Blog

Bacon

When I was an art student in Humber College, Francis Bacon was the idol of all of my classmates. I liked him a lot but leaned more towards John Singer Sargent and took more than my share of teasing as a result. In the intervening years I had several books about Bacon, sketched his work and developed a deep appreciation for his pictures. However, despite attending galleries around the world, I never encountered an original. Today I visited the Bacon Moore show at the A.G.O. and the breath was knocked out of me.
Despite the intense subject matter, these are some of the most elegant and beautifully painted works I have ever seen.

The Master

I just had a nice brief chat with one of my artistic idols, Tako Tanabe in the Mira Goddard Gallery. 88 years young, lively, sharp and still painting great pictures. I told him I had learned a great deal from him over the years…keep it simple.

Kleinberg, Sunday

KLEINBERG.
On the second day of the McMichael course I set myself the challenge of painting a landscape in the style of my hero, A.J. Casson. What made it an especially cool experience was taking a break and walking 235 steps to stand in from of Casson’s grave.
Gave me a chill.  I call the painting “235 Steps.”

Kleinberg, Day One

KLEINBERG, Saturday.
I spent the weekend attending the esteemed John Leonard’s contemporary landscape painting course given at the McMichael Gallery.  What a great concept for a course.  You talk about the Group of Seven and then walk over to the main gallery and stand in front the collection.
Day one’s task was to create a landscape from imagination.

Muse

Some mornings my muse is in a very, very good mood. But only when I have spent weeks or even years thinking about a piece. 

Watercolours

I’ve been cleaning my basement in preparation for a major and very costly home sewer repair.  One of the positives, is I’m finding some cool things I had forgotten about.  I came across a folder of some of my old watercolours.  I had forgotten how much I loved that medium.

Artworld Mighty Fine Art

Nice post today from my dealer, Donna Child. She has enough enthusiasm to fuel ten galleries.

Donna Child
A huge THANK YOU!! to everyone that attended our “East Meets West” – opening this past Saturday night. Rick Taylor – Wei Yan – David Shepherd and Mark Thurman – you are all brilliant and I am honoured to represent you in my gallery. A special Congrat’s to Rick – we sold several of your pieces Saturday night, but you are also officially part of the Ontario Archives Collection – ARTWORLD FINE ART recently faciliated a sale that will see ” 4 “of Rick’s paintings hang in the Parliment buildings in Ottawa and Toronto – You so derserve this Rick !!!