Blog

Rick’s Vermeer, Acrylic, 16×20

This is a response to watching “Tim’s Vermeer” on Friday. I wanted to penetrate Vermeer a bit more, but quickly, unlike Tim, who worked for years on creating his Vermeer, “The Piano Lesson.” Terrific film.  However, my conclusion is the film is wrong, Judging by Vermeer’s ability to paint landscapes and figures and given the painterly  vitality of the surfaces, I don’t think he sat for months with tiny brushes and a mirror as the movie asserts. I think Vermeer did indeed look at scenes through a camera obscura, liked the look and introduced some of those visual quirks into his work, but then painted his masterpieces in a straight ahead manner. Just a really amazing painter. Of course we will never know

Here’s some scenes from “Tim’s Vermeer.”

Trading

This afternoon I traded paintings with our good friend, the very talented artist, Karen Fox.  Check out Karen’s show with her painting buddy, Harvey Walker in the Scugog Council for the Arts Resource Centre Gallery, 181 Perry Street, Port Perry.  It’s a great exhibition.

“Time Stream P.S.”

Got this right after posting “Time Stream.”
Donna Child, Artworld of Fine Art notes, “The Port Credit pieces are still popular. We sold one yesterday and are looking forward to new pieces soon.”

Time Stream, acrylic, 18×24

Before I began my streetcar series paintings of the Credit River were my bread and butter. After enjoying a great early morning breakfast in a new Port Credit restaurant, The Three Stooges, I had a hankering to revisit the theme. My river paintings are available exclusively through Artworld Fine Art.(4 photos)

To Touch or Not to Touch

This morning I tuned up last week’s Uxbridge plein air.  This is often not a good idea.
 Our paintings talk to us, “BACK OFF, DUMMY!” Or, “Get your lazy butt over here.  I feel like crap.” (My paintings are a rude bunch.)

Robert Genn (May 15, 1936 – May 27, 2014)

Robert Genn (May 15, 1936 – May 27, 2014)
Thousands of artists lost a dear friend and teacher this week with the passing of the great Robert Genn.  Most of them never met Mr. Genn face to face but were inspired by his numerous weekly posts about what it means to be an artist.
I had the great good fortune to have a long chat with him before an opening of one of his exhibitions at the Hollander York Gallery.  He almost immediately realized I was a painter and chatted with me as if he had know me all my life. Sweet guy.

Urban Sketchers

I took my 40 year old Humber College Art School Paint box and turned it into an URBAN SKETCHER’S kit. 

T.C.A.F.

Another great T.C.A.F. this year.  The highlight for me was meeting Rachel Richey and Hope Nicholson and picking up a beautiful hardcover copy of their “Nelvana of the Northern Lights.”  I watched the book’s gestation with great interest and am so pleased it exceeded all of my expectations.  An amazing feat of scholarship, computer skills and good taste.

Missing Kalie

My friend Shelly Burke sent my these plein air photos from a 2009 excursion in Uxbridge. A special day as it was the first time I felt I had a handle on outdoor painting after numerous years of struggling with it. It was also the day her puppy Kallie and I fell in love. Kallie was my shadow every time we went out thereafter.

Sorry, Mum

When she was alive my sweet mum was always asking me to paint her some flowers. To my eternal regret, I was a “hip and edgy” artist and never did so. Since her passing I have painted dozens of florals and every one is for her.
If you’re an artist and your mother is alive, go paint her some damn flowers! (

E.A.G. Juried Show.

Yesterday I visited the Etobicoke Art Group’s 50th Juried art show.  It’s a diverse and interesting selection of work well worth visiting.
The Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 the West Mall until Friday, May 23.

E.A.G. 50th Anniversary Juried Show

“Da Vinci’s Demons” (acrylic, 18×36) has been accepted into the Etobicoke Art Group’s Fiftieth Anniversary Juried Show. The exhibition is in the Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 the West Mall until Friday, May 23.