallery Café in Brackley Beach, where I acquired two more pieces, including the vase featured in this painting. I later learned that being idle was impossible for him, so he went on to set up a new studio in Parksville, BC. During the pandemic, I acquired a fifth vase adorned with lily pads from his online shop. I treasure them all. In 2024, it was announced that due to health issues, he officially retired from glass blowing at the age of 81. However, he continues to produce art in with vibrant alcohol ink paintings.

The vase in this painting features the "pulled feather" art glass technique, which was popularized and heavily developed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his team at Tiffany Studios during the late 19th century as part of their signature Favrile glass line. While Tiffany and early 20th-century American glasshouses invented the style, Held adopted and mastered these classical Art Nouveau techniques to create his own highly successful modern interpretations. Since the term "Favrile glass" is a proprietary trademark coined by Louis Comfort Tiffany for his own company, other makers use "iridescent art glass" to describe this stunning style.

By superimposing the pulled-feather glass design over the iconic peacock cover, the painting brings these two masterworks into a single frame—a visual harmony fittingly captured in the piece's title: "Held over Austen."

This painting will be part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled:
"Still Lives, Silent Places"
held at the Fog Forest Gallery from October 16 - November 6, 2026.

Opening reception: October 23, 2026, from 4:30 to 6:00 PM.
Gallery hours: Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or by appointment.

To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery:
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street
Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
Website: https://www.fogforestgallery.ca/

This painting will be part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-

''Still Lives Silent Places''

held at the Fog Forest Gallery

from October 16 - November 6, 2026.
Opening reception - Oct. 23, 2026 - from 4:30 to 6pm

Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.

To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery.
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street
Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
website- https://www.fogforestgallery.ca/

Canadian Maple Syrup Flask

2026-10-15T08:50:54.894-03:00

14 x 11", acrylic on cradle aluminium panel

painting #307, 2026, black floater frame

In May of 2023, Suzanne and I spent a weekend in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We flew there specifically so I could take part in the Fire Fighters 10-Mile Road Race, which was founded in 1910. Along with the Around the Bay 30 km Road Race in Hamilton, ON (1894) and the Tely 10-Mile Road Race in St. John's, NL (1922), it stands as one of the three oldest annual road races in Canada. I’ve now had the pleasure of running all three.

While in Thunder Bay, we visited the Terry Fox Monument. The memorial statue marks the place where Fox was forced to stop his Marathon of Hope on August 31, 1980. It is located approximately four kilometers west of the exact spot where he ended his run, which is marked by a road sign.

We also visited Fort William Historical Park, which, starting in 1815, served as the inland headquarters of the North West Company—the largest fur-trading enterprise of its time, with posts stretching across North America. While peeking inside their gift shop, I spotted a row of pure maple syrup in flask bottles, produced by a local enterprise from Northern Ontario maples. I was instantly smitten by the graphics of the red label and fascinated that the syrup came in a bottle shape most often associated with hard liquor. I knew right away that I wanted to paint it. However, because we were traveling light with only carry-on luggage, airline restrictions prevented us from bringing fluids over 100ml on the plane. Instead, we had our fill of maple syrup the next morning at our hotel, which featured a waffle maker at the complimentary breakfast.

This past winter, while not the best for accumulation, still allowed me to cross-country ski some 500 km before the snow melted. I did the photo study for this painting on a footbridge along the Porc-Épic trail at Centennial Park in Moncton. I waited for an overnight snowfall so the trees would have a fresh dusting of snow. Many of those trees are slanted and being uprooted, victims of severe bank erosion along Jonathan Creek.

When I started the painting in late March, I decided to send an email to the maple syrup producer to ask for permission to reproduce their label. Perhaps they thought the request was some kind of hoax, because I never heard back. By June, the entire painting was finished except for the label. Against my better judgment, I decided to try ChatGPT to act as a studio assistant for the very first time. I uploaded my original reference photograph and asked it to design a brand-new label based on specific instructions: "Pure Canadian Maple Syrup, 200ml, featuring a rustic sugar shack, a maple tree with a sap pail, and a large red maple leaf—all rendered in sepia tones with retro red lettering." To be completely honest, I was blown away by the two options it generated. I felt the AI design was actually superior to the original commercial label I had initially intended to paint. However, I did make a few changes to simplify it a bit.

I know that using AI in fine art can spark debate, and some might view it as a shortcut. However, I see it as a modern evolution of an age-old tradition. For centuries, master artists—from the Renaissance workshops to modern icons like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol and Dale Chihuly—have employed studio assistants to help bring their visions to life. In this instance, my assistant just happened to be digital.

Furthermore, as a hyperrealist painter, I am no stranger to the misconception that my work is merely "copying." But if capturing this level of depth were that easy, everyone would be doing it. The AI gave me a flat blueprint for a label, but a computer cannot paint. It cannot layer acrylics on an aluminum panel, it cannot replicate the human eye's understanding of winter light, and it cannot feel the texture of the New Brunswick snow. Translating that digital concept into paint required thousands of deliberate, skilled brushstrokes. The concept may have had a digital assistant, but the artistry is entirely human.

With the political turmoil and rhetoric making headlines south of the border—ranging from proposed tariffs to casual threats of Canada becoming the "51st state"—this imagery stands proud as a defiant symbol of Canadian identity. After all, Canada produces approximately 75% of the world's maple syrup.

This painting will be part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-

''Still Lives Silent Places''

held at the Fog Forest Gallery

from October 16 - November 6, 2026.
Opening reception - Oct. 23, 2026 - from 4:30 to 6pm

Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.

To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery.
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street
Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
website- https://www.fogforestgallery.ca/

A Crush on Marilyn, an homage to Andy Warhol

2026-10-14T10:36:40.985-03:00

24 x 12", acrylic on cradle aluminium panel

painting#306, 2026, black floater frame

My daughter-in-law Jessica has a fondness for vintage items and loves to visit curated retro and antique shops. During the fall of 2021, while browsing at Recollections in Salisbury, Jean-Luc sent me a photo from his phone of a vintage, amber-brown Orange Crush bottle with the message: "Would this interest you?" I immediately replied, "Yes!"

Variations of this 7-ounce Orange Crush bottle were produced by Dominion Glass (Domglas) in Canada from 1937 to 1955. The amber-brown glass was designed to protect the soda from light, preserving its delicate fruit flavour and fresh taste. The bottle has some weight to it; it is semi-opaque with a ribbed, beehive-shaped body. The sheer attention to detail and craftsmanship turns what was a mass-produced commercial object into a work of art. It sat patiently in my studio until this year.

During the summer of 2025, I spotted an Andy Warhol 2-in-1 double-sided puzzle of Marilyn Monroe made by Galison—at Dollarama, of all places. While Galison produces a whole line of puzzles, the company was originally founded in 1979 specifically to work with museums, making fine art imagery accessible on well-designed paper and gift products. Art museum shops heavily stock their boutiques with Galison products because the brand holds official licensing partnerships with major art institutions and historic estates—such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. They also maintain an expansive licensing partnership with the Andy Warhol Foundation, which has created a vast array of products based on his artwork that I have collected throughout the years.

Over the New Year, while piecing the puzzle together, the narrative for this painting came to me as a play on words for the title. I think the trigger was the lone Marilyn against the orange background, since it matches the exact colour of the diamond shape on the Crush bottle. Flipped over, the other side of the puzzle features twenty-five Marilyns against a blue background, creating a perfect complementary colour match. But would it work as a painting? Was it a substantial enough concept to paint?

While working on the photo study, I experimented with several grounding surfaces. I took a photo using a cheap, light-blue chopping board from Dollarama, which comes in an array of colours in a multi-pack. The instant I saw that blue reflected in the lower ribs of the bottle, I knew I had a winner.

The image used for this puzzle is entitled Twenty-Five Marilyns (1962, acrylic, silkscreen, ink, and pencil, 82 x 66") and is housed at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas.

Other variations of this work exist, including the one above

in the collection of the Tate Modern, London - photo taken May 1997.

For the aesthetics and symmetry of this composition, I tried to paint the Marilyns as close as possible of being identical. In Warhol's works, since the silkscreens for each colours did not always align or get completely wiped clean between impressions, no two of his Marilyns are exactly alike.

At its core, for A Crush on Marilyn, the true conceptual anchor of the piece lies in the title's double meaning. The physical vintage bottle also represents "Crush" as a commercial brand—a beautiful, heavy, Art Deco style vessel designed to be used, recycled or discarded. Marilyn Monroe was also a beautiful vessel, manufactured by the Hollywood machine and ultimately crushed by the weight of the public's obsessive, one-sided infatuation. Placing this historical bottle against her image bridges two distinct eras of design, turning ordinary commercial artifacts into a deeper commentary on nostalgia, tragedy, and the fleeting nature of fame.

This painting will be part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-

''Still Lives Silent Places''

held at the Fog Forest Gallery

from October 16 - November 6, 2026.
Opening reception - Oct. 23, 2026 - from 4:30 to 6pm

Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.

To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery.
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street
Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
website- https://www.fogforestgallery.ca/

Root Beer Bottle Caps

2026-10-13T11:40:12.028-03:00

12 x 12", acrylic on cradled aluminum panel

Painting #305, 2026, black wooden float frame

About 10 years ago, I acquired a lot of 25 unused root beer bottle caps on eBay. Several are vintage, and most feature the old-school cork liners that were phased out during the 1960s. While a few brands are familiar, most are completely new to me. They represent classic, all-American root beer brands, though several are or were available here in Canada as well.

According to my iPad, I completed the original photo study for this painting on December 3, 2016. It has been sitting on the backburner for a decade. Executing a painting like this is an intense exercise in precision and exactitude. It requires meticulous attention to lettering and colors, exploring sheen and shine, and creating the illusion of different types of metal without ever touching silver or metallic paint. For me, this is the purest form of photorealism and hyperrealism—an exploration of both technical challenge, pop culture, and nostalgia.

For the composition, I stacked the bottle caps directly on top of the cover of the Taschen Pop Art book. The book features Roy Lichtenstein's iconic artwork M-Maybe (A Girl's Picture). Because of their placement, his signature Ben Day dots (the tiny red dots) appear discreetly in four distinct areas between the caps.

The Ben Day dots printing process was commonly used

in vintage color comic books and became a visual hallmark

of Lichtenstein's celebrated style.

There is a deliberate, conceptual layer to this arrangement: by stacking vintage, mass-produced bottle caps onto a book celebrating Pop Art, I wanted to create a direct dialogue between mid-century commercial design and high art. The caps aren't just sitting on a background; they are interacting with the very artistic movement that elevated everyday consumer objects into gallery spaces.

This painting is signed on the bottom right edge of the Frostie bottle cap.

This painting will be part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-

''Still Lives Silent Places''

held at the Fog Forest Gallery

from October 16 - November 6, 2026.
Opening reception - Oct. 23, 2026 - from 4:30 to 6pm

Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.

To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery.
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street
Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
website- https://www.fogforestgallery.ca/

Hergé Explore NB

2026-10-12T20:20:50.122-03:00

12 x 12", acrylic on cradle aluminum panel
painting #302, 2025, black floater frame

Growing up, I read all of the graphic novels of the Adventures of Tintin. I've always had a kind of adventurous spirit and a desire to travel. I suspect that globe trotting with Tintin through those pages awoke something inside me during those formative years.

The genesis for this painting was planted back in 2016. My wife, Suzanne, and I visited the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels. Amidst the displays of artefacts, one specific object grabbed my attention: a replica of the Crabe Extra tin from Hergé’s classic Tintin adventure, The Crab with the Golden Claws (Le crabe aux pinces d'or).

Crabe Extra from The Adventures of Tintin, The Crab with the Golden Claws

Belgium Comic Strip Center, Brussels - 2016

Fast forward to two Christmases ago. My son, Jean-Luc, surprised me with a figurine of Hergé himself. The artistic wheels soon began to turn. I started wondering: What if Hergé was to cross the Atlantic again? What if I plunged Tintin's creator directly into a brand-new adventure right here in New Brunswick? To ground this Franco-Belgian comic icon in my home province so he could conceive his next book.

When I was a teenager in the late 1970s, I spent my summers working at the United Maritime Fishermen (U-M-F) fish processing plant in Cap-Lumière, NB. Instead of painting Hergé’s fictional crab tin, I went searching online for some memorabilia from my youth. I found an image of the exact vintage U-M-F "Fresh Lobster Meat" can that was used to pack and freeze lobster during the time I was there. After downloading the pic, I cropped the Lobster image with Photoshop, found the same fonts for the lettering and proceeded to create my own label. Bought a $1 can of water chestnut which corresponded to the exact size I needed and voila!

Top- original UMF Fresh Lobster Meat Can, circa pre 1980

Bottom- facsimile can that I created

Using that label as my anchor, I meticulously hand-painted the background using a liner brush, tracing the lobster anatomy in a precise, greyscale pattern. The background is an homage to two masters. While the clean, unvarying lines mimic legendary ligne claire (clear line) comic style, the decision to invert the image as a negative—painting them light against a dark field in a rhythmic, repeating grid—is a direct nod to Andy Warhol's pop-art silkscreen prints. It is a full-circle moment: Warhol famously met and painted a portrait of Hergé in the late 1970s, citing the comic artist as a massive influence.

The "Hergé à Québec" exhibition, which ran

from June 21 to October 22, 2017

Musée de la Civilisation, Québec City

Beside the U-M-F tin stands Hergé himself, sketchpad in hand, seemingly plotting his next mystery while standing atop the 2019 New Brunswick Tourist Guide Booklet featuring the iconic Miscou Lighthouse. This booklet represents a piece of local history in its own right—it was the very last physical guide the province ever printed before going entirely digital.

During the depth of the pandemic, when our province was part of the Atlantic bubble, we took the opportunity to explore our province and vacationed twice in the Acadian Peninsula. Among the attractions is the Véloroute - a 300 km cycling path. I had the opportunity to cycle across the picturesque Miscou Island.

This is the narrative that I came up with to create this painting. But, after the painting was completed, a bizarre, intriguing twist occurred that this work could easily be reinterpreted with much darker undertones.

In November 2025, Radio-Canada's investigative program Enquête revealed that between 10% to 30% of the lobster catch in Atlantic Canada is diverted to the illegal black market worth up to $681 million annually. The exposé utilized undercover operations to document how catches bypass mandatory weighing and regulations before being laundered through commercial supply chains and distributed internationally by organized crime.

During one of the opening scenes of this investigative report is an aerial view of the Miscou Lighthouse (at 2min:26 sec). Click HERE to watch the episode.

When I introduce a marble in a painting, it often reveals that I am playing a mind game with the viewer. OK, now let's do a reinterpretation of this imagery using this new information- Hergé plays the role of a Radio-Canada reporter doing the investigation on the illegal lobster catch, using a black background to represent lobsters being sold on the black market with each lobster worth 100 million dollars...

This painting will part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-

''Still Lives Silent Places''

held at the Fog Forest Gallery

from October 16 - November 6, 2026.
Opening reception - Oct. 23, 2026 - from 4:30 to 6pm

Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.

To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery.
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street
Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
website- https://www.fogforestgallery.ca/

La Dune de Bouctouche, un hommage à Antonine Maillet

2026-10-11T13:01:02.356-03:00

12 x 12", acrylic on cradle aluminium panel

painting #301, 2025-26 / black wooden floater frame

ENGLISH TO FOLLOW

Il s'agit d'une œuvre jumelle de la précédente, rendant hommage à l'auteure Antonine Maillet. L'emplacement de cette peinture est la dune de Bouctouche, plus précisément l'Éco-centre Irving et sa promenade à Saint-Édouard, au Nouveau-Brunswick.

Les deux livres figurant dans cette composition sont ses deux premiers romans. "Pointe-aux-Coques", publié en 1958, lui a valu le prix Champlain, suivi de "On a mangé la dune" en 1962. Ce second ouvrage marque une rupture stylistique majeure : Antonine Maillet commence à s'éloigner du français classique pour laisser la jeune protagoniste du roman s'exprimer avec ses propres mots. Cette démarche a ouvert la voie à l'usage du parler acadien qui allait plus tard assurer à l'auteure une renommée internationale. Ces deux romans sont semi-autobiographiques ; le village fictif de Pointe-aux-Coques s'inspire de Richibouctou-Village et du Cap-de-Richibouctou (Cap-Lumière).

Peu après avoir obtenu un baccalauréat es arts , elle a rejoint la congrégation des Sœurs de Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur en 1950, à l'âge de 21 ans. Elle a fait partie de cette communauté religieuse de 1950 à 1967. Au début de sa carrière, tout comme ses parents, elle a exercé le métier d'enseignante. Son premier poste d'enseignante se situait à Cap-Lumière, vers 1950. Selon mon défunt père, l'école se trouvait à environ 400 mètres de la maison où j'ai grandi. Ma marraine, alors nommée Rachelle Cormier, a enseigné à ses côtés durant cette période. Cormier était également le nom de jeune fille de la mère d'Antonine Maillet, laquelle est la narratrice de son premier ouvrage.

Ces livres existent bel et bien individuellement, mais sont réunis en un seul volume pour cet édition. Bien que son éditeur canadien soit Leméac (Montréal), cet ouvrage a été publié en 1977 par Marabout, en Belgique. Je l'ai commandé en ligne auprès d'un libraire français spécialisé dans les livres usagés. Toujours à l'aide de Photoshop et de quelques astuces de numérisation, j'ai créé deux nouveaux dos de livre et ensuite recouvert un second bouquin de même format pour réaliser "On a mangé la dune".

Bien entendu, les fleurs lui sont destinées. Quant à la boîte de soupe Campbell's, je tenais à y ajouter une touche d'humour et une référence à la cuisine acadienne. La boîte de soupe Campbell's est évidemment un clin d'œil à Andy Warhol. Situé à Camden, dans le New Jersey, le siège social de Campbell's se trouve juste de l'autre côté du fleuve Delaware, à seulement 4 km (2,5 miles) de Philadelphie. Si le périple d'Évangéline, l'héroïne de Longfellow, s'achevait à Philadelphie, Pélagie — personnage du roman "Pélagie-la-Charrette" d'Antonine Maillet — y arrive en 1776, au chapitre 12. C'est là qu'elle rencontre Beausoleil Broussard, avec qui je partage un ancêtre commun : Michel Sansoucy Richard, venu de France entre 1651 et 1654.

Antonine Maillet s'est éteinte le 17 février 2025, alors que je travaillais sur cette peinture. Par un curieux hasard, ce matin-là, en descendant l'escalier, j'ai entendu mon épouse Suzanne — qui regardait la chaîne Radio-Canada ICI Télé — annoncer la nouvelle de son décès. En tournant les yeux vers l'écran, j'ai vu une image figée de l'écrivaine marchant sur la même promenade en bois que celle figurant dans mon tableau. Bien qu'elle ait passé la majeure partie de sa vie d'adulte à Montréal, elle possédait un magnifique chalet en forme de phare, située à quelques kilomètres seulement de cette promenade.

Elle était la tante de Cécile Maillet, l'une de nos amies les plus proches, également infirmière. Je me souviens avoir brièvement rencontré Antonine Maillet au début des années 1980, chez ses parents. Je dois beaucoup à Cécile. À l'automne 1986, c'est elle qui m'a convaincue de suivre, à ses côtés, un cours de dessin de perspective de dix semaines enseigné par Sylvain Arseneau. La dernière séance était consacrée à une initiation à la peinture acrylique. Quelques mois plus tard, je réalisais ma première toile en toute autonomie. Elle a également joué un rôle majeur dans mon éveil spirituel. Malheureusement, alors qu'elle s'apprêtait à prendre sa retraite comme d'infirmière, elle a été percutée par l'arrière par un camping-car lors d'une sortie à vélo et a subi un traumatisme crânien majeur. Elle est décédée l'an dernier, à l'âge de 69 ans, après avoir passé plusieurs années en établissement de soins de longue durée.

Antonine Maillet et sa nièce Cécile partagaient le même type d’idéalisme : elles étaient des femmes indépendantes, anticonformistes — des esprits libres.

Cécile Maillet

L'un des aspects de la peinture que je trouve particulièrement difficile est la représentation d'éléments flous. Lorsque j'ai réalisé l'étude photographique sur place pour ce tableau avec mon Google Pixel 7, seuls les livres et les fleurs étaient parfaitement en focus; j'avais omis de photographier la structure elle-même, notamment les rampes et les planches de la passerelle. J'ai eu beaucoup de mal avec la zone située immédiatement à gauche, derrière les livres. La semaine dernière, j'ai décidé de retirer le vernis de cette partie à l'aide d'essence de térébenthine distillée pour retenter ma chance afin de créer une image plus harmonieuse. C'est là que mes compétences en dessin de perspective m'ont bien servi : j'ai en effet réinventé cette section en y intégrant une rampe totalement différente.

Ces deux tableaux rendant hommage à Antonine Maillet ont été conçus à l'origine comme soumission au programme d'acquisition pour la Banque d'œuvres d'art du Nouveau-Brunswick (2026). Malheureusement, ils n'ont pas été retenus par le jury. Cette exposition leurs donne une fenêtre de voir le grand jour.

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A postage stamp of Antonine Maillet was issued by Canada Post on November 27, 2024. One has been affixed on the back of each frame.

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Un timbre à l’effigie d’Antonine Maillet a été émis par Postes Canada le 27 novembre 2024. L’un d’eux a été apposé au dos des deux cadres.

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This is a sister painting of the previous, paying homage to author Antonine Maillet. The setting for this work is at the Bouctouche Dune, more precisely, the Irving Eco-Centre and Boardwalk in St-Edouard, NB.

The two books for this composition were her first two novels. "Pointe-aux-Coques" published in 1958 earned her the Prix Champlain followed by "On a mangé la dune" in 1962. The second work marks a crucial stylistic break. Antonine Maillet begins to detach herself from classical French, allowing the young protagonist of the novel to express herself in her own words. This paved the way for the use of the Acadian dialect that would later bring the author international renown. These two novels are semi-autobiographical. The fictional village of Pointe-aux-Coques is based on Richibouctou-Village and Cap-de-Richibouctou (Cap-Lumière).

Right after earning her bachelor's degree. Maillet joined the congregation of the Sisters of Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur in 1950 at the age of 21. Her time in the religious community spanned from 1950-1967. Early in her career, like her parents, she started out as a teacher. Her first teaching job was in Cap-Lumière around 1950. According to my late father, that schoolhouse would have been located 400m from the house I grew up in. My godmother, then Rachelle Cormier thought with her during this period. Cormier was also Maillet's own mother's family name who is the narrator of her first offering.

These specific books do exist individually, but in one single volume for this edition. While her Canadian publisher is Leméac in Montréal, this book was published by Marabout in 1977 out of Belgium. I ordered it on-line from a French used book retailer. Again, with the help of Photoshop and some scanning tricks, I created two new spines and wrapped a second book of the same size to create "On a mangé la dune".

Of course, the flowers are for her. As for the Campbell's soup can, I had to add some humour and Acadian cuisine in the mix. In English, these titles translate to "Clam Point" (Pointe-aux-Coques) and "We Ate the Dune" (On a mangé la dune), while "Clam Chowder" is the translation for Chaudrée aux coques. Of course, the Campbell's Soup can is a wink to Andy Warhol. Located in Camden, New Jersey, the Campbell's headquarters sits just across the Delaware River - only 4 km (2.5 miles) from Philadelphia. While Longfellow's Evangeline's peril ended in Philadelphia, Pélagie in Maillet's "Pélagie-la-Charette", arrives in Philadelphia in 1776 at chapter 12. Here, she meets Beausoleil Broussard with whom I share the same ancestor- Michel Sansoucy Richard who immigrated from France circa 1651-1654.

Antonine Maillet died on February 17, 2025 while I was working on this painting. Ironically, coming down the stairs that morning, my wife Suzanne was watching Radio-Canada ICI Télé and announced her passing. As I looked at the TV, the image on the screen on pause was her walking on the same boardwalk as in my painting. While she had lived most of her adult life in Montreal, she owned a beautiful cottage in the shape of a lighthouse only a few kilometers from the boardwalk.

She was the aunt of one of our closest friend and fellow nurse Cécile Maillet. I remember meeting Antonine Maillet briefly during the early 1980's at her parent's house. I owe a lot to Cécile. During the fall of 1986, it was her who coaxed me to join her in taking a perspective drawing course over a 10 week period with Sylvain Arseneau. The last session was an introduction to acrylic painting. A few months later, I would complete a first painting on my own. She also played a great role in my spiritual awakening. Sadly, pending her retirement from nursing, she was hit from behind by a motorhome while on a bike ride and suffered a major brain trauma. She also passed away last year at the age of 69, after spending several years in a nursing home.

Antonine Maillet and her niece Cécile shared the same kind of idealism: they were independent, nonconformist women—free spirits.

One aspect of painting that I find particularly difficult is painting anything that is out of focus. When I did the photo study on site for this painting with my Google Pixel 7, only the books and flowers were in full focus. I omitted to take pictures of the structure itself, railings and deck board. I truly struggled with the immediate left section behind the books. This past week, I decided to remove the varnish on that section of the boardwalk with distilled turpentine and give it another go in order to create an image that was more harmonious. This is when my perspective drawing skills served me well. I did re-invent that section with an all-together different railing.

These two paintings paying homage to Antonine Maillet were initially conceived as a submission to the 2026 New Brunswick Art Bank acquisition program. Unfortunately, they were not retained by the jury, but this exhibition still gives them a window to see the light of day.

This painting will part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-

''Still Lives, Silent Places''

held at the Fog Forest Gallery

from October 16 - November 6, 2026.

Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.

To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery.
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street
Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
website- http:/fogforestgallery.ca

Le Pays de la Sagouine, un hommage à Antonine Maillet

2026-10-10T12:24:01.452-03:00

14 x 11", acrylic on cradle aluminium panel

painting #300, 2025 - black wooden floater frame

ENGLISH TO FOLLOW -

J'ai grandi à Cap-Lumière, au Nouveau-Brunswick, à moins de 30 km de Bouctouche. Cette ville est connue pour être le lieu de naissance de la célèbre romancière, dramaturge et universitaire acadienne Antonine Maillet (1929-2025), ainsi que de K.C. Irving (1899-1992), milliardaire et homme d'affaires ayant bâti un empire couvrant les secteurs de l'énergie, de l'exploitation forestière, du commerce et des médias. Leurs contributions à la société diffèrent radicalement, tout comme leurs héritages respectifs. La dynastie industrielle de K.C. Irving exerce toujours une influence économique et sociale sans pareille sur le Canada atlantique — et plus particulièrement sur le Nouveau-Brunswick —, tandis que l'héritage d'Antonine Maillet a permis de porter l'histoire, l'identité et la langue parlée unique du peuple acadien sur la scène internationale.

Ce tableau rend hommage à cette grande dame. J'ai choisi le site du Pays de la Sagouine pour encadrer cette composition. Cette attraction touristique a été inaugurée en 1992 sur l'île aux Puces, située sur la rivière Bouctouche. Elle a vu le jour grâce au succès de la pièce de théatre La Sagouine, écrite par Mme Maillet en 1971. Ce succès doit autant au talent de conteuse de l'auteure qu'à l'interprétation magistrale de Viola Léger (1930-2023). Durant 45 ans (de 1971 à 2016), cette dernière a incarné le personnage plus de 3 000 fois, que ce soit sur scène, au cinéma ou à la télévision, au Canada, aux États-Unis et en Europe. Au fil des ans, ce lieu touristique a évolué pour devenir une forme de théâtre vivant où de nombreux personnages créés par Mme Maillet prennent vie dans des sketches, tout en célébrant la culture, la cuisine, la musique et le folklore acadien.

Antonine Maillet et Le Pays de la Sagouine.

La comédienne Solange LeBlanc, qui décrit le site est ma deuxième cousine.

En 2023, sur la partie terrestre du parc, Le Pays de la Sagouine a inauguré en partenariat avec le studio multimédia de renommée mondiale Moment Factory — un parcours nocturne enchanté de 1,5 km baptisé « Akadi Lumina ». Ce parcours forestier multisensoriel mêle une installation lumineuse saisissante, un spectacle laser, des projections vidéo et une bande sonore originale puissante pour créer une expérience immersive magique et féerique. Il évoque également l'histoire du peuple acadien : sa joie de vivre, sa résilience, son folklore et son passé maritime.

Akadi Lumina- 2024-10-14

Les livres que j'ai choisi de mettre en vedette sont les deux œuvres pour lesquelles elle est le plus connue. "Pélagie-la-Charrette" a été publié en 1979 et lui a valu le prix Goncourt, largement reconnu comme la distinction littéraire de langue française la plus prestigieuse au monde. Dès son annonce, l'ouvrage est devenu un best-seller, s'écoulant à plus d'un million d'exemplaires. J'étais alors en douzaine année au secondaire. Notre école en a rapidement acquis un grand nombre, et sa lecture est devenue obligatoire pour un résumé de livre lors de notre cours de français. Je me souviens que c'était une lecture assez difficile. Pendant que je peignais, je me suis rafraîchi la mémoire en écoutant le livre audio lu par la brillante Diane Losier, disponible sur Radio-Canada Ohdio (disponible ICI). Maillet demeure à ce jour la seule Canadienne à avoir reçu le prix Goncourt.

Contrairement au poème narratif épique "Evangeline" de Longfellow, qui suit la protagoniste après la déportation des Acadiens par les Britanniques en 1755, 'Pélagie-la-Charrette" propose un contre-récit audacieux et contestataire. Alors qu'Évangéline est une figure romantique et tragique qui souffre en silence et se soumet à son sort, Pélagie est une veuve hardie et déterminée, pleine d'espoir, de courage et d'une obstination rebelle ; elle guide activement son peuple dans une odyssée de dix ans pour regagner sa terre natale depuis le sud des États-Unis.

Le second livre comprend deux de ses pièces de théâtre : La Sagouine et Évangéline Deusse. Comme ces deux livres sont assez minces, j'ai créé, à l'aide de Photoshop, un nouveau dos de livre combinant les deux ouvrages pour les besoins de ce tableau. J'ai également dû inverser le sens des titres et du nom de l'auteur sur le dos du livre, car tous les ouvrages publiés en français se lisent du bas vers le haut, et non du haut vers le bas. En intitulant la pièce "Évangeline Deusse" (la seconde), Maillet créait délibérément une version moderne et réinventée de l'héroïne légendaire de Longfellow. Ce titre indique clairement que ce personnage constitue une rupture totale avec l'Évangeline originale du XIXe siècle — cette victime tragique, jeune et soumise qui subit son exil en silence. À l'opposé, l'Évangeline Deusse de Maillet est une femme de 80 ans obstinée, indépendante et joyeuse. Malgré son âge et son déracinement, elle refuse qu'on la plaigne ou qu'on l'arrache à sa terre.

Les deux livres de gauche appartenaient à ma grand-mère partenelle.

L'illustration sur la couverture de "La Sagouine" est le "Portrait d'une vieille femme" (vers 1564), œuvre de l'artiste flamand Pieter Brueghel.

L'exemplaire d'Évangeline Deusse porte une dédicace

adressée à ma grand-mère ; elle lui avait été offert par ma marraine pour Noël.

« Pour Edmée, cette Évangéline Deusse, qui aime bien les gens qui ont passé le cap des quatre-vingts ans » — Antonine Maillet

"La Sagouine", interprétée par Viola Léger, fut en fait la toute première pièce de théâtre que j'ai assisté, alors que j'étais une jeune adulte (à la fin de l'adolescence ou au début de la vingtaine). La deuxième pièce à laquelle j'ai assisté mettait également en vedette Viola Léger dans le rôle principal, cette fois dans Harold et Maude. Le rôle d'Harold était tenu par un jeune acteur encore inconnu, Roy Dupuis, qui allait bientôt devenir une vedette majeure du cinéma et de la télévision Québecoise tout au long des années 1990 et au début des années 2000. Mme Léger a siègé au Sénat du Canada à Ottawa de 2001 à 2005.

Avec Viola Léger, Pays de la Sagouine, 1994.

Cette oeuvre marque une étape importante puisqu'il s'agit de ma 300e peinture originale.

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ENGLISH TEXT

Growing up in Cap-Lumière, NB, we lived less than 30 km from Bouctouche. This town is known for being the birthplace of celebrated Acadian novelist, playwright and scholar Antonine Maillet (1929-2025) and of K.C. Irving (1899-1992), a billionaire and businessman who built an empire spread across energy, logging, commerce and news media. Their contribution to society are completely different as are their legacies. K.C Irving industrial dynasty still holds unparalleled economic and social influence over Atlantic Canada, particularly New Brunswick, while Antonine Maillet's legacy served for elevating the history, identity and unique spoken language of the Acadian people to the world stage.

This painting is an homage to the great dame herself. I chose the setting of Le Pays de la Sagouine to anchor this composition. This tourist attraction was established in 1992 on L'Île-aux-puces (Flea Island) located on the Bouctouche River. It was developed following the success of the one-woman play of La Sagouine written by Maillet in 1971. It's success was not only attributed to her narrative as a story teller, but to brilliant interpretation by Viola Leger, whom for 45 years (1971-2016) embodied the character more than 3000 times on stage, film and television in Canada, the United States and Europe. Over the years, this tourist attraction has grown to become a form of living theatre where many of Maillet's character come to life in sketches while celebrating Acadian culture, cuisine, music and folklore.

In 2023, on the mainland of this park, in partnership with world-renown multimedia studio Moment Factory, Le Pays de la Sagouine opened a 1.5 km enchanted night walk trail called Akadi Lumina. This multisensory forest journey blends striking light installation, laser show, video projection and a powerful original soundtrack creating a magical and whimsical immersive experience. It also recall the story of the Acadian people - their joie de vivre, resilience, folklore and maritime history.

The books I chose to showcase are the two for which she is best known for. Pélagie-La-Charette was published in 1979 and earned her le Prix Goncourt (Goncourt Prize). Widely recognized as the most prestigious prize in French literature in the world. When it was announced, it instantly became a bestseller, selling over 1 million copies. At the time, I was in grade 12. Our school quickly acquired a large lot and it became compulsory reading for a book report. I remember that it was somewhat of a difficult read. While I was painting, I refreshed my memory by listening to the audiobook read by the brilliant Diane Losier, available on Radio-Canada Ohdio. Maillet remains the only Canadian to ever be awarded Le Prix Goncourt.

Unlike the narrative epic poem of Evangeline by Longfellow that follows the protagonist after the deportation of Acadians by the British in 1755, Pélagie-la-Charette takes a direct defiant counter-narrative to it. While Evangeline is a tragic, romantic figure who suffers quietly and submits to her circumstances, Pélagie is a bold and determined widow driven by hope, courage and stubborn defiance who actively leads her people on a 10 year odyssey back to their homeland from the American South.

The second book are two of her plays, La Sagouine and Évangéline Deusse (the Second). Since both of these books are rather small, with the help of Photoshop, I created a new spine combining both books for the narrative of this painting. I also had to flip the titles and name of the author on the spine, since all books published in French read from bottom to top instead of top to bottom.

By calling the play Évangeline Deusse (the Second), Maillet was purposefully creating a modern, reinvented version of Longfellow’s legendary heroine. Her title directly signals that this character is a complete rejection of the 19th-century original Evangeline as a tragic, youthful, and submissive victim who quietly suffers her exile. By contrast, Maillet's Évangeline Deusse is a stubborn, independent, and joyful 80-year-old woman. Despite her age and her displacement, she refuses to be pitied or uprooted.

La Sagouine played by Viola Léger was actually the first ever live play that I attended either as a late teen or early twenties. The second play that I attended also featured Viola Léger in the lead role in Harold & Maude. Harold was played by a then unknown young actor named Roy Dupuis, who would soon become a major star in Quebec cinema and television throughout the 1990's and early 2000's. Viola Léger was appointed to the Canadian Senate in Ottawa from 2001-2005.

This work marked a milestone, being my 300th original painting.

This painting will part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-

''Still Lives, Silent Places''

at the Fog Forest Gallery from October 16 - November 6, 2026.

Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.

To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery.
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street
Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
website- http:/fogforestgallery.ca

Two-Man Show at the Fog Forest Gallery

2026-10-08T23:08:22.521-03:00

I will be having a two-man show with the late great Jon Wilkinson (1940-2012) at the Fog Forest Gallery in Sackville, NB. The exhibition entitled - Still Lives Silent Places opens on October 16 and runs until November 6, 2026.

The opening reception will be held on Friday October 23 from 4:30 to 6 pm. All are welcome.

My lot will comprise of 14 paintings, 13 new, plus one recent. This post is a sneak peek of the paintings that I will be presenting. I will be creating a post for each during the following days.

The Fog Forest Gallery is located at 14 Bridge Street in Sackville, NB. Please note that gallery hours are limited to Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.

https://fogforestgallery.ca/

Polaroids, an homage to Andy Warhol

2025-11-21T11:21:00.010-04:00

14 x 11", acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel

painting #304, 2025

Call it happenstance. As I was about to start this painting, Radio-Canada Television (French CBC) aired the PBS documentary, Mr. Polaroid during an episode of Découverte on October 26. While focusing mainly of Edwin Land's long process of inventing the Polaroid camera and how quickly it evolved thereafter, it also surveys several of his many inventions and his involvement with the US government.

Two years ago, I landed on this book while browsing in the small book aisle at Homesense. ANDY WARHOL Polaroids 1958-1987 was published by Taschen in 2020 with model, singer-songwriter, actress Grace Jones on its cover.

The original Polaroid OneStep camera was introduced in 1977. It became an instant best seller and a global phenomenon. I once owned a One Step during the mid eighties, which was probably influenced by Nick Rhodes, the keyboard player of Duran Duran who was becoming a photographer in his own right and often hung out at the Factory with Andy Warhol (he appears on page 374).

A week after acquiring this book, I found a listing for a One Step Polaroid camera on eBay. I knew instantly that I was going to use it as a prop for a painting. In the meanwhile they were displayed together in an open shelf console television table in the den next to my studio.

The One Step Polaroid Land Camera uses SX-70 film. That code was often used as reference for the iconic square format of the picture with a distinctive white border that is wider on the bottom if you wished to write on them. Polaroid images are known for their soft-hued, slightly out-of-focus, and dreamy visual style. The colors may not be perfectly true to life, and lighting can be unpredictable, contributing to an authentic, "imperfectly perfect" charm that digital photography often imitates with filters.

Andy Warhol died on February 22, 1987 at the age of 58 following complications after gall bladder surgery. I would actually complete my first original painting that same month. I've always felt a strong attraction to his body of work. While furniture shopping at IKEA shortly after my wife and I married in 1986, we stumble upon the last remaining Warhol exhibition poster of Ingrid Bergman (with hat) printed by Galerie Borjesön in Malmö Sweden. Since it was the last poster and the one in the display case, I asked if I could buy it. After consulting the floor manager, it was discounted for $2. These are still available and often sell upwards of a grand.

The Andy Warhol self-portrait image used for my painting is from a serigraph on canvas he created in 1964. Like many of his serigraph prints, he used that same image and produced a whole series in various colors. Christies recently sold one at auction for 3,300,000 USD. On August 10, 2002, the US Postal Service (USPS) issued a 37 cents stamp honoring Andy Warhol using the same 1964 imagery. This is quite possibly the least amount of money you can spend to acquire a Warhol. I've affixed one of these stamps on the back of my painting.

As for Andy Warhol's Polaroids, they are also highly sought after. These were often used as reference photographs for his silkscreen prints of celebrities and other subject matter. Artsy has a page dedicated to these original photographs, selling upwards of 20,000 USD each.

This painting is part of a group exhibition entitled

ENCHANTED - Nov. 14 - Dec. 31, 2025

Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
-SOLD

Racines Acadiennes

2025-09-28T15:17:00.013-03:00

16 x 12", acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel

painting #303, 2025

These two local history books belongs to the clients who commissioned this painting. Both grew up in Acadian villages, but in different provinces. This painting is an homage honoring their ancestors and Acadian roots.

Father Anselme Chiasson, the author of Chéticamp, histoire et traditions acadiennes (1961) is also the co-author of Sainte-Anne-de-Kent (1886-1986) which was co-written by Arthur Poirier, father of one of the clients.

Father Anselme Chiasson (1911-2004) was an Acadian Catholic priest, historian, ethnographer, and folklorist. He was a staunch defender of Acadia, both for it's language and culture. His name is associated with the founding not only of the Université de Moncton, but especially of the Centre d'études acadiennes (Center for Acadian Studies) which, under his leadership, became a reference on Acadian history, culture, and genealogy. While representing the Church and preaching the faith throughout his life, he denounced injustices toward the Acadian community.

He played a prominent role in promoting historical research. In 1960, he co-founded the Acadian Historical Society in New Brunswick with Father Clément Cormier and journalist Émery Leblanc. He also served as an archivist. In 1961, he founded Les Éditions des Aboiteaux, the first publishing house in Acadia, of which the book of Chéticamp pictured above was published that same year. He himself is the author of some fifteen books.

On the occasion of his 70th birthday, author Antonine Maillet wrote: "Of all the Acadians I know, Father Anselme Chiasson is the most Acadian." Father Chiasson was named an officer to the Order of Canada along the designations of Chevalier to several French orders.

While these books carry significant importance to their owners, the Sainte-Anne-de-Kent book is especially significant to me personally. Upon graduating from Nursing School, I would spent the next five years working in a rural hospital located in this community. It is here that I would meet my future wife and where I did my first painting. The artwork on the book cover is by the artist René Hébert. Hébert was born in Moncton in 1932. He studied fine arts at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal. He initially worked as a graphic artist in Toronto before moving to Sainte-Anne-de-Kent along the Northumberland Strait where he would set up his art studio and raised his family with his wife. He paints with an economy of brush strokes using bold and expressive colors exploring rural life and the landscape of Eastern Canada. He was a friend of the Quebec artist Tex Lecor. It's evident that they were influenced by the artists of the Group of Seven. I visited his studio during the mid 1990's and acquired one of his iconic paintings.

Prior to the publishing of this book, the wooded Roman Catholic Church in Sainte-Anne-de-Kent depicted on the cover had received the designation of Provincial Historic Site. The interior featured 48 iconographic frescos and paintings by local artist Édouard Gautreau, a Murano glass chandelier and sculptures by its' architect Léon Léger. I remember attending mass here and zoning out of what the priest was saying as my head was always going around in circles looking at the artwork. That church was often referred to as the Acadian Sistine Chapel. Sadly, on June 29, 2005, the church was hit by lightning and quickly burned to the ground. Only a few removeable pieces of artwork were saved. Growing up in Cap-Lumière, I was an alter boy while attending church in Richibouctou-Village. A massive painting of Saint Antony of Padua also painted by Edouard Gautreau hung above the alter. It's certainly the first great work of art that I saw as a child and have probably spend hundreds of hours admiring it. Sainte-Anne-de-Kent is also where my own mother was born and grew up.

As retirement was looming for the couple who commissioned this painting, they decided to leave big city life, change province and built their dream home on rural ancestral land. This painting is to grace their new house. I proposed using my Preserve mason jar for the peonies, her favorite flower. The original purpose of these canning jar is to preserve food. Symbolically, I often use them as a vehicle for preserving memories. The composition rests on is a Danish/Scandinavian inspired mid-century modern side table. This piece of furniture had sentimental value to her since it brought flair and style to her former workplace. I was pretty much given full artistic license as they wanted the artwork to be painted in my signature style. I chose an outdoor setting as I wanted the peonies to bask in natural light.

During the late 1980's, I became a fan of the Canadian alternative rock band Chalk Circle. In 1987, they released an album entitled, Mending Wall. The inspiration for the title was borrowed from a Robert Frost poem of the same name. Good fences makes good neighbors, a line from that poem also appeared in the lyrics of their song N.I.M.B.Y. (not in my backyard). Since then, every time I see a fence, the Robert Frost reference always comes to mind. With that said, I've opted for a fence in the background as I've done in several previous painting.

Mending Wall, a poem by Robert Frost

N.I.M.B.Y (not in my backyard) - by Chalk Circle

Music video filmed in Dartmouth and Peggy's Cove, NS.

-Private Collection

Lollies for Dali, an homage

2024-12-10T12:02:00.013-04:00

14 x 11 inches, acrylic on gessoed mounted aluminium panel

painting #299, 2024 - black floater frame

While window shopping in Halifax a decade ago, I entered the Freak Lunchbox candy store on Barrington Street. I was aware of the existence of Chupa Chups lollipops, but I think that it was the first time that I actually saw some in person. The sight of them gave me a visceral response, so I bought two. Upon my return home, I did a Google search about this candy on a stick. Chupa Chups is a Spanish brand of lollipops and confectionary founded in 1958 by Enric Bernat.

In 1969, Salvador Dali was approached to reinvent their logo. He would set the Chupa Chups name inside a daisy shape flower and suggested that the logo be place on top of the lolly instead of its' side. It would soon become one of those iconic commercial logos and help propulse the brand.

Click to view this entertaining bio of Dali

Upon learning this, I knew I had to paint these while paying an homage to Salvador Dali. I would soon acquire a coffee table book entitled Dali Pop-Ups by Courtney Watson McCarthy. The book features the Persistance of Memory on its cover which seemed fitting to anchor a composition. Since these lollipops were hard to find in New Brunswick, I ordered a dozen from an on-line vendor. When they arrived, they were much smaller than I had anticipating, so I decided to put this painting on hold for the time being. Almost a decade would go by.

While standing inline at a self checkout at Walmart this past summer, I spotted a few open boxes of XXL Chupa Chups in the now so-call candy aisle. These were the size that I had envisioned for a painting, so I bought six. In keeping with the narrative, I changed Ball to Dali on the vintage mason jar. It was quite the challenge to paint.

_________________

My love affair of visiting art galleries and museums across North America and Europe began soon after I began painting in 1987. Among the firsts, was the Beaverbrook Art Gallery (BAG) in Fredericton, the designated art museum of the province of New Brunswick. It was here that I was introduced to the art of surrealist painter/artist Salvador Dali. The gallery owns no less than five of his paintings, among them is one of his masterworks, Santiago El Grande painted in 1957.

This painting was first exhibited as the centerpiece inside the Spanish Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Once the fair closed, the massive painting was acquired by Lady Dunn (Marcia Anastasia Christoforides), wife of the late James Dunn. It was gifted to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery when it opened in 1959. The Dunn's had established a relationship with Dali since that late 1940's, having commissioned three portraits paintings that also hang in the Beaverbrook.

Santiago El Grande, oil on canvas, 1957

Beaverbrook Art Gallery, November 2022.

After many visits to the BAG, it's quite possibly the painting that I've spent the most time admiring inside an art museum during my lifetime. I was finally able to connect the dots and fully grasp the scope of the imagery with its symbolism and metaphors during the process of preparing my 800 km hike on the Camino de Santiago back in 2009 (Way of Saint James).

Santiago El Grande translates to Saint James the Great, who's the patron saint of Spain. Legends has it that the apostle James the Great made a miraculous apparition at the Battle of Clavijo during the Reconquista, helping the Christians conquer the Muslim Moors during middle ages. In art, Saint James is often depicted on a white horse while holding a sword and given the name of Moor-slayer. In this Salvador Dali's painting, the sword has been replaced by a crucifix made of light beams with Jesus looking towards heaven. His hands are not nailed to the cross but are facing upwards while forming the shape of cups. Symbolically holding all of the sins of the world.

Video description of Salvador Dali's paintings

at the BAG, narrated by John Leroux, art historian and

currently manager of the collections and exhibitions at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

In 2005, we visited the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. It houses a comprehensive collection of more that 2400 works of all kinds, spanning the entire artistic career of Dali. The collection was acquired over a 40 year period by art patron and friends of Dali, Ohio couple Reynolds and Eleanor Reese Morse. The museum is the home to more masterpieces of Dalí than any other museum in the world, including eight large-scale paintings. In 2011, the collection was moved into a new modern day storm secure complex.

Self in from of the old Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Fla. - 2005

My son Jean-Luc, age 10, napping on a melting clock bench at the Salvador

Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Fla. 2005.

Over the years, I had a chance to see, The Persistance of Memory up-close on several occasions. Housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City, although smallish, it's considered by many to be his most famous painting. I've also had the good fortune to view countless others during my travels and was pleasantly surprise to even discover a few at Musei Vaticani in Vatican City.

While vacationing in Torremolinos, Spain this spring, we rented a condo-apartment for one week. Less than a km away, along the sea-side promenade are two sculptures of Salvador Dali and his wife Gala who stayed here during the spring of 1930.

Sculpture of painter Salvador Dali and his muse Gala,

whom between April and May 1930 resided in the Santa Clara Guesthouse,

where Dali created the painting "The Invisible Man".

Avant-garde poets Manuel Altolaguirre and Emilio Prados are the two other figures

who were part of the Generation of '27.

This painting is currently on view at the Fog Forest Gallery in a group exhibition entitled, "Winter Songs" - Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, 2024. (painting will be removed from exhibition if sold). Check website for gallery hours.

To acquire this painting please contact:

Fog Forest Gallery

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
https://fogforestgallery.ca/
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
-SOLD

Platform 9 ¾, the Portal to Hogwarts

2024-10-07T00:00:00.011-03:00

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on gessoed mounted aluminium panel

painting #298, 2024 - black floater frame

I first discovered the Harry Potter books through the Rosie O'Donnell Show in the late 1990's. Rosie was a fanatic from the get go and promoted not only the books, but its author J.K. Rowling (Joanne Rowling), the film series that followed and its stars. I started buying the books at Costco not long after, and anticipating each new releases which totalled seven in the series. Each new book became an event with people lining outside book stores for hours if not days before its release. I read the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone during the month of November/December 2000.

A great author has a way of keeping the reader engaged. J.K. Rowling's creative story telling, imagination and the whole fantasy world she created just sparked my imagination and painted every scene in my head with details and wonderment. When the films started coming out, I was awestruck by how they were able to recreate that whole world on celluloid.

Much like the books series that broke sale records, the blockbuster motion pictures were equally on par as a cultural phenomenon. Not to mention all of the derived commercial products associated with this franchise that are still being produced for their legions of fans. The seven books has been translated in over 80 languages and sold in excess of 520 millions copies. On a 1,2 billion dollar budget, the movie franchise comprising of eight films has made a whopping 7,7 billion dollars at the box office. The films which stared then newcomers Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) were surrounded by a stellar cast of the most celebrated British actors including Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Gary Oldman, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Imelda Stanton, John Hurt, Kenneth Branagh and many more.

Platform 9¾, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (movie scene)

I ended reading five of the seven books. The only reason why I didn't read the last two was because I had changed jobs and devoted less time for reading. Not because they weren't captivating.

When the first film was released, it became the highest-grossing film of 2001 and the second-highest-grossing film of all-time after The Titanic. My son Jean-Luc's childhood revolved around LEGOS. When he was six years old, he asked Santa for the Hogwarts Castle for Christmas. Harry Potter Lego sets started coming out during the release of the first film. He had seen it at Costco so when he found it under the tree on Christmas morning, he was as surprised as I was. We spend that whole morning setting it up. Jean-Luc has a very creative imagination, so it wasn't long until he dismantled it and elaborated other versions combining other Lego sets from his collection.

Jean-Luc with his re-invented Hogwarts Castle, 2002 (age 6 or 7)

In 2010, when Jean-Luc was 15 years old, we visited London and did a few day trips in England. He is still to this day a big supporter of Chelsea Football Club. While we weren't lucky enough to get tickets to see them play a soccer game, we did go on a tour of Stamford Bridge, the stadium where they play. However, we were fortunate to attend a match when Manchester City was visiting West Ham F.C.

During one of our day trips, we visited the campus of Oxford University. Christ Church College provided the location for many Harry Potter scenes. The staircase below was used to film the famous entrance scene where Professor McGonagall meets Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Oxford University, May 2010

The staircase then leads up to the Tudor Great Dining Hall which served as inspiration for the great Hogwarts Dining Hall. The hallways of Christ Church were also used to film the scene in which Hermione shows Harry the Quidditch trophy his late father had won.

Oxford University, May 2010

Fast forward 2019, when Jean-Luc was 24, he and I hiked the Portuguese Way on the Camino from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Our 10 day walking trek covered 240 km. Before departing, we visited Porto for two days. JK Rowling lived in Porto from 1991-1993, where she wrote the first three chapters of the first Harry Potter book. The famous Livraria Lello's bookstore's interior is rumored to have inspired the book shop Flourish and Blotts in Daigon Alley for the serial.

My son Jean-Luc, Porto, July 2019.

Signed by JK Rowling, Livraria Lello bookstore, Porto, July 2019.

Back in 2001, Jean-Luc was collecting Harry Potter trading cards which was part of a card game. I would later incorporate some of these in a painting entitled "Trading Cards".

Trading Cards, 16 x 12", acrylic, painting #64, 2004

This current painting, "Platform 9¾, the Portal to Hogwarts" has been on the backburner for more than 10 years. I initially did of a photo study session back in 2013, but somehow felt the time wasn't right to paint it until now.

Last month, Jean-Luc, now 29 got married to his sweetheart Jessica. Even the rain could not dampen that day. They exchanged vows in a small garden wedding on her father's property. Many of their close friends had small roles in making it the most memorable wedding that I've attended. I even pitched in by making the wedding cake and cupcakes. This painting seemed like a perfect wedding gift for them both. Jessica is also a fan of the Harry Potter series and is currently reading the books. Jean-Luc recently mentioned that they've watched the films numerous times on DVD since they've been together. I'm happy that this painting will remain in the family since Harry Potter is linked to my son since childhood and continues to follow him in his adult life with his wife.

Jean-Luc and Jessica's Wedding, Sept. 2024

I had acquired the Harry Potter glasses more than a decade ago as a prop for the composition. All seven books do appear in my painting. These were published by Bloomsbury/ Raincoast in Canada, sharing the same artwork on their book covers as the UK editions. In the US, the books were published by Scholastic with completely different artwork.

The art cover for the first book for Bloomsbury was a pencil/watercolour by illustrator Thomas Taylor showing Harry boarding the Hogwarts Express. The following books in the series featured more fantasy styled artwork created by Cliff Wright (books 2 & 3), Giles Greenfield (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and Jason Cockroft (last three books).

Illustrations and studies for Harry Potter by Giles Greenfield.

I completed this painting on September 27. Later that same day, I was sadden to learned that Maggie Smith, who played the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall in film series had died at the age of 89. Of course she is also known for her scene stealing, multi-award winning role of Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the British period drama Downton Abbey.

-Private Collection

Anne with an E, an homage to Lucy Maud Montgomery on her 150th Birthday

2024-08-30T21:26:00.012-03:00

14 x 11 inches, acrylic on gessoed mounted aluminium panel
painting #297, 2024 - black floater frame

This painting is an homage to Lucy Maud Montgomery on her sesquicentennial. This is my fourth painting inspired by the Anne of Green Gables novel. Other paintings can be view on this link or by clicking Lucy Maud Montgomery found in the right column under Labels.

Heritage Minutes

The famous House of Green Gables that served as the setting for the Cuthbert's in the novel was built during the 1830's by the MacNeil family who were related to the author. In 1909, a year after the first Anne of Green Gables book was published, the house was sold to Myrtle and Ernest Webb. Myrtle was a cousin of Lucy. In 1936, the house was sold to the Government of Canada when it became vacant, later to be turned into a National Historic Site.

I've visited the house several times, but not in recent years. Two years ago, just before Prince Edward Island was hit by hurricane Fiona, my wife and I spent three days in Cavendish to cycle on the bike paths of the National Park. We then visited the house that now boasted a beautiful interpretive center (2019). I had brought a bottle of Raspberry Cordial with me, and did a few photos on site. Unfortunately, none of the pictures I took were major enough to paint from. Not long after, I found this book published by Paper Mill Press at Homesense, which seemed perfect to anchor a composition.

Anne of Green Gables, the Musical was performed annually from its opening in 1965 until 2019. The musical had to be cancelled for the first time in 54 years during the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2014, it was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest running annual musical theatre production in the world.

Anne returned to the Charlottetown Festival stage for the 2022 season. However, organizers announced that the show would be produced only in alternating years from then on and would return in 2024, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of Montgomery's birth. My wife and I took in the second presentation of the summer season on June 20. We had seen the theatrical production twice, the last time was when our son was quite young. We absolutely loved it. We laughed and even shed a few tears. Kelsey Verzotti as the mellow-dramatic protagonist was a revelation to us. The cast, set decoration and orchestra were equally amazing.

Earlier that day, we visited the Green Gables House again, specifically to do a photo study session for this painting. It was quite possibly the warmest day of the whole summer, with the mercury pushing 34°C and the humidex climbing up pass 40°C. We left Moncton under a blue sky that morning. A heavy downpour came out of nowhere just before arriving to Cavendish. Afterwards, the sky remained partially overcast and grey, so the lighting was not great. When I opened the soda pop bottle of Raspberry Cordial, with the beverage being cool and the weather being so muggy, the inside of the bottle instantly fogged up. Nonetheless, I did my best to set up a composition under these conditions.

Anne's Room at the Green Gables House

After I got home, I proceeded to do dozens of photos for the sky, bottle, book and apple tree under sunnier conditions. I ended up working from nine photos, using bits and bites of each in order to achieve the imagery for this painting. The book is resting on a bench made from a stone slab that is located across the front lawn of Green Gables House.

In late June, the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled commemorative coins of $1 (loonie) and a silver $20 to celebrate the 150th birthday of L.M. Montgomery. This would also mark the first time an author has appeared on a Canadian coin.

My wife Suzanne at the Lucy Maud Montgomery Park in Cavendish, PEI. - Sept. 2022

The artist responsible for the iconic artwork on the Raspberry Cordial bottle is Ben Stahl. The Chicago born artist / illustrator moved to Prince Edward Island in 1984. He did a series of Anne paintings during the late eighties and early nineties that would make him famous. These were also reproduced on book covers, Canadian postage stamps (2008), posters, decorative plates and coffee mugs. Sadly, Mr. Stahl passed away on June 15, 2024 at the age of 91. Unknowingly doing the photo study in Cavendish five days after his death, this painting is also an homage to him, since it's the imagery on the bottle that inspired the whole painting. Anne's face on my painting is only the size of a dime. It was intricate to paint. My rendition, although not exactly identical, might make her appear more youthful.

Artwork of Anne by Ben Stahl (1932-2024)

Pawn Stars: STUNNING APPRAISAL for RARE First Edition (Season 18)

Self at the opening reception, Sept. 6, 2024

This painting will be on view at the Fog Forest Gallery in a group exhibition entitled, 40 years in the Forest, celebrating the gallery's 40th anniversary. September 6 until October 11. Check gallery website for hours of operation.

Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
https://fogforestgallery.ca/
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca

-SOLD

The Crown

2024-07-12T19:32:00.022-03:00

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on gessoed mounted aluminium panel

painting #296, 2024 - black floater frame

The year 2022 marked a milestone and a memoriam for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She ascended the throne on February 6, 1952 at the age of 25 following the death of her father King George VI. On February 6, 2022, she would celebrate her platinum jubilee, marking 70 years as the longest reigning monarch of England and Head of the Commonwealth. She died later that same year on September 8, 2022 at the age of 96.

As one of the most famous person in the world, Queen Elizabeth II was known for her unwavering sense of duty, responsibility, steadfastness and grace. She always put the needs of her country and her people first. Although she faced occasional republican sentiment and media criticism, most often directed towards members of her family and during certain tragic events; the support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom remained consistently high throughout her lifetime, as did her popularity.

During her reign, she visited and toured my province of New Brunswick a total of five times. Click HERE for a highlight of her visits. I got to see here briefly in a passing car while visiting Moncton on September 24, 1984.

I've been to England three times. Although I've never visited the inside of Buckingham Palace, my wife Suzanne and I have visited Kensington Palace while Princess Diana was still alive and with our son Jean-Luc, we visited Windsor Castle, where the Queen and Prince Philip spent many of their weekends.

Buckingham Palace, London, May 6, 2010

Windsor Castle, May 3, 2010

One person who has made the monarchy relevant to the masses is none other than screen and playwriter Peter Morgan. He's responsible for writing extensively about Queen Elizabeth II creating no less than three major productions. First, as the screenwriter for the 2006 film, The Queen starring Helen Mirren in the title role. The movie received rave reviews and earned Mirren many accolades including an Academy Award for best actress.

In 2013, Morgan wrote the play, The Audience with Mirren reprising the role of Queen Elizabeth II. The play revolves around weekly meetings between the Queen and her prime ministers. I had a chance to attend a production of that play as it was broadcast live to cinema on June 13, 2013. The broadcast broke the record for most people viewing a live production with nearly 80,000 people watching in the UK and 30,000 people in North America. I remember waiting two hours in the movie theatre on Trinity Drive before the broadcast started as there were technical issues in London that cause a major delay. Still, Helen Mirren gave a tour de force performance. The conversations with the prime ministers are not held in chronological order so with a magical quick changes of costume and wigs, she could be switching from Winston Churchill to John Cameron within a few minutes.

Lastly, Peter Morgan is also the principal script writer for all six seasons of the Crown on Netflix. I watched a few episodes of season 1 when it first came out in 2016. But it was only when I started this painting late last fall that I watched all six seasons. The Crown has been praised by critics for its acting, directing, writing, cinematography, and production value. However, its historical inaccuracies have been criticized, particularly in the latter seasons. Netflix has noted that it's "fictional dramatisation" that was "inspired by real events". Nonetheless, I have to say that I absolutely love it and found all six seasons riveting.

The concept for this painting arose upon seeing two companion books written by Robert Lacey about the Netflix series. Lacey also served as historical consultant for The Crown. It immediately ignited the possibility of incorporating them in a still life painting with a Crown mason jar. Last fall, during the process of doing a few photo studies for the painting, I realized that they lacked color and impact. A quick visit to my local Chapters bookstore remedied that problem as I was lucky enough to find a small coffee table book entitled, The Platinum Queen published in 2022 by Allen & Unwin. This book is a photo essay that chronicles more than 75 speeches given by the Queen during her reign.

In 2012, during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (60th anniversary), the Royal Collection would acquire four of Andy Warhol's famous serigraph portraits of Queen Elizabeth II that were exhibited later that fall at Windsor Castle. Click HERE to view the acquired artwork.

During her Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II would get the royal treatment by gracing the cover of the May 2022 issue of Vanity Fair Magazine, with three variations of Warhol's portraits.

On November 24, 2022, two months after her passing, a serigraph prints entitled, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, from Reigning Queen, Royal Edition was sold at auction by Heffel Fine Art Auction House in Toronto for $1,141,250 CDN, double the pre-auction estimated price. Click HERE to view.

For this painting, I not only wanted to pay homage to the Queen but to Andy Warhol as well. Incorporating a Pop Art portrait in the background would create a myriad of colors inside the canning jar. In order to establish a more cohesive palette, I took the artistic liberty of modify several colours. After painting her face a pale shade of blue, I then proceeded to paint several thin glazes of a peach hue to tone down the blue in order to avoid references to the Blue Man Group. I procrastinated for the longest time in painting the Queen's face that appears on the book. That photograph is attributed to Getty Images. Because of the perspective of the book which physically alters her features, her profile in pencil almost looked like Mr. Burns of the Simpsons. All joking aside, I was able to pull it off. In the original photo, the pearl necklace she is wearing has three strands. I opted for two so it would have more presence.

I did a quick online search and found that the original photograph Warhol used to create his serigraph prints was taken by Peter Grugeon (1918-1980) at Windsor Castle in April 1975. It was later released in 1977 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee. Reproduction of this particular image was used extensively, appearing on commemorative merchandise as well as banknotes across the Commonwealth. In Canada, it was printed on a 25¢ stamp, which I collected at the time when I was 15 years old. On the original photograph, the dress she's wearing is in a pale shade of pink with pearl embellishment, while on the Canadian stamp it appears more to be in a mauvish tone which was the color I settle on for my painting.

Canadian Stamp SC 704 - 1977

photo by Peter Grugeon

She is wearing a collection of Royal Jewels: the Vladimir tiara, Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee necklace, Queen Alexandra's wedding earrings and the Family Orders of King George V and King George VI on the Garter sash. The tiara has a fascinating history since it was smuggled out of Russia by a British antiques dealer after the assassination of the Tsar Nicholas II and members of the Romanov family. It was later bought by Elizabeth II's grandmother Queen Mary. It originally belonged to the Grand Duchess Vladimir (1854-1920), the wife of the Tsar's uncle, Grand Duke Alexandrovich of Russia. She was the last Romanov to escape Revolutionary Russia and the first to die while in exile in France.

Both sporting killer moustaches,

Emperor (Tsar) Nicholas II of Russia with

his doppelganger first cousin ,

George V (grand-father of Queen Elizabeth II)

photo- Wikipedia

Vladimir Tiara

The Crown mason jar in my painting is dated 1947 on the bottom. It was actually made in Canada, but for the narrative I substituted it's origin to England. The jar is only one third fill with water. I often insert a marble in the composition as a form of symbolism when my intention is to play a mind-game with the looker. More recently, in the early 21st century, increasing dissatisfaction with several members the house of Windsor and the Royal Family, especially after the death of Queen Elizabeth II has led to public support for the monarchy reaching historical lows.

With a reign spanning seven decade, Queen Elizabeth II was the only sovereign that most of us have known during our lifetime. She was as much of an institution as anyone in modern history. I leave you with one of her speeches that is written on the back cover of the book featured in the painting.

''For more than seventy years, I have been lucky to meet and to know many of the world's great leaders. And I have perhaps come to understand a little about what made them special.

It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics. But what they do for the people of tomorrow - that is statesmanship.

I, for one, hope that this conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship''.

-Her Majesty, the Queen. Address to the COP26, urging world leaders to find solution to the climate challenges facing our planet. Nov. 1, 2021.

This painting is currently on view at the Fog Forest Gallery in a group exhibition entitled, "Summer Views" - July 11 to August 30, 2024. (will be removed from exhibition if sold). Check website for gallery hours.

Fog Forest Gallery

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
https://fogforestgallery.ca/
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
-SOLD

Confiture de Fraises

2024-06-06T14:02:00.004-03:00

7 x 5", acrylic on gessobord

Painting #295, 2024

I've just returned from a solo trip to France where I spent 24 days. My main goal was to walk again on the Camino de Santiago Trail network. This time, my trek began in Périgueux in the rain, on the Vézelay Way GR-654. It’s a much less traveled path. My first three days were spent on the Bergerac variant. I left the Vézelay Way after 9 stages, and transitioned onto the Puy-en-Velay Way GR-65 during my 10th stage (so I was off the grid from Villeneuve-de-Marsan to Aire-sur-l'Adour). My last six stages took me to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and the finish line. Having previously completed 10 stages in 2017 and 14 stages in 2018, by walking these last six stages, I've completed the Puy-en-Velay Way (752 km). After five treks on the Camino de Santiago network (2009, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2024), I have now accumulated 78 stages in France, Spain and Portugal totaling over 2000 km. I hope that there will be more in my future.

Saint James Gate and the finish line!

Before departing on my Camino, I had an opportunity to visit some friends, Chantal and Thierry who happen to live 5 km from Périgueux in France. The Dordogne region of France is known for its vineyards and the land of 1001 castles. After I was done hiking on the Puy Way, I spent three days in the Basque country in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Bayonne and Biarritz. As luck would have it, the Olympic Flame of the Paris Summer Olympiads would be making its way to Bordeaux during my last day in France. I had the opportunity to take part in the festivities surrounding the Olympic Torch Relay. Having been a torch bearer twice, it meant the world to me to just bask it all in.

This small painting was gifted to my friends who picked me up at the Bordeaux airport, hosted me in their beautiful home for two days and share with me some the local culture, cuisine and wines.

-Private collection - FRANCE

2024 OPEN INTERNATIONAL ONLINE JURIED EXHIBITION

2024-06-02T12:19:00.003-03:00

"Candy Crush"

24 x 16", acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel

painting #284, 2021

-Private Collection

Title - Perfect Seal Jar

10 x 8", acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel

painting #289, 2021

-Private Collection

Title- Pinned up 7-Up
14 x 14", acrylic on gessoed aluminium panel
painting #291, 2021

-SOLD

I'm a bit late in posting this, but better late than never. Earlier this year, I had submitted three images of my paintings for the 2024 OPEN INTERNATIONAL ONLINE JURIED EXHIBITION hosted by the Society of Canadian Artists based in Toronto. From 767 submissions from across Canada and around the globe, a jury of five selected 122 works for the show based on the criteria of technical excellence, artistic expression and creative innovation. I'm among a dozen artists to have three pieces in this collective. Grateful to add this show to my résumé. The on-line exhibition runs from April 1st to June 15th, 2024. You can view the exhibition at this LINK.

Lunar Codex - Artwork archived on the Moon!

2024-02-23T22:31:00.006-04:00

On March 1, 2022, I had received a notification from Dr. Samuel Peralta (physicist, author, entrepreneur, art curator) that imagery of my artwork would be included in a time capsule that would be heading to the Moon. But I was not alone, far from it. Lunar Codex, founded and curated by Dr. Peralta would include creative works digitalized on nano fiche discs from 35,000 contemporary artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers from 233 countries, territories and indigenous nations. Three images of my paintings appeared in The Realism Issue (#67) of Poets and Artists Magazine back in September 2015. It was guest edited by Frank Bernarducci, and published by Didi Menendez. This magazine was digitized on one of the Codex Nova nano fiche discs.

A first attempt of a lunar lander mission was launched on January 8, 2024. Peregrine Mission One built by Atrobotic Technology experienced problems shortly after the lander separated from the rocket. A propellant leak prevented the lander from completing its mission. The spacecraft would eventually be redirected back to earth, where it burned over the Pacific Ocean, six days later on January 18.

The second attempt was launched on February 15, 2024. The lunar lander, Nova-C named Odysseus was designed by Intuitive Machines. Codex Nova was among the small payload carried by Odysseus that successfully landed on the South Pole of the Moon yesterday evening, February 22. This historical event would mark the first American spacecraft to perform a soft landing on the Moon in over 50 years, since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The Odysseus lunar lander, including all payloads - is now a de facto Artemis Accords Heritage Site - and all the artworks, writings, music, and film on Codex Nova are now part of the designated heritage of humanity, to be preserved for posterity as signed by 36 countries to date.

Lunar landing of Odysseus, February 22, 2024

YouTube video from the NASA Channel

(skip to 1h41min for landing confirmation)

I am forever grateful to Dr. Peralta and all those involved in this monumental achievement.

Brillo³, an homage to Warhol

2023-11-19T18:37:00.008-04:00

Acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel, 14 x 11"

Painting #294, 2023

Some of the first consumer inspired products that made it's way into Andy Warhol's artwork during the very early 1960's included the Campbell's Soup Cans, Heinz Tomato Ketchup and the iconic Coca-Cola bottles. During the winter/spring of 1964, he started producing more sculptural pieces. Life size replica boxes of Brillo soap pads followed by Campbell's Tomato Juice, Del Monte Peach Halves, Heinz Ketchup, Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Mott's Apple Juice. Warhol hired carpenters who constructed plywood boxes in the exact same size of the depicted products. The Factory (his art studio) assistants Gerard Malanga and Billy Linich then hand-painted each box, before Warhol and Malanga silkscreened the graphic logos onto them.

Self at the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum

Bratislava, Slovakia - May 5, 2023.

Lisbon, Portugal - March 6, 2024

These were first shown in his second exhibition at the Stable Gallery in NYC during the spring of 1964. Eleanor Ward, the art dealer of that gallery at the time remembered that the Brillo Boxes were "very difficult to sell. We had visions of people walking down Madison Avenue with these boxes under their arms". The various boxes were priced between $200 - $400 depending on the size. It also cause controversy with critics stating, "How can this be art?"

Preview of the HBO documentary

Brillo 3¢ off by Lisanne Skyler

What Andy Warhol and Eleanor Ward had envisioned would take 50 years to materialize. In 2013, artist Charles Lutz (b.1982) was asked by the curator of the Armory Show in New York City to create an art installation. The Art Fair was held from March 7-11. The installation using Brillo cardboard boxes was entitled Babel, based on Pieter Bruegel's famous painting, The Tower of Babel (c.1563). The boxes were referred to as Stockholm Type since they were an exact replica of the Brillo Boxes that Andy Warhol had shipped from Brooklyn to Stockholm for his show at Moderna Museet in 1968. According to Lutz, the idea was to "disseminate the Brillo Box to the masses". "Each day a new Babel tower was erected out of the Brillo Boxes and visitors were encouraged to take one, fulfilling Warhol's idea of everyone in New York City carrying around a Brillo Box".

Pittsburgh, PA, March 29, 2013.

The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA held an exhibition entitled "Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years" from Feb. 3 - April 28, 2013. The same "Babel" (Brillo Stockholm Type) by Charles Lutz was set-up in the main lobby of the museum. That year, joined by my wife and son, we just happen to spend the long Easter weekend in Pittsburgh. We did a whole lot of walking and sightseeing during this jammed-packed mini-vacation. We were lucky enough to watch Sidney Crosbie play hockey when the Winnipeg Jets were in town to play against the Penguins. We also got to see Green Day rock the Consol Energy Center and attend a performance of the hilarious touring Broadway Musical, The Book of Mormon. We took the funicular, visited the Frick Mansion, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the spectacular Cathedral of Learning. I visited the Andy Warhol Museum on March 29. Upon entering I was told that photography was only allowed on the first floor. Before leaving, I asked the security guard if it was OK to take a picture of the Charles Lutz's Brillo Boxes, to which he replied, "Yes, and you can take one with you when you leave". I had to ask him to repeat cause I couldn't believe my good fortune! I had to cut the tape and carefully detach the side where it was glued to fold smaller in order to bring in with me on the plane ride back home to Canada. It's been keeping me company in my painting studio ever since.

Self Portrait, 1967 - ANDY WARHOL

Synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen on canvas

Tate Modern, London - visited May 26, 2018

The background for my painting is from a page of the 2017 Andy Warhol calendar printed by Galison. For the exception of the red and yellow version on the top right, I took the liberty to change a few of the colours. Warhol created a very large series in a multitude of colours of this self portrait in 1966-1967, all based on the same photography.

The wooden blocks under the IKEA glass cloche dome are made by a company named Mudpuppy. They come in a box of 8, of which only one is yellow. In reality, Andy Warhol's yellow Brillo Box (3¢ off) are rarer and fetch higher prices at auction. Once hard to sell, they would later found themselves in many of the most prestigious art museum around the globe. The yellow base is actually The Andy Warhol Diaries with the book jacket cover removed.

In response to the art critics, Andy Warhol once said, "ART IS WHAT YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH".

This painting is currently on view at the Fog Forest Gallery.

Fog Forest Gallery

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
-SOLD

Subscribing to posts of new paintings / Follow me on Instagram

2022-12-28T15:07:00.001-04:00

Blogger has made the decision to disactivate the subscription option located in the right column of this blog and on its' platform in general. This means that past subscribers will no longer get updates via e-mail of new postings of my artwork. If you wish to follow me, you can do so via Instagram via this link, click HERE. I will however continue to update this blog as long as this platform is available.

Blogger a pris la décision de désactiver l'option d'abonnement située dans la colonne de droite de ce blog et sur sa plateforme en général. Cela signifie que les anciens abonnés ne recevront plus de mises à jour par e-mail des nouvelles publications de mes œuvres. Si vous souhaitez me suivre, vous pouvez le faire via Instagram via ce lien, cliquez ICI. Je continuerai cependant à mettre à jour ce blog tant que cette plateforme sera disponible.

Paintings for Sale, an homage to Maud Lewis

2022-12-06T02:30:00.015-04:00

Acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel, 14 x 11"

Painting #293, 2022

When I first visited the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) located in Halifax back in the late 1980's, I distinctly remember a display of folk art that was part of the museum's permanent collection on one of the upper floors. Among the painters that stood out to me at the time were Joseph Norris (1925-1996) and Maud Lewis (1903-1970). I became aware that this institution held folk art to the same standards as the more academic art movements.

Maud Lewis in her painted house, photo Bob Brooks

Much has already been written about Maud Dowley Lewis. With the passage of time and sustained public interest, her popularity has only continued to grow. In recent years, she has been elevated to the status of an icon. It's impossible to separate the artist from the life she lead and the artwork she created. While her story is defined by poverty, hardship, physical disabilities and debilitating rheumatoid arthritis, it was also one of triumph over adversity that was sparked by her creativity and her temperament to endure.

Her paintings are a celebration of life and the beauty she observed in her own little world located in Digby and Yarmouth counties Nova Scotia. Unlike her own life, her paintings are happy, whimsical and colorful. Subject matter often remain within the domain of birds, flowers, oxen, cats, deer, modes of transportations (pulled sleigh or wagons, cars, trucks, boats), bucolic winter, pastoral and costal scenes. These themes and imagery were revisited time and again.

Photo op on the Halifax Waterfront - May 2022

While growing up, Maud Lewis was introduced to art and painting by her mother. She crafted hand made Christmas cards done in pen and ink, watercolors and crayola crayons and sold them door to door. After the death of her father in 1935, then later her mother in 1937 she moved out of the family's South Ohio home. There is a brief transition period where she lived with her brother Charles then with her aunt Ida in Digby. Her acquaintance with Everett Lewis was a result of answering an ad when he was looking to hire a housekeeper. They married in 1938 of what appeared to be a mariage of convenience. Her painting career gradually evolved over the 30 years that followed. Her signature painting style was not restricted to panels and boards but could also be found on rock, scallop shells and household items. With her reputation growing over time, the little painted house in Marshalltown would become a popular roadside attraction for locals, visitors and tourists alike with many becoming patrons and collectors of her paintings.

Her work began garnering unsolicited attention by the media during the 1960's. During the Richard Nixon administration either as US president or vice president (conflicting reports), he would have commissioned two paintings. NS premier Robert Stanfield also started to collect her work. In 1965, writer Murray Bernard and photographer Bob Brooks of the Star Weekly Magazine published by the Toronto Star were dispatched to Marshalltown to do a story on Maud. This nation wide publicity would increase demands for her paintings and elevate her status as a painter. The photography taken by Brooks remains the quintessential pictures taken of her as an artist. On November 25, 1965, CBC's biography series Telescope aired a 30 minute televised documentary on the Lewis couple. (A portion of this documentary can be viewed on this CBC LINK . )

Much has also been written about the relationship with her husband, Everett Lewis. In his case, not always in the best light. With the thousands of paintings sold, he could have provided a much better life for her. Her paintings sold for about $2 to 3 dollars at first with gradual price increase to 5 dollars and 7 to 10 dollars for larger paintings. With inflation, a 5 dollar painting would be have been worth the equivalent of about $47 in 2022. While their house was very small, they also lived without indoor plumbing, running water or electricity.

Everett Lewis (b.1893) was raised in the Alms House in Marshalltown, NS. after his father abandoned the family while he was still a child. It was an institution known locally as the "Poor Farm". He had no formal education, he never learned to read or write. He earned a living as a fish peddler and also worked at Alms House as a night watchman then later as caretaker. The parcel of land that Everett bought for his house was an adjacent lot to the Alms House. In the 1965 CBC documentary, we can see Everett leaving the house on his bicycle and passing in front of the Alms House about 200 meters away. Despite living in poverty, Everett had a reputation of being a miser and had accumulated considerable wealth by the time of his unfortunate and untimely death in 1979. Everett himself dabbled in folk art creating paintings that were very much inspired by Maud. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia would acquire some of his work while he was still living.

In 1961, Ten-Mile House and Art Gallery in Bedford, NS owned by Bill Ferguson And Claire Stenning started selling her paintings doubling the purchase price to 10 dollars since these were framed. Maud and Everett Lewis didn't want to appear greedy by increasing the price of the paintings in fear of losing customers and alienating an already established market.

My wife Suzanne with the Painted House, AGNS - May 2022

Interior of the Maud Lewis House, AGNS, Halifax, NS

Part of Maud's legacy is the little painted house they lived in with many surfaces and items used as her canvas. From the window, walls, doors, stairs to dustpan, cooking stove and breadbox. Their house would become her greatest work. After Maud's passing, Everett did little to nothing in upkeeping the house. In 1979, The Painted House Society was formed in Digby following Everett's death. The house, land and copyrights were purchased by the society from Everett's heir the following year. Unable to raise the $50,000 needed to restore the house, the estate was sold to the Province of Nova Scotia in 1984. The house was moved to a secure indoor location outside Halifax in order to prevent further decay. It would take another decade before restoration would be undertaken and to plan for it's permanent home once the restauration completed. The Scotiabank Maud Lewis Gallery which also included the house opened to the public in 1998 part of the expansion of the AGNS.

Since her death, the AGNS has been a major catalyst in preserving her legacy, with the restauration of the house and amassing a collection of her paintings that is on permanent public display.

Author Lance Woolaver would become Maud Lewis' premier biographer. He's written several books including the popular picture book, The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis with photography by Bob Brooks (1996). A retrospective exhibition of Maud's work sharing the same title was organized by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in 1997 that would later tour Canada. A full length documentary also named, The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis was produced by the National Film Board in 1998 with the script provided by Woolaver. He has also written two plays about Maud, A World Without Shadows (1996) and The Return of her Child. And is the writer of her full biography, The Heart at the Door (2016).

In 2019, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (MCAC) in Kleinburg, Ontario organized the touring exhibition: MAUD LEWIS. The exhibition in currently on view at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia until April 23, 2023. An art book entitled "Paintings for Sale" by Sarah Milroy, chief curator of the MCAC was published in conjunction with the exhibition. The book cover is an image of "PAINTINGS FOR SALE", the road sign that she painted and used outside her home. This book also served as the base and title for my painting.

On November 2, 2020, in time for the Holidays, Canada Post issued three stamps featuring her winter themed paintings from the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia collection. All of the Christmas cards we mailed that year were adorned by these stamps.

In 2017, Mongrel Media and Sony Pictures Classic released Maudie. An award winning feature film of the life of Maud and Everett Lewis starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. The movie was directed by Aisling Walsh. This film introduced Maud Lewis a much wider audience outside Canada. Receiving generally positive reviews with an approval rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 151 reviews. Sally Hawkins gives an arresting performance as Maude. It won awards in all of the seven categories it was nominated for at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards, including trophies for best actress, supporting actor, director, screenplay and best film. The film stimulated a resurgence and an interest in Lewis' work. It is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

Maud Lewis was never really allowed to spend the money she made in order to make her life more comfortable. On the other hand, collectors of her work have been raking in the rewards for having a keen eye for art at a bargain. I remember seeing a few of her paintings being resold in commercial galleries in Halifax for about $4000 to $5000 during the 1990's. On November 30, 2009, her painting "A Family Outing" sold for $22,000 CND at a Bonham's Auction in Toronto. A painting found in 2016 at an Ontario thrift store, "Portrait of Eddie Barnes and Ed Murphy, Lobster Fishermen" was sold in an online auction for $45,000 CND. Click HERE. In May of this year, a painting entitled "Black Truck" made national headlines as it was traded during the 1970's to restauranteurs in exchange of a grilled cheese sandwich by a Maud Lewis art collector, an Ontario artist named John Kinnear. The story goes that Kinnear and his wife had lunch at the restaurant every day. And every time he ordered the same grilled cheese sandwich. Kinnear also kept in touch with Maud Lewis, sending her proper art supplies and boards. The painting was expecting to fetch as much as $35,000 CND at auction. But when the hammer fell, it went for 10X as much, for $350,000 CND. Full story HERE and follow-up HERE.

I've always been an admirer of Maud Lewis' artwork but doing an homage painting only appeared on my radar as a result of the pandemic. While we were restricted to the Atlantic bubble for travels because of the Covid-19, my wife and I did a few road trips within the maritimes provinces. In mid-September 2020 we visited the western portion of Nova Scotia. Our itinerary took us to various sites that had a direct connection with Maud Lewis. The background painting that appears in my own painting was the featured image for the month of August in the Maud Lewis 2021 calendar. Growing up in Cap-Lumière, NB, I could relate with the image since our house was located one mile from a similar looking lighthouse. In the calendar, it is referred to as "Lighthouse and Steamer", while in the art book Paintings For Sale by Sarah Milroy, as Untitled (Digby Ferry Passing Point Prim Lighthouse), 1950's. This lighthouse was located 14 km from the Lewis' house.

The current Point Prim Lighthouse built in 1964

The original Point Prim Lighthouse dates back to 1817. It was destroyed

by fire in 1873. The lighthouse that appears in the Maud Lewis painting

replaced the original. It was equipped with an attached lighthouse keeper's

residence. It remained in operation until 1964 when it was demolished and

replaced by the current lighthouse.

When the province of Nova Scotia acquired the Painted House in

1984, it also purchased its' land in Marshalltown. In 1997, a

stainless steel framed structure was erected where the house once stood

and a memorial park was established on the remaining grounds.

This Painted House Replica was built by Ross Murray in 1999 on his

property. Located on Route 217, seven km from where the original house once stood.

Amazing to see so much attention to details. The property also

included a shed and a mailbox. Being there and able to enter the house

and walk around the grounds was like entering a movie set. Completely surreal!

Click HERE for backstory.

Photo op in Yarmouth, NS - Birthplace of Maud Lewis - September 2020

My decision to use a Campbell's Soup can as the centerpiece was inspired by the Bob Brooks photo. She used the can to wash her brushes with turpentine. The one shown in the picture taken in 1965 would have been of the same period as when Andy Warhol did his 32 Campbell's Soup Cans in 1962.

During the summer of 2020, we visited the Village Historique Acadien in Bertrand, NB. Among its' buildings is a replica of the original Nicholas D. Thériault General Store (1924). Almost every items inside are for sale for a few exceptions. The available inventory is meticulously curated by Mrs Lanteigne. While none are antiques, every items has a vintage flair. The top shelf had a display of can goods wrapped in vintage replica labels. When I spotted the vintage Campbell's Tomato Soup cans, my knees buckled. The label is probably pre 1930. When she told me that they weren't for sale, I was so disappointed but understood the situation. When we returned in 2021, I had forgotten about them, but upon seeing them again, my desire to acquire one was renewed. Fortunate for me, she remembered me and said she felt bad once I had exited the door. I had mentioned that I was a painter and wanted to incorporated one somehow in a painting. She kindly agreed to give me one, as long as I was willing to climb up the step ladder to get it. It was a fun moment and I was very thankful.

I could have used a very similar soup can as in the photo of Maud Lewis, but opted for the retro can to create a narrative that linked her earlier years while her mother taught her how to draw, paint and play the piano when she lived in South Ohio, located 11 km north of Yarmouth.

If you are still reading, hoping you enjoyed the ride!

This painting is currently on view in a group show entitled "Comfort and Joy" at the Fog Forest Gallery

-SOLD

When The Kiss turns into Kisses, an homage to Gustav Klimt

2022-06-02T10:58:00.008-03:00

16 x 12", acrylic on gessoed mounted aluminium panel

painting #292, 2022

Born in 1862, Gustav Klimt was an Austrian Symbolist painter and the founding father and a leading member of the Vienna Secession movement, a group of artist who consciously rejected the academic style of the late nineteenth century. Even though he had formally studied art at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts. He received training as an architectural painter and was classified as an academic painter who could paint hyperrealist portraits. He became celebrated for his rich, complex, gold-dazzling friezes and portraits of powerful, chic woman from Vienna's turn of the century society. His artistic vocabulary incorporated esoteric design and eroticism, which was not always well received, including some commissions which were never revealed. His work was greatly influenced by the Byzantine movement and he also was associated with Art Nouveau when the movement was at it's peak.

''The Kiss'' (1907-08) is a celebration of his deeply held belief in the transforming power of idealized love. Klimt himself is the male figure embracing his life companion Emilie Flöge. Gilles Néret, the author of Klimt published in 2007 by Taschen writes,''Klimt's otherwise dominating woman becomes submissive. She yields to the man, abandons herself to him, and sexuality shimmers through her clinging gown''.

The Kiss was done during his ''Golden Phase''. During this period he used gold leaf prominently on the artwork, which brought him both success and critical acclaim.

During the month of January 2020, I had book flight tickets to Munich, Germany and had already reserved accommodations of what was supposed to be a month long backpacking trip to Central Europe where my wife and I had planned to visit 11 cities in eight countries. Among those cities was Vienna Austria, where many of Klimt's works can be view. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic was declared two months later and our trip cancelled. I am hoping that next year, we'll be able to finally travel abroad and embark on this adventure.

I have seen a few Klimt paintings in the past decade, including the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1 at the Neue Gallery in New York City during the month of February 2013, Hope 1 (1903) at the National Gallery in Ottawa during the month of April 2014 and a small exhibition of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele entitled "Judith and Edith" that was shown at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, The Netherlands (May 2016).

This painting is my sixth installment in as many years, featuring a large Hershey's chocolate Kisses which is a seasonal product only available from Christmas til Valentine's Day.

UPDATE - During the spring of 2023, my wife Suzanne and I finally did get to travel to Central Europe which included Vienna, Austria. On May 1, we attempted to visit the Upper Belvedere Palace two hours before closing, but all remaining admission tickets for that day were already sold out. That evening, we bought tickets on-line for the following morning that had a time slot in order to visit the art museum. It was at this moment that I realized how famous this painting had become. The room in which the painting is on display was packed with admirers who wanted their pictures taken with it. From previous art museum visits, as far as popularity goes, it is on par with Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Picasso's Guernica and Van Gogh's A Starry Night . The Upper Belvedere also house several other Gustav Klimt paintings, as did the Leopold Museum which had a replica of his art studio and the Secession Art Museum where some of his iconic murals are on display on the lower floor.

with The Kiss at the Upper Belvedere Palace

Vienna, Austria - May 2, 2023

To acquire this painting please contact:

Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca

Art-ifacts - Solo Show at the FFG

2021-10-15T14:38:00.003-03:00

Full appreciation goes to Janet and John Crawford of the Fog Forest Gallery for doing such a beautiful job of displaying the artwork for my solo show: Art-ifacts.

The exhibition runs from Oct. 14 to Nov. 5, 2021.

The gallery will be open on Thursday and Friday from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.

The exhibition can be viewed online from the Fog Forest Gallery website at this LINK.

To acquire any of the remaining available paintings, please contact:

Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
https://fogforestgallery.ca/
-ALL PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN SOLD

ACRYLIC and LIGHT

Jacks on Jack Daniel's, an allegory

The Last Cherry Blossom

Peonies for Moira Rose, an homage to Catherine O'Hara

Held over Austen

Canadian Maple Syrup Flask

A Crush on Marilyn, an homage to Andy Warhol

Root Beer Bottle Caps

Hergé Explore NB

La Dune de Bouctouche, un hommage à Antonine Maillet

Le Pays de la Sagouine, un hommage à Antonine Maillet

Two-Man Show at the Fog Forest Gallery

Polaroids, an homage to Andy Warhol

Fog Forest Gallery14 Bridge Street, Sackville,New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5Phone (506) 536-9000e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca-SOLD

Racines Acadiennes

Lollies for Dali, an homage

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5Phone (506) 536-9000https://fogforestgallery.ca/e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca-SOLD

Platform 9 ¾, the Portal to Hogwarts

Anne with an E, an homage to Lucy Maud Montgomery on her 150th Birthday

Pawn Stars: STUNNING APPRAISAL for RARE First Edition (Season 18)

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5Phone (506) 536-9000https://fogforestgallery.ca/e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca

The Crown

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5Phone (506) 536-9000https://fogforestgallery.ca/e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca-SOLD

Confiture de Fraises

2024 OPEN INTERNATIONAL ONLINE JURIED EXHIBITION

Lunar Codex - Artwork archived on the Moon!

Brillo³, an homage to Warhol

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5-SOLD

Subscribing to posts of new paintings / Follow me on Instagram

Paintings for Sale, an homage to Maud Lewis

When The Kiss turns into Kisses, an homage to Gustav Klimt

Fog Forest Gallery14 Bridge Street, Sackville,New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5Phone (506) 536-9000e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca

Art-ifacts - Solo Show at the FFG

Fog Forest Gallery14 Bridge Street, Sackville,New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5Phone (506) 536-9000e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.cahttps://fogforestgallery.ca/-ALL PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN SOLD

Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
-SOLD

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
https://fogforestgallery.ca/
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
-SOLD

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
https://fogforestgallery.ca/
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
https://fogforestgallery.ca/
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
-SOLD

14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
-SOLD

Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca

Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
https://fogforestgallery.ca/
-ALL PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN SOLD