ACRYLIC and LIGHT

9-11 on a Dice Roll

2012-01-29T16:16:00.001-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard,11¼ x 14¼''

Painting #205, 2012

This past September I was invited by the Elliott Fouts Gallery to take part in a group exhibition entitled ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' scheduled to open on March 3. The idea of using a Monopoly game board came to me during the following week as I was driving to the Greater Moncton Airport to pick up a family friend who was on a returning flight from Montreal. Upon taking the airport exit, you have to cross a railroad track to get to the terminal. So there I was, in an automobile, crossing a train track, to get to a plane.

My initial idea was using one of the four railroad spaces on the Monopoly game board. But the concept changed once I was able to acquire a plane and a train token on eBay. The locomotive engine token is part of the Monopoly ''70th Anniversary'' edition, while the jet plane game piece is from the Monopoly ''Here and Now'' edition. All three token have different finishes, the car has a semi-luster metallic finish, the train has a chrome finish while the plane is made of pewter.

As I was setting up the board game for the initial photo study and started moving the pieces around, the whole narrative came to me when I dropped the jet plane on New York Ave. I felt my heart sinking and it became a very unsettling moment. At the same time, it felt too important to dismiss. By the time I was done setting up the props, my initial concept would take on a whole new direction. The image may seem whimsical on the surface but has many cross references. The first serving as a 9-11 memorial on lives lost, the many injured and those left behind. The 2001 World Trade Center disaster was also an attack on democracy and freedom, and the aftermath would immediately impact air travel, airport security and cross border crossing on a global scale. The count of dots on each dice totals 9 + 11, and the two hotels are in reference of the Twin Towers.

September 11, 2001 is forever etched in our consciousness. I was driving to Fredericton, NB to view an art exhibit at the Beaverbroook Art Gallery when I heard the drama as it unfolded live on radio. Later that evening and for the following days, I just sat in a numb state, transfixed and in disbelief in front of the TV set, absorbing the surreal video footage being replayed which also included two other passenger planes, one that targeted the Pentagon in Arlington, Va and a fourth (United Airlines Flight 93) that crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The repercussions of the September 11 terrorist attacks are all immeasurable in the emotional, financial and physical realm. It would later lead indirectly to the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as additional homeland security spending, totaling at least $5 trillion.

A year later, I would visit ''Ground Zero'' where the World Trade Center once stood. Seeing the cross made from recovered steel beams rising above the ashes like a Phoenix was an overwhelming sight. As was the banged- up Sphere Sculpture that once stood outside the World Trace Center (surrounded by a water fountain) that was recovered in the wreckage and installed as a memorial site next to an eternal flame as the centerpiece of the Hope Garden in nearby Battery Park.

The Train engine on Kentucky Ave is in reference to the ''Blue Grass State'' for having the most productive coal field in the US and for it's mining history. Coal was the primary source of fuel for steam engine locomotive prior to WW2 before eventually switching to gasoline, diesel and electricity. Kentucky is also the fourth largest producer of automobile in the United States. The Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac XLR, Ford Explorer, Ford Super Duty truck, and the following Toyota vehicles: Camry, Avalon, Solara and Venza are all assembled here.

And of course the little roadster is on ''Free Parking'', since ''the Best things in life are still FREE'', including a smile. There is currently a price to pay for clean air, clean water and personal freedom. The top numbers on the dices equal seven as a symbol that we can still count our many blessings even when life has many unexpected turns.

Trivia-
-In the Monopoly ''Here and Now'' edition, the railways have been replaced by the four
largest airports in the US. The tokens have also been revamped. The Scottish Terrier has
been bumped by a Labradoodle, the boot by a New Balance sneaker, the car by a Toyota
Prius, there is also a large McDonald's fries, a Starbucks Coffee mug, a Motorola cell
phone and a laptop computer.
-Tokens from the Monopoly US ''Here and Now'' Edition were flown into space aboard
Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2007.

''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' Invitational group show

at the Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA, March 3- April 5, 2012.

To inquire about this painting please contact:

Elliott Fouts Gallery
4749 J. Street Sacramento, California, USA , 95819
Phone (916) 736-1429
e-mail: efgallery@sbcglobal.net

Marbles over Tintin

2012-01-02T15:26:00.000-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 2011

5 x 7', painting #204

Maybe I should have entitled this painting ''Losing my marbles over Tintin''. I first mentioned Tintin in 2008, when the book, Tintin in Tibet by Hergé appeared in my painting ''Are we there yet?''. I have been a fan of The Adventures of Tintin since elementary school. Having read all of the two dozen comic books which were written and illustrated between 1929 to 1976. My son Jean-Luc has the entire collection of book and made-for-TV animated series on DVD. Tintin is a globe-trotting, crime solving Belgium journalist/reporter. He is strong for his stature, an agile fighter, car and motorcycle driver, flies planes and an able marksman. He relies greatly on his keen sense of deduction and intuition to save the day. He was created by Georges Rémi under the pen name Hergé. Tintin first appear as a comic strip in a newspaper in Belgium in 1929. The books have been translated in 50 languages and 200 millions copies have been sold. It remains one of the most popular comic book in Europe, and in French Canada.

Tintin and Snowy (Milou) by Hergé

I learned back in 2008 that Steven Spielberg had begun work on the film ''The Adventures of Tintin'' with Peter Jackson as a producer. Spielberg had first acquired the rights to make a film based on Hergé's comics back in 1983. It is rumored that someone made a remark to Spielberg after the release of the first Indiana Jones movie, which reminded him of the Adventures of Tintin. At the time he was not familiar with the Tintin serial and was given the whole comic book series in French.

The film, The Adventues of Tintin opened in Europe in October and has since grossed in excess of 230 million dollars. Opening on the North American screens to favorable reviews on December 21, the film has amassed 40 million dollars on it's first 10 days. The script for the first installment combines the story lines of three books, The Secret of the Unicorn as the main story plot with exerts of Red Rackham's Treasure (1943) which is it's sequel. Scenes from the earlier The Crab with the Golden Claws (1940-41) is intertwined in the script to introduce the Captain Archibald Haddock character, who would eventually become is best friend and joined him in later escapades.

The first half hour of the film is pure magic as the storyline unfolds and the protagonist is introduced. In keeping with the comic book frames, I wished that they would have somewhat toned down the visuals of the film once the plot was established. After a while you do have the impression of being in the territory of Indiana Jones and/or The Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a very ambitious and dazzling film based on the source material. Nonetheless, it's great fun. I got to see it in French with my family on Boxing Day. Some of the characters names and jargon does get lost in the English translation. Tintin's faithful four-legged fox-terrier Snowy is named Milou in French, while ''Thomson and Thompson'' are ''Dupont and Dupond'', The very colorful vocabulary of Captain Haddock's often does not translate well with curse words like ''Bachi-bouzouk'', ''ectoplasme'', ''Mille millions de mille sabords'', ''Tonnerre de Brest'', ''moule à gauffre'' (waffle maker)......

Theatrical poster

The film has already garnered a Satellite Award for best animation and earned a Golden Globe nomination in the same category. Producer Peter Jackson, whose company Weta Digital provided the computer animation, intends to direct a sequel. Spielberg and Jackson also hope to co-direct a third film.

Realism may be falling at the wayside with Academia in the art world, while the opposite is happening in animated movies. The facial features of the characters do retain a cartoonish flair, but the rest of the visuals are simply mind boggling. The hands of Captain Haddock appears so life-like. The evolution in digital animation is so advanced that it is often indistinguishable from real life.

Hopefully the film will act as a vehicle to promote the books to a greater audience. Respected film critic Leonard Maltin noted in his review that he was ''completely unfamiliar with Hergé’s popular illustrated stories''. On Dec. 4, 2011, The Amazing Race 19 on CBS used The Adventures of Tintin as a premise for one of their final episodes. During the challenge, the remaining contestants had to dress up as detectives Thomson and Thompson and wander in the streets of Brussels Belgium is search of an actor disguised as Tintin. None of the contestants knew who Tintin was, nor Thomson and Thompson, the two incompetent bumbling detectives who provide much of the comic relief throughout the series, being afflicted with chronic spoonerisms and comic pratfalls. Hoping that this film will change all of this.

For this painting I used the cover image of the hand-drawn animated series on DVD of ''Le secret de la Licorne'' (The Secret of the Unicorn) from which the Spielberg film is based on. Underneath the mason jar glass lid hides the Unicorn, the ship that was once the vessel of Captain Haddock ancestor.

Tintin Trivia:

-The very successful 1980's British band, The Thompson Twins was named after the latter characters.
- Tintin lives at 26 Labrador Street, Brussels, Belgium.

''Tintin is myself. He reflects the best and brightest in me; he is my successful double. I am not a hero. But like all 15 year-old boys, I dreamt of being one..... and I have never stopped dreaming. Tintin has accomplished many things on my behalf.''

-Georges Rémi (Hergé)

To acquire this painting, please contact:

Handworks Gallery

12 King Street, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, E2L 1G2

Phone: (506) 652- 9787

e-mail: info@handworks.ca

Always Coca-Cola

2012-01-01T12:57:00.002-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 2011

7 x 5'', painting #203

The title is from a 1993 Coca-Cola slogan. The image is a crop shot from the same source photo used for Coca-Cola Bottles. This is the actual original version before I started to change colors using Photoshop. I was hoping to get this painting and tomorrow's posting at Handworks Gallery way before Christmas, but there was just too much stuff happening in my life to reach the deadline.

Wishing you all the very best for 2012, with a full new year ahead of us, all is possible. May your inner light shine brighter than ever before.

Soon available from

Handworks Gallery

12 King Street, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, E2L 1G2

Phone: (506) 652- 9787

e-mail: info@handworks.ca

Book Club: Late afternoon coffee with Oprah

2011-12-18T04:52:00.000-04:00

14 x 14'', acrylic on gessoed hardboard,

2011, painting #202

Where does inspiration comes from? For me it's often a sequence of events that ignites the idea. This past spring, I watched the last 30 episodes of the Oprah Winfrey Show. After 25 years, she was saying goodbye to daytime television and moving on to her own network, appropriately named OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network). During this same period, I was browsing through the used book section at a Canadian Dollar Store here in town, when I spotted no less than a dozen books that were chosen as past selections for her Book Club. What are the odds, since the book display case is only a two sided, four feet wide rack. When I got back home, it all came to me, an homage to the grand lady of television. The next day, I went back and bought seven of them, adding to the four I already had purchased in past years. When I really think about it, over all those years, even if I had only watched 50 shows per season, it would amount to 1250 episodes.......1250 hours in front of the tube.

She started her book club in September of 1996. The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard was chosen as the first selection. Viewers were invited to read the book and the author was often present for an audience discussion at the conclusion. During the fifteen years, 67 books were introduced to her viewers. Because of the book club's wide popularity, many obscure titles have become very popular bestsellers. Several novels have sold in excess of one million copies, this occurrence is widely known as the Oprah Effect. It is estimated that the sales of the ''Oprah Book Club'' editions has sold in excess of 55 million copies. The top five with sales figures as of May 2011 are:

Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth, 3,370,000 copies
James Frey, A million little Pieces- 2,695,500 copies
Elie Wiesel, Night- 2,021,000 copies
Cormac McCartney, The Road- 1,385,000 copies (after the book was selected, it was awarded the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 2007)
Joyce Carol Oates, We were the Mulvaneys, 1,348,000 copies

Many of the titles would later be made into film, such as The Deep End of the Ocean, The Reader, The Pilot's Wife, White Oleander, House of Sand and Fog, A Map of the World, the Road and Love in a Time of Cholera.

Around 1996, was also the period when she started to enlighten people by having spiritual authors with their words of wisdom. This was the time when I really started to tune in, and had my own spiritual awakening while reading Celestine Prophecies by James Redfield. Many people viewed this as a menace to established religions vs church free spirituality. I view them as two separate entities, which I won't go into details, but both are connected to God or a ''higher being''. She would emerged as a spiritual leader in the process, which continues on her own network with ''Oprah's Lifeclass''. In fact, the only book that I have read from the Book Club selections is A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, which is my all-time favorite spiritual book. However, I have read many of the other books that were introduced on air during these spiritual classes from authors like Gary Zukav, Sarah Ban Breathnach, Shirley McClaine, Dannion Brinkley, James Van Praagh, Carolyn Myss, Rhonda Byrne, Wayne Dwyer, Richard Carlson, Betty J. Eadie and several others. These are the authors that bring enlightenment with what Oprah calls ''A-ha moments''.

For this painting, I went for the visuals. In this lot of seven books are no less than three Nobel Prize Award Winners. Toni Morrison and Gabriel Garcia Marquez for literature and Eli Wiesel for Peace. The titles are as follows (clockwise)-

1- One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (featuring a painting by Cathleen Toelke)

2- Stones from the River - Ursula Hegi (featuring a painting by Albrecht Durer)

3- Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison

4- The Bluest Eyes - Toni Morrison

5- Night - Eli Wiesel

6- A New Earth- Awakening to your Life's Purpose - Eckhart Tolle

7- Love in a time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Toni Morrison books are kind of hidden, but they are at the base level and they anchor the composition, plus she is one of Oprah's favorite person. I chose Love in a time of Cholera for a few reasons. It really complimented the color scheme of the cup and saucer. This Royal Albert demi-tasse with floral motif is called Camelot. It once belonged to my wife Suzanne's grandmother. When she died, Suzanne's mother Viola inherited the heirloom and displayed it in a curio wall cabinet for many years. Viola passed away, 6 years ago, she was an avid fan of the Oprah Winfrey Show.

In related stories, I've been sponsoring a boy from Haiti for three years now, specifically with money I earn from selling art. I only get a letter from Wilky about once a year. The second letter I ever received was on January 12, 2010. It came with an updated photo of him. That evening as I was about to put his photo in a picture frame, I switched on the television as they were announcing and covering the devastation from earth quake that had just hit Haiti. The fact that I was holding his photo, also shook me. Fortunately for him, he does not live near Port-au-Prince and their area suffered minimal damage. On the same day I purchased the lot of seven books which including Love is a Time of Cholera, I was to receive the only letter from him this year. That day I read that his family had been afflicted during the recent cholera outbreak. He became gravely ill and one of his brothers almost died.

This past spring our 16 year old son was hospitalized for the first time in his life with viral infection that compromised his immune system. During this time he was reading Night by Eli Weisel for a book report in his English studies class. One morning as he had a fever of 104 F, and felt too weak to read, I sat at his bedside and read out loud a few chapters of the author's personal heartbreaking account of family rupture in concentration camps during WW2.

I'm planning to do a complimentary Oprah Book Club piece next year taking a slightly different approach.

This painting is currently on exhibition in ''Our finest gift we bring'', a Christmas Showcase at the Fog Forest Gallery, 14 Bridge Street, Sackville, NB.To acquire this painting, please contact the Fog Forest Gallery at (506) 536-9000 or e-mail-gallery@nbnet.nb.ca .

Mes ailes (My Wings)

2011-11-29T08:33:00.002-04:00

14 x 18'', acrylic on gessoed hardboard

Painting # 201, 2011

This painting is a commission piece done from a photograph provided by the client. Operating from Oregon, Van's Aircraft is an American kit aircraft manufacturer, founded by Richard "Van" VanGrunsven in 1973. These aluminium planes are sold as kits for self assembly. This RV-7A model from the Van's Aircraft fleet had received a striking custom paint job.

The painting was a surprise gift for her husband who was the original owner of the plane before upgrading from a two to a four-seater.

Speaking of planes, I've been invited by the Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, Ca to participate in a spring group show that will be entitled, ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles''. I will be taking a more conceptual approach for these paintings.

-commission

Friday Feature- Interview by Carrie Waller

2011-11-04T22:45:00.002-03:00

Let it Snow, 6 x 8'', watercolour

by Carrie Waller

Carrie's Creations is a blog that features the artwork of gifted watercolorist Carrie Waller. She recently started a weekly post series interviewing fellow blog artists. I am the lucky beneficiary of this week's Friday Feature. In one single interview, I am probably revealing more about my background and creative process than if you read my whole blog from the first posting.

To check out the interview link or view Carrie's compelling watercolor paintings, do visit her blog. Many thanks Carrie for this unique opportunity.

Pops on Pop Art

2011-10-25T00:10:00.000-03:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 2011

12 x 16, painting #200

The inspiration for this painting is a play on words that emerged during the photo studies I did for the painting ''Sally blowing bubbles, an homage to Charles Schulz''. Pops, a hard candy lollipop with a bubble gum center was introduced after Tootsie Roll acquired Dubble Bubble in 2004. It is a modern take from the Tootsie Pop, first introduced to the public in 1931, 80 years ago.

The art book is Pop Art, by Tilman Osterwold, originally published in 1990 by Taschen. This edition was part of Taschen publishing 25th anniversary, printed in 2007 featuring Roy Lichtenstein's M-Maybe (a girl's picture), 1965 on the cover. In reference to the book's content, an original Tootsie Pop appears in Richard Hamilton's 1956 collage, Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?

This is a milestone painting in my artistic career, as it marks my 200th original piece. I have been painting for 24 years. From 1987 to 2000, I only produced an average of two paintings per year, 27 in fact. I became more prolific in 2001 when I started painting for my first solo show that consisted of all new works. That 2002 show entitled Perspective would be the catalyst to jump start my professional career. My artwork is forever changing, but it doesn't get any easier with time. I found this piece to be especially challenging. It might just be the fact that I'm tackling subject matter that I often find intimitating to paint. Rather than viewing it from a technical aspect, I try to focus more on composition, artistry and content.

To inquire about this painting please contact:

Elliott Fouts Gallery
4749 J. Street Sacramento, California, USA , 95819
Phone (916) 736-1429
e-mail: efgallery@sbcglobal.net

Group Exhibitions

2011-10-13T09:46:00.004-03:00

I live on the Atlantic coast of Canada. During the month of October, I am participating in three group exhibitions. One on the west coast of Canada and two others on both coasts of continental United States. Not so long ago, this occurence would have been only possible in a dream.

The Still Life, an invitational group show at the Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento California opened on October 1 and runs through November 2. The opening reception was held last Saturday on October 8. I have three paintings in this exhibition, and am currently working on a fourth that will be a late entry. I've been very busy of late with other aspect of my life and could not make the deadline in time. I am fortunate to be included in a very select group of artists that includes- Jeff Cohen, Jelaine Faunce, Teresa N. Fisher, Todd Ford, Russel Harris, James Neil Hollingsworth, Mary Ellen Johnson, Judy Nunes & Christopher Stott.

The Elliott Fouts Gallery has done a phenomenal job in promoting the show. I am grateful and fortunate to have more than my share of exposure. Held over Klimt is currently the image on the gallery's website home page. Red Velvet Cup Cake, an homage to Thiebaud was printed in full color in the Sacramento Bee (newspaper) in the Arts & Museum section. And Black Forest Cup Cake, an homage to Thiebaud appeared along with an artist's statement on pages 164 & 165 of the October 2011 issue of American Art Collector. This last painting sold even before I shipped it.

To inquire about the artwork please contact:

Elliott Fouts Gallery
4749 J. Street Sacramento, California, USA , 95819
Phone (916) 736-1429
e-mail: efgallery@sbcglobal.net

photo on left- opening reception photo taken my Neil Hollingsworth, also featured - Andrei Palmer

In Atlanta Georgia, ''The Real Thing'', an invitational group exhibition celebrating the 125th Anniversary of Coca-Cola opened on September 16 and runs through the month of October at the Mason Murer Fine Art. Among the artists taking part are Jelaine Faunce, Teresa N. Fisher, Todd Ford, Neil Hollingsworth, Kim Karlson, Otto Lange, David Malan, Rick McClury, Burton Morris, Michael Naples, Andrei Palmer, Christopher Stott, Sally Tharp, and Vic Vicini .

To inquire about these two pieces, please contact-

Mason Murer Fine Art
199 Armour Drive
Atlanta, GA 30324
404.879.1500
info@masonmurer.com

Last but not least, my painting ''May Blooms in a Mason Jar'' was juried into the Annual International Representational Show - AIRS (2nd edition) hosted by The Federation of Canadian Artists that is based out of Vancouver. I've was elected as an active member in the fall of 2004. Several of my past submissions into their juried thematic exhibitions were rejected, so I am especially thrilled to have a chance to exhibit among a exceptionnal group of artists on a larger platform. The exhibtion opened on October 4 and runs through October 23.

The Federation of Canadian Artists was founded in 1941 by a group of influential artists, including Group of Seven luminary, Lawren Harris, it continues to operate as a non-profit organization with chapters throughout Canada. Dedicated to its aim of gradually raising the artists’ standards by stimulating participants to greater heights of achievement.

Held over Klimt

2011-09-18T12:01:00.015-03:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 2011

12 x 9'', painting #199

Last year, my painting- Held over Monet was a result of discovering the fabulous art glass of Robert Held. This new painting is a result of history repeating itself. Of life imitating art and vice versa. Fast forward one year, our son Jean-Luc's team was taking part in another soccer tournament on Prince Edward Island in late July. Different town, different art galleries visited during down time, but same outcome. They win gold in the finals and I acquire another piece of his wonderful art glass. This painting pays tribute to two amazing artists.

Robert Held was born in Santa Ana California. He studied painting at Whittier College until ceramics artist F.Carleton Ball crossed his path. Pursuing a Master's Degree in Fine Arts at the University of Southern California, Robert was awarded the graduate assistantship. At this time, he won the prestigious "Glen Lukins Award" for new work in ceramics. 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, after a visit to the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, Robert Held discovered a new love: the art of glassblowing. He returned to Sheridan College inspired and succeeded in launching Canada's first college level hot glass program in 1969. This program allowed many Canadian artists to become skilled in this medium, and crowned Robert Held as the pioneer of art glass in Canada.

Eventually, Mr. Held left the teaching world, and in 1978 he began his own glass studio known as Skookum Art Glass Inc based out of Calgary, AB and operated there until 1987. At this time, he moved to Vancouver, BC, and continues to enjoy much success there today at his studio: Robert Held Art Glass, and also through the many fine galleries and gift shops that carry his work throughout North America, Europe and Japan.

Some works are inspired by the paintings of famous artists such as Monet and Klimt, while others take inspiration from photographers and even interior designers. This vase is from the California Poppy collection. This line was inspired by the famous impressionist painting ''The Poppy fields'' by Claude Monet. In keeping with the color scheme of the vase, in lieu of Monet I was inspired to use an art book of Gustav Klimt featuring ''The Kiss'' on the front cover to ground the composition.

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. The art book's author Gilles Néret notes, ''Klimt's otherwise dominating woman becomes submissive. She yields to the man, abandons herself to him, and sexuality shimmers through her clinging gown''. I read this passage during the time I was doing the preliminary drawing on paper. By the time I started to paint, it dawn on me that the position of the vase and window frame in relation with the image, casted a shadow on the woman side. The positioning of the heads creating polar opposites like a ying-yang and it's attributes. Ying is seen as dark, passive and feminine while yang as light, active and masculine. And of course the only red flowers from the woman's gown are cast in the shadow of the vase, which itself boosts flowers in the same color palette. It becomes easy to over analyse imagery and create a narrative when you have a connection the goes beyond the surface.

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 approval. Many of those Golden Phase paintings were confiscated by the Nazi regime during WWII. The image below entitled Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1(1907) once belong to the Bloch-Bauer couple until it was seized by the Nazis and bought by the Moderne Galerie (now Österreichische Galerie) in Vienna in 1941. (The Kiss is also housed here). In 2006, after a lengthy battle, a court decision attributed the ownership of that painting and four other Klimt paintings to Maria Altmann, a former Jewish refugee and niece of the Bloch-Bauers. On June 18, 2006, on her behalf and the family's heirs, the painting was sold at auction by Christie's to Ronald Lauder (cosmetic mogul of Estée Lauder Co.) for a reported 135 million, the highest price ever paid for a painting in history. Later that fall, Jackson Pollock (No. 5, 1948) and William de Kooning (Woman III, 1953) would both eclipse that figure. The remaining four paintings owned by Maria Altmann were sold at auction for a reported sum totaling 192 million.

On November 2001, Ronald Lauder opened the Neue Galerie in New York City, an art museum a few blocks away from the Metropolitan Museum, dedicated to art from Germany and Austria. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is the centerpiece of the museum's collection.

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1- 1907

Oil, silver and gold on canvas, 138 x 138 cm

Neue Galerie, New York City

Next year in 2012, the city of Vienna Austria, will mark the 150th Birthday of Gustav Klimt with special exhibitions all over the city. We were born exactly 100 years apart, so I too will be celebrating a milestone, but under much less fanfare.

''Anyone who wants to find out about me- as an artist,

which is all that's of interest - should look

attentively at my pictures.''

GUSTAV KLIMT

Book: Klimt, author- Gilles Néret, published 2007, TASCHEN

This is my third entry for The Still Life, an invitational group show to be held at the Elliott Fouts Gallery from October 1 - November 2, 2011

-SOLD

Coca-Cola Bottles

2011-09-09T00:37:00.009-03:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 2011

14 x 14'', painting# 198

I was invited to take part in a group show entitled ''The Real Thing'', celebrating the 125th anniversary of Coca-Cola. The art exhibition is set to open on September 16 at the Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta, Georgia. The headquarters of the world's most famous soda pop is also located here. The gallery received a request by the Coca-Cola corporation to host this special anniversary show for the general public and for it's 200 top shareholders

For this painting I was hoping to find some vintage bottles with white lettering. The same type of bottles that would have been in use when I was growing up. I couldn't believe my good fortune when I found some on a Kijiji listing from a seller who lived only 2 miles from my house.

Also in this composition is an early 20th century replica tray that boost the 1904 slogan ''Delicious and Refreshing - Sold Everywhere 5¢''. A later 1909 slogan, '' Whenever you see an arrow think Coca-Cola'', prompted me to use a carboard cut-out that I had picked up at a yard sale last summer on Prince Edward Island. I believe it was part of a larger advertising display. It had a retro look and I instantly recognized it's potential as a prop for a future painting.

The bottles from this painting were actually clear glass. I took the photo studies on our green tinted tempered glass patio table, that boost a green market umbrella and I slid a green place mat under the tray in hoping that some of the green would somehow be absorb by the glass, which it did. After doing a tighter cropping on Photoshop, I tweaked the color green a bit, and a new heighten imagery popped on the screen.

My very first painting done in 1987 featured my wife with a Coca-Cola cup & straw. My oldest painting to sell done in 1989 was of a Corner Store with a Coca-Cola button sign. For this show, I was hoping to produce a piece that really had a WOW factor. With that said and many Coca-Cola paintings done over the past 24 years, this one is my very favorite.

Twelve artists are taking part in this exhibit which also includes the talents of Neil Hollingsworth, Jelaine Faunce, Teresa N. Fisher, Todd Ford, Otto Lange, David Malan, Michael Naples, Christopher Stott, Sally Tharp, and Vic Vicini .

To inquire about this piece, please contact-

Mason Murer Fine Art
199 Armour Drive
Altanta, GA 30324
404.879.1500
info@masonmurer.com

Red Velvet Cup Cake, an homage to Thiebaud

2011-08-25T22:12:00.004-03:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 2011

12 x 12'', painting # 197

In recent years, there has been a resurgence in the dessert industry with the Red Velvet Cake (click here). The redness is attributed when the red anthocyanin of cocoa is revealed during a reaction between acidic vinegar and buttermilk, although most recipes also include red food coloring. The Red Velvet cup cake in this painting is from the Cake Box here in Moncton. It is their best seller. In fact, if you want one, you have to go early during the day cause by mid afternoon there all gone. I had never heard of Red Velvet cake until last year. I ate some for the first time this past Easter, when we had lunch at the cafeteria of the Art Institute of Chicago.

This painting is a companion piece to ''Black Forest Cup Cake, an homage to Thiebaud'' that will be exhibited in The Still Life, an invitational group show at the Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, California during the month of October. In this rendering, we have a better view of the book ''Delicious, The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud'', by Susan Goldman Rubin (published by Chronicle books -2007).

Wayne Thiebaud, Cakes, 1963

oil on canvas, 152.4 x 182.9 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

Continuing Wayne Thiebaud's biography from my previous post -
As a teenager, he worked in the animation dept. of Walt Disney Studios. Early in his career he was employed a cartoonist and advertisement designer. During WW2, he enlisted and served as a war artist (1942-45). During the early 1950's, he earned a bachelor and masters degree in art and would go on to teach art until he retired at age 70 from a full-time position at the University of California, Davis. He would continue to teach studio art and art history on a part-time basis afterwards. One of his most celebrated student is Mel Ramos.

Thiebaud's first solo exhibition was at the Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento. Between the years 1954 and 1957, he produced eleven educational films for which was awarded the Scholastic Art Prize in 1961. The greatest break of his career came in the spring of 1962. He had travelled to New York City in search of finding a commercial art gallery to represent him. After many rejections, the Allan Stone Gallery took him in and organized a solo exhibition entitled ''Wayne Thiebaud, Recent paintings''. To everyone's surprise, even himself, the show sold out. A piece was even purchased by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). This exhibition was followed by his first solo museum show in San Francisco at the de Young Museum. Later that year he was included in the landmark group exhibition, New Realists, at the Sidney Janis Gallery in New York.

He has remained active throughout his life and his work has received some of the highest honors, including major retrospectives. As gallery owner Allan Stone once said, ''His work is about celebrating the Joy of Living''.

Please visit this 2001 CBS documentary segment for a quick life retrospective.

To inquire about this painting please contact:

Elliott Fouts Gallery
4749 J. Street Sacramento, California, USA , 95819
Phone (916) 736-1429
e-mail: efgallery@sbcglobal.net

Black Forest Cup Cake, an homage to Thiebaud

2011-08-01T17:54:00.123-03:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 2011

12 x 14'', painting #196

I'm a usually a healthy eater, but I have to admit that I have a sweet tooth. I have a weakness for desserts, chocolate and ice cream. Whenever I pass in front of a glass front counter in a grocery store, a café outlet in a mall or the front window of a pâtisserie, I come to a complete standstill. If the goodies are behind glass, it makes them even more sinfully delicious. The same can be said about a glass dome plate. I found this glass cloche at Wicker Emporium just down the street from where I live. Directly across from that store is a small outlet called The Cake Box where you can specially order fancy cakes for any occasion. Their main business is selling decadent cup cakes which in recent years is back in vogue and all the rage. TV shows on the W Network, The Cup Cake Girls and Cup Cake Wars on the Food Network are cashing in the hype. Keeping the imagery very local is the window sill from our kitchen window looking into our unimpressive backyard.

This painting is an homage to Wayne Thiebaud, an American painter born in 1920. He is closely associated with the Pop Art movement. But unlike many Pop Art artists, his artwork does not survey items of advertising, commercialism or popular culture. His artwork celebrates objects found in mass culture. He's better known for his depictions of food products found in production line settings such as markets, cafeteria and diners...... notably cakes, pies, hot dogs, ice cream and candies. His oil paintings of food are often executed in thick, buttery paint, using bright and often exaggerated colors. Paint on cakes for example are applied to give the appearance of thick frosting. Other still life paintings included lip sticks, paint cans, shoes and gum ball machines.

His body of work also studies portraits and landscapes. Like many artists, composition and use of color and light take center stage. Inspired by French painters Henri Matisse and Pierre Bonnard, he paints with colors that seem to create their own light. His use of mediums includes oil, watercolor, pastel, graphite and printmaking. Click HERE for this Google link for an colorful sample of his artwork. My next posting will feature more bio notes on Mr. Thiebaud. I am currently working on a companion piece featuring a Red Velvet Cup Cake.

The book that anchors this composition is entitled, ''Delicious, The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud'', by Susan Goldman Rubin and published by Chronicle books (2007).

Mr. Thiebaud has lived the majority of his life in Sacramento California and will be turning 91 this coming November. For the second year, I am fortunate enough to have been invited to take part in ''The Still Life'', an invitational group show being organized and hosted by the Elliott Fouts Gallery also located in Sacramento.This is the first of hopefully four paintings that I will be submitting. The exhibition will open on October 1 and runs until November 2, 2011.

Elliott Fouts Gallery

4749 J. Street Sacramento, California, USA , 95819

Phone (916) 736-1429

e-mail: efgallery@sbcglobal.net
-SOLD

May blooms in a Mason Jar

2011-07-09T00:06:00.003-03:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 18 x 14''

Painting #195, 2011

Yellow daisies, columbines, tulips and lilacs, these flowers are all perennials from our backyard garden. It's been two years already since my fast floral painting, and each time I find this subject matter somewhat daunting. I was truly compelled by the contrasts and backlight effect when considering this photograph I took for the study.

This painting is part of the Juried Exhibition 2011 which opened this week at the Moncton Gallery at City Hall. I haven't shown any artwork in Moncton, the city where I reside since 2007, so it a nice opportunity to remain in contact with the artistic community of Kent, Westmorland and Albert County.

The show runs from July 7 until August 31. The Moncton Gallery is located at:

655 Main Street

Moncton, New Brunswick

Canada

L'anniversaire

2011-05-29T22:26:00.067-03:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 16 x 12''

2011, #194

The bottles from this work all have special significance to a lady client who commissioned this painting as a surprise wedding anniversary gift for her husband. The husband is a scotch whiskey aficionado and the bottle was purchased on the day of their engagement. It was shared between the best man and groomsmen before the ceremony as a toast. The two other bottles were served at their wedding reception.

This 15 year old scotch whiskey - rare single barrel select is from the Glenora Distillers from Cape Breton Island. The red wine is a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon from Liberty School Winery. Last but not least is 1998 bottle of Dom Pérignon Champagne. Named after the French Benedictine monk (1638-1715) who was an important quality pioneer of champagne wine. Dom Pérignon is a vintage champagne, meaning that it is not made in weak years, and all grapes used to make the wine were harvested in the same year. It only becomes available after spending 7 years at the Moët et Chandon wine cellar. The most recent vintage available is a 2002. It is a prestigious wine often traded at auction. A lot of two bottles of the legendary Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 1959 sold for US $84,700 in 2008.

When I did the photo study for the painting, I did some pictures resting on the April 2011 issue of American Art Collector magazine. It featured the romantic image ''Love on the road'' by Colorado artist Ron Hicks. Keeping in context that this painting was to be a celebratory image and an ode to love.......I was happy when the client selected this image. The positioning of the bottles and the glare created by the outdoor light on the glossy magazine cover only retained the couple's embrace as the focal point. The abstract effect created on the surface of the wine is also coming from the outside light. A combination of depth of field (out of focus) and an overcast sky with the light filtering through the still bare branches of the enormous pear tree in our back yard. I borrowed the title from a Marc Chagall painting of the same name that also features a kissing couple. Click here to view.

''Love on the Road'' was part of Ron Hicks's solo show at Arcadia Fine Arts in New York City that was held from April 16 - May 7, 2011. I was elated after contacting Mr. Hicks who kindly granted me permission to use his image for my painting. His artwork blends representational and impressionist styles. They are sensual figurative period pieces set in the the first half of the 20th century. By creating romantic frozen moment in time they evoke an emotional response as part of a larger scenario that the viewer is left to pursue on their own. You can explore the artwork of Ron Hicks at this link.

-commission

Easter weekend in Chicago

2011-05-08T00:57:00.008-03:00

top row- Miro's Chicago, Chicago Picasso, view from Sky deck of The Willis Tower

2nd row- Paris a Rainy Day - Gustave Caillebotte (AIC), Art Institute of Chicago (AIC),

A Sunday afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte- Georges Seurat (AIC)

3rd row- Marc Chagall stained glass (AIC), Chicago Theater, Louis C. Tiffany stained glass

4th row- Anish Kapoor- Cloud Gate, reflection of ''The Bean'', Water Tower- N. Michigan Ave.

5th row- Polar bear at Lincoln Park Zoo, LA Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field

A series of event in late March saw my wife offer me an early Father's Day gift of a Duran Duran concert ticket. The band is currently supporting their latest album ''All you need is now'' with a limited city North America tour. My city options were Toronto, Boston & Chicago. I had been longing to return to the windy city for such a long time (1993) and this seemed like the perfect occasion. I've been a fan of the band since 1982 and this would be my first chance to see them live. They played in the very intimate setting of the House of Blues and I was about 30 ft from the stage. It was an amazing show, the audience were all hardcore fans knowing every words of every song. The band members have aged surprisingly well and were in top form. It was electric! Click here.

We had 2½ days to cram as much as we could as far as sightseeing went. The city is even more amazing than I remembered. The architecture, museums, public parks, public art, pro sport teams, city layout along beautiful Lake Michigan easily ranks it among the most beautiful cities in America.

This time around, the Buckingham Fountain at Grant Park was open and flowing. We got to see the amazing Millennium Park, walked on the glass Ledge on top of Willis Tower (more than a ¼ mile looking down) with a breathtaking 360 degree view of the city, visited Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, Lincoln Park, rode the El train and caught a Chicago Cubs baseball game at the historic Wrigley Field.

Another highlight was having lunch and spending almost 3 hours at the Art Institute of Chicago. With the opening of new modern wing in 2009, this art museum is currently the second largest in the U.S. behind the Metropolitan in New York City. It is also one of my all-favorite art museum. It holds one of the world's most notable collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in its permanent collection. Its diverse holdings also include significant American, Old Masters, European, Asian, modern, contemporary and decorative arts. For a sneak peak at the artwork that awaits you at the AIC, click here. We only had a peek of what the city has to offer, so with that said we won't wait another 18 years before returning.

Crayolas and Marbles in a Mason Jar

2011-04-05T00:49:00.009-03:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 12 x 12''

#193, 2011

I used a flash when I did the photo study for the painting. What intrigued me about this image was how the light was retained within the jar while the outside remained in obscurity. The glass itself became a conduit to absorb the crayons colors and give the impression as if the light was actually coming from inside the jar and not from another source.

This is my second entry that will hang in the Realism exhibition to be held at the Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta. The show regroups many artists I've had contacts with since the inception of this blog. Needless to say, I am thrilled to be showing alongside them and equally excited to show with so many artists that I have admired (one for as much as a decade) and many that are new to me. The opening reception will be held this coming Friday, April 8, from 7pm to 10 pm. The show continues until May 12, 2011.

UPDATE- To view photos of the opening reception- please visit Neil Hollingsworth's blog at this LINK . Thank's Neil!

-SOLD

Crazy for this Girl

2011-03-29T01:52:00.010-03:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 12 x 12''

2011, # 192

This past January, I received an invitation to participate in a Realism Juried Show organized and held at the Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta Georgia. The show will run from April 8 to May 12, 2011. It's a kind of opportunity that only until recently, I could only have dreamed of.

I came across this die cast 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible while Christmas shopping for my son during the late fall of 2007. It featured a miniature Coca-Cola tin tray as a bonus item. I actually bought it for the tray and did a photo session not long after. With the Coca-Cola's headquarters located in Atlanta, the timing seemed perfect to finally bring this image to light, since Coca-Cola has often contributed in my choice of subject matter while documenting popular culture.

I did some research in order to give credit to the illustrator of the lovely bathing beauty depicted on the tray, but came up empty. I however suspect that it might be attributed to Haddon Sundblom whom, I previously mentioned in the Empty Coke bottles post as the artist credited for popularizing Santa Claus in a red a white suit in the Coca-Cola ads. He is known as one of the fathers of Pin-ups and also painted glamour pieces for calendars. This image seemed a combination of both, very much in his style.

The most intimidating factor in the imagery was to get the facial features correct and for the marble to even have more impact as the main object competing for the viewer's attention. In both cases, I am happy with the outcome. Even if the painting is only 12 x 12'', the subject depicted here is enlarged by 500%. The photographic image was a bit grainy when enlarged. I worked from several photographs in order to eliminate the depth of field to give the impression as if it was painted from life rather than from a photo. Without the help of my new ipad, I'm not certain that I could have pulled it off. My inclusion of a marble in a painting may appear decorative, but more often than not it refers to an altered state of mind. In this case, it is both.

I borrowed the title from an Evan and Jaron song of the same name. Twin brothers, Evan and Jaron Lowernstein grew up in Tucker, Georgia.....located 15 miles from Atlanta. Click HERE to listen.

Update- September 16, 2011 - Painting selected to be part of Coca-Cola's 125th Anniversary Invitational Group exhibition held at Mason Murer Fine Art from September 16 - late October, 2011.

To inquire about this piece, please contact-
Mason Murer Fine Art
199 Armour Drive
Altanta, GA 30324
404.879.1500
info@masonmurer.com

Florida, Spring Break 2011

2011-03-22T21:37:00.009-03:00

top row- Henry Morrison Flagler Museum (HFM)- Palm Beach, Cape Florida Lighthouse- Key Biscayne, HFM courtyard

2nd row- Norton Museum of Art- West Palm Beach, Art Deco District- Miami Beach,

Romero Britto Art Gallery- Lincoln Road Mall, Miami Beach

3rd row- Annual Orchid Festival- Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden-Coral Gables,

Charles Courtney Curran painting- Norton Museum of Art- West Palm Beach,

Seward Johnson sculpture- Key West Art Museum

4th row- Ernest Hemmingway House- Key West, Bass Museum of Art- Miami Beach,

The Breakers Resort Hotel seawall - Palm Beach

We've recently returned from a glorious eight-day vacation in South Florida. A welcome break from the harsh winter we've experienced here in Atlantic Canada. When we left Moncton on March 5, we had more than 6 feet of snow on our front lawn.

From the Fort Lauderdale, we rented a Jeep Compass and clocked more than 1200km. A vacation that was a combination of sightseeing, the arts, educational field trip, sports, shopping and surf. Highlights included seeing the Broadway play ''Jersey Boys'' on tour at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, visiting the historic Art Deco district in Miami Beach, entering the art world of Pop Artist Romero Britto. The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach was hosting a fabulous multi media exhibition of Isaac Julian. The Museum of Discovery and Science/ IMAX and the Jungle Queen occupied two mornings in Fort Lauderdale.

A personal highlight for Jean-Luc was seeing two Florida Panthers NHL games. The first against his favorite team, the Ottawa Senators where player Chris Neil threw him a puck after the pre-game warm-up. A second game against Tampa Bay Lightnings featuring Steven Stamkos, the NHL 2011 leading scorer and hockey superstars Martin St-Louis & Vincent LeCavalier.

Other personal favorites was a visit of Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West. We bought a specially inscribed book of ''The Old Man & the Sea''. Jean-Luc will be doing a book report for this English class in school. We were in Key West on Fat Tuesday and Duval Street was on ''Mardi Gras mode''. We ate Conch fritters and Key Lime Pie for lunch.

On top of the list for my wife Suzanne & I, was the day we spent in West Palm Beach/Palm Beach. The Norton Museum of Art was such an unexpected delight. A world-class building with a world-class collection of 19th & 20th century American and European paintings. The impressive collection included Monet, Renoir, Bourguereau, J. Reynolds, Picasso, Matisse, Pollack, O'Keefe, G. Caillebotte, N. Rockwell, The Golden Profile by Charles Courtney Curran (in above mosaic). A breathtaking art glass ceiling by Dale Chihuly, a collection of Chinese Art and a comptempory space that included a brilliantly executed portrait by Utah born artist Bryan Drury (b. 1980). West Palm Beach & Palm Beach were such a welcoming communities. Locals were so friendly and traffic was at a minimal. We then visited the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum. An opulence of Florida's Gilded Age lives on at Whitehall in this 55 room marble palace commissioned in 1901 by Henry Flagler for his third wife. To give you a better idea of how grand this mansion is, parts was modeled after Louis XIV's Versailles in France. The Flagler home with it's original furnishings also houses an impressive art collection that includes two signature Martin Johnson Heade still life botanical paintings. We had High Tea in the annex Beaux-Art pavilion where a locomotive is part of the elaborate decor. Henry Flagler made is fortune in oil and was responsible for bringing the railroad to Florida all the way to Key West. He is known as the father of Miami and founder of Palm Beach. Along this railway, he built several luxury hotels. Among those still standing is the majestic Italian Renaissance-style resort ''The Breakers'' nestled along the Atlantic coastline. A must-see for anybody who can appreciate the finest in luxury, and where rooms starts at $750/night. We capped off our afternoon in the gigantic surf at Boynton Beach. Much fun......

Sally blowing bubbles, an homage to Charles Schulz

2011-02-24T01:45:00.022-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 12 x 10''

2011, #191

The idea for this painting came to me while doing a bit of research after viewing a Peanuts comic strip that appeared in the Telegraph Journal on October 19, 2009. The strip itself seemed like a perfect vehicle to use for a still life study featuring bubble gum.

Walter Diemer (1904-1998) aged 23, was working as an accounted for the Fleer company when he accidentally invented bubble gum in 1926 while experimenting with chewing gum recipes. It was an instant hit, selling 150,000,000 units at 1¢ a piece in it's first year of production. Ironically, Diemer never patented his product and did not receive royalties from the company, although he would eventually become senior vice-president of Fleer. The new novelty gum was given the name Dubble Bubble.

In my pursuit of documenting popular culture, it was a perfect opportunity to pay homage to both Diemer and cartoonist Charles Schulz. As Schultz was also documenting popular culture himself with Sally doing a ''show and tell'' in front of her classroom.

Charles Schulz really needs no introduction. The famous cartoonist who drew from his own life using himself, family members and friends as the inspiration for several of the Peanuts characters. Charlie Brown first appeared in a strip named Lil' Folks that ran from 1947-1950. When Schulz approached United Feature Syndicate, a comic strip known as ''Peanuts'' made it's debut in newspapers on October 2, 1950. The strip is considered to be one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium. What is probably most remarkable, Schulz often used the strip as a vehicle to address social commentary of issues of the day happening in America and the around the world. The strip ran for 50 years. The last original strip was published on February 13, 2000, the day after his death at age 77. The strip remains as popular as ever in reruns.

The background for the painting is the cover for a book entitled Holidays - Through the Year - Five Classic Stories, published by Hallmark. The five stories were all made into animated television specials. I can recall watching them as a child. They include: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Be my Valentine, Charlie Brown and It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. I purchased the book during the Holidays at Hallmark. The store also had many endearing figurines on display as part of the 60th anniversary commemorative celebration of the Peanuts. For the painting, I did change the order of the characters so I could feature Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown, who would have been hiding behind the jar.
-

This paintings marks the introduction of the use of new technology. I purchased an Apple iPad as a tool to have better accessibility to the quality of the photographic material I use as reference material while painting. I was often disappointed when I saw the digital image in print. The luminosity of my PC monitor was often lost during the printing process, and it greatly affected the colors as well. It's an absolutely brilliant tool, which permits me to move the image around, zoom in certain sections for details, and I can even listen to music from my iTunes collection while I paint.
-

After a week of painting, I suffered a setback. While I was removing drawing gum used to mask certain sections, chucks of the board came along with the residue. There was no way I could remedy the problem, and had to restart from scratch. On a positive note, the lettering in the new version is much better.

Peanut comic strip trivia-

- a total of 17,897 strips were published

- it ran in 2600 newspapers at it's peak

- had a readership of 355 millions

- published in 75 counties and in 21 languages

-SOLD

Grapes & Merlot

2011-01-29T17:00:00.008-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 11 x 14'',

January 2011, #190

Window sill paintings are among the imagery I enjoy painting the most. It has everything to do with the quality of natural light flooding the subject from one side, and especially how it filters through glass and in this case, permeates through grapes.

The wine bottles showcased here are from left to right, two empty bottles of Merlot (red wine): Sawmill Creek Winery located in Oliver British Columbia (BC) / Niagara Falls, Ontario and Georges Duboeuf of France. Then a full bottle of Gewürztraminer Ice Wine from Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in BC, and finally to complete the lot, a full bottle of Pinot Grigio (white).

-SOLD

Candy Apples

2010-12-16T00:21:00.010-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard
5 3/8 x 3 5/8'' (13,7 x 9,3 cm)
2010 - #189

I've always associated Candy Apples with Country Fairs and amusement parks. I actually did these Candy Apples myself during the fall of 2009. The recipe I was using had specific instructions to follow to in order to concoct a perfect candy. While heating the mixture I was using a candy thermometer to a achieve a specific boiling point. Everything was going well until the doorbell rang. When I returned to the pot, the mixture was boiling on overdrive. There were hundreds of air bubbles trapped inside the bright red sauce which remained during the actual apple dipping. The bubbles did add another dimension when I set them outside in our back yard to take the photo study and the sun rays flooded those air pools.

On a sad note, because of the over boiling, the candy became too hard and we couldn't even bite into them. Oh well, the sacrifices an apple has to go through for the sake of art.

-SOLD

Gum Balls

2010-12-15T01:14:00.007-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard

5 3/8 x 3 5/8'' (13,7 x 9,3 cm)

2010 - #188

Growing up in rural New Brunswick, there was a tiny convenience store about ¼ mile from our house that had a red gumball machine. Inside the glass globe was not only bubble gums, but tiny charms & trinkets that were sparsely inserted. Kids at school would sometime give me their pennies so I could buy them gumballs, but what they really wanted were the charms. This one time, the prettiest girl in my class (and of the whole school as far as I was concerned) gave me a whole quarter. Can you imagine the look on my face when the ''red puffy heart'' inscribed ''I Love You'' dropped into my hand? She was also the girl whom I gave my prettiest Valentine on February 14.

Once I started doing the drawing for this mini painting, I realized that a lot of the gumballs were not exactly round. Also that because of their glossy finish and the light, the colors bounce off each other. I somehow wishes the gumballs would have been more defined, but I painted them as they were behind the glass. This painting will be included in the Christmas exhibition of Handworks Gallery in Saint John, NB.

-SOLD

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

2010-12-08T23:10:00.036-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 12 x 12''

2010 - #187

Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol both died during years that are significant in my own existence. Monroe died 7 months on the same year I was born while Warhol died on the same month I did my first painting (February, 1987). This painting is double whammy of sorts, as a homage to both Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe. This composition just kind of happened by itself after finishing a photo session for an upcoming painting. The mini notebook with Marilyn Monroe on it's cover was delivered earlier that day by FedEx along with a my new stainless steel architect lamp from Crate & Barrel for my studio. The moment I started to play with props, the whole narrative came into light.

Warhol' s resonating, brilliant colored silksceens of Marilyn Monroe are some of his most iconic images. Warhol said: '' In August 1962 I started doing silkscreens. I wanted something stronger that gave more of an assembly line effect. With silkscreening you pick a photograph, blow it up, transfer it in glue onto silk, and then roll ink across it so the ink goes through the silk but not through the glue. That way you get the same image, slightly different each time. It was all so simple-quick and chancy. I was thrilled with it. When Marilyn Monroe happened to die that month, I got the idea to make screens of her beautiful face''. Andy Warhol would continue to do variation of this silkscreen of Monroe during the 1960's. The image of Marilyn was from a publicity still for the movie Niagara (1953). In this painting the image is from Warhol's ''Shot Orange Marilyn'',1964, 40 x 40'' (detail).

This painting pays tribute to Monroe and her other films done in 1952-1953. The title for the painting is a line from the lyrics of ''Diamonds are forever'' from the film ''Gentlemen prefer blonds'' (1953) co-starring Jane Russell. This specific song/dance number in the film remains one of greatest moment of the musical era's golden age of cinema. It would later serve as the inspiration behind Madonna's video for ''Material girl'' . Park Place/Boardwalk are the highest priced pieces of real estate on the Monopoly board game and with it's diamond ring in the middle it refers to ''How to Marry a Millionaire''(1953). The monkey from a Barrel of Monkeys is referring to her comedy, ''Monkey Business'' (1952), co-starring Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers.

Marilyn Monroe remains to this date one of the most famous person in the world. Almost 50 years after her mysterious death, she remains as popular as ever. Her persona and beauty has captured the attention and hearts of millions and she has become an iconic figure in popular culture. This immense list on Wikipedia is but a sample of how her legacy lives on through other mediums. Click HERE. I read a biography on her more than 20 year ago, and got the sense that she was often misunderstood. Her difficult childhood would often return to haunt her throughout her life and personnal trials. She could play a dumb blond like no body's business, but she was also a gifted actress and the camera loved her.

I've always had this fascination about her as long as I can remember. I leave you with a few of Marilyn Monroe's quotes-
-Dreaming about being an actress, is more exciting then being one.

-Fame will go by and, so long, I've had you, fame. If it goes by, I've always known it was fickle. So at least it's something I experience, but that's not where I live.

-I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved, for myself and for my talent.

-My work is the only ground I've ever had to stand on. I seem to have a whole superstructure with no foundation but I'm working on the foundation.

-Being a sex symbol is a heavy load to carry, especially when one is tired, hurt and bewildered.

-I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot.

-What do I wear in bed? Why, Chanel No. 5, of course.

-If I'm a star, then the people made me a star.

-SOLD

Tea with Emma

2010-11-27T18:22:00.028-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard,

12 x 12'', 2010, #186

Continuing my authors series, I wish to shine some light on Jane Austen (1775-1817). Regrettably, I haven't been able to devote much time to reading in recent years, but my wife who is an avid reader has read a few of her novels. I have however seen several of the films that were adapted from her books. The first being Sense and Sensibility in 1995 for which Emma Thompson earned an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

Jane Austen was born in Steventon, Hampshire England, the seventh of eight children. She was educated mainly by her father and older brothers, and began writing during her early teenage years with parodies and sketches meant for the amusement of her family. From 1811 to 1816, with the release of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816), she achieved success as a published writer. She wrote two additional novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published after her death in 1818.

Finding desirable suitors (husbands) while maintaining social standing and economical security is a common theme in most of her novels. She died quite young at the age of 41 and ironically never married. The film, Becoming Jane, starring Anne Hathaway explores her own journey of finding love as a young adult. At age twenty, she would have been romantically involve with a Thomas Lefroy. He had just finished a university degree and was moving to London to train as a barrister. However, he was financially dependent on an uncle, and since neither had money, their prospects were grim. Their plans to elope were shattered when Jane learned that his own family also depended on Tom financially. She would later receive another marriage proposal which she declined. Entering a marriage because of financial arrangements between two disinterested parties was an appalling concept for her. The parallel between the heroines in her novels and herself is that they would only marry for love. Her novels all have fairy tale endings. Sadly in her own life there were no Mr. Knightley or Mr. Darcy to sweep her off her feet.

She took a revolutionary stance when she said she wanted to become a writer. Employment opportunities were very limited for women at the time. Her first novels were even published anonymously, which spoke grimly of her own actual situation and for that of woman in general. Her books and film adaptations have all received critical acclaim. She appeals to Pop Culture and to the most serious scholars, because she understands human condition. They are eloquently written, witty, intelligent, articulate, melodramatic and of course sentimental and romantic. Her novels provide a biting social commentary of that era and are comedies of manners.

Last weekend as I painted away, the film ''Emma'' starring Gwenth Paltrow as Emma Woodhouse who thinks of herself as a romantic matchmaker, ran a total of three times during a 24-hour period on the Bravo network. This week, I rented ''Becoming Jane'' and listened to the director and producers commentaries describing each scenes as I continued painting. ''Pride and Prejudice'' a film I have viewed many times finished off my week. Keira Knightley gives a ''tour de force'' performance, especially in the scene when she first rejects Mr. Darcy marriage proposal( played by Matthew MacFadyen) .

The book in this painting was published by Barnes and Noble, with a Pre-raphaelite genre painting on it's cover entitled ''Il y en a toujours un autre'' (''There will always be an other''), 1882 by British artist Marcus Stone. It's unfortunate that the saucer covers almost all of the image.

When we visited the south of England this past spring, we had a chance to spend a few hours in Bath. A city she lived for a few years after her father retired. The photo on the left is of my son Jean-Luc at the front door of their house at 25 Gay Street. The photo on the right of my wife Suzanne a bit further down that same street at number 40, site of the Jane Austen Center. Due to time restraints on our bus tour, we only had enough time to venture off on our own to find these locations.

On a personal note, this painting is a tribute to my mother, whose name was also Emma. She died four years ago on November 17. Her beautiful spirit lives within me still. Her simplicity and gentile heart were her most endearing attributes and I loved her immensely. The tea cup and saucer (Windsor, fine bone china) belonged to her and was a wedding gift they received when she married my father in 1958. My own artistic abilities is a gift I've probably received from him. He had amazing manual skills and could practically do anything. It left an indelible impact on me. He preceded her to the grave in 2003.
Currently on exhibit at the Fog Forest Gallery's Christmas Showcase.
-SOLD

Empty Coke Bottles

2010-11-17T07:44:00.014-04:00

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 14 x 11''

2010 - #185

After completing the study of Empties in 2007, I had the intention to do a much larger and more detailed piece from that same session....it just took a bit longer than anticipated. I've done several Coca-Cola paintings in the past, and the subject matter stills fascinates me. It's that Spencerian Script fonts in combination with the shape of the bottle that I find seductive as a painter.

Coca-Cola has always been in the forefront in promoting it's product and has gone to great lenghts to remain current. It has rightfully earned a place in popular culture and there are certainly many Coca-Cola aficionados and collectors of anything Coke.

With the Holiday Season just around the corner, much of true meaning of Christmas has been lost to good old Saint Nicholas, while the birth of Jesus has taken a back seat. Santa Claus is bound to make a personal appearance in a parade or Shopping Mall near you.

Thomas Nast, the father of American Cartoon was credited for creating the modern image of Santa Claus wearing the red and white suit in 1881. The Coca-Cola Company had a spark of genius when they hired illustrator Haddon Sundblom during the 1930's to incorporate Santa Claus in their advertisements in response to the colder winter months when sales of the soda pop were down. For the next thirty years Sundblom would create the most vivid and iconic images of Santa, thus creating an urban legend that Santa Claus was invented by Coca-Cola. (Click HERE for a sampling.) However, these campaigns had a tremendous effect of popularising Santa Claus as wearing red and white, in contrast to the variety of colours he wore in earlier depictions.

Much can be said about the shopping frenzy and overspending surrounding the Holiday Season. A lot of retailers and businesses rely on the economical impact of Christmas when sales are at their highest. If these imaginative and magical images created by Haddon Sundblom did not exist, it would be interesting to see how it would affect the way we currently celebrate Christmas. The spirit of Christmas is often associated with Santa Claus and instilled by the media into our consciousness at a very early age. Coca-Cola might have boosted their own sales with these campaigns, but their contribution to popular culture may be even greater.

Haddon Sundblom illustration for Coca-Cola

This painting will be included in the Christmas Showcase exhibition at the Fog Forest Gallery in Sackville, NB

-SOLD