Because she has a song

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song" (Maya Angelou).

I've posted two images, an early one from when I was just starting out on this canvas a few weeks ago, and below it, the finished painting. As often happens, there isn't much from the first few marks that has survived the heat of the creative fire. But one thing that came early and stayed late - all the way through to be exact - was that singing bird.

I expect she must have quite a song.

HEARTSPEAK event a lovely affair

Well, the weather outside was frightful, but the company was so delightful as those who braved the pelting rain yesterday found out at my annual heartspeak event. We had a lovely time. Even the Barbies were into it.


I have posted the unsold work here on my website.

headed for winnipeg, ends up in saskatoon

I love it when the unexpected happens while I'm working; when I discover something willy nilly; when I set out for Winnipeg and end up in Saskatoon. Call it divine will, kismet, or a favorite of artists around the world - the happy accident.

I use a lot of stamps in my work and with the exception of commercially prepared alphabet letters, I make them myself. I make them out of cheap and cheerful and decidedly non-precious, neo-crude, peri-conceptual materials like styrofoam and cardboard.

In the first image here, I used a large cardboard heart to apply paint early on in the process. The thing about stamps loaded with acrylic paint, is that after you've pressed them down onto the canvas, when you go to pull the stamp away, some of the paint gets sucked back off and out, away from the canvas and forms little peaks and valleys which when dry, remain as little peaks and valleys. Of course one could smooth it all out while the paint is still wet, but that would mean missing at least half the fun of the printmaking endeavour, which simply put, is that you never know for sure what you have until you have it, and no matter how many times you use the same printing block/stamp, the results will be different every time.

But I digress.

This painting is called "heart in hand" and it will be in my HEARTSPEAK studio event this Saturday. I've enlarged a section of it to point out the aforementioned peaks and valleys effect which became very visible after many delicate washes of colour, rubbed on with a damp cloth. What thrilled me this time, is that I ended up with an effect which is very reminiscent of the systems of arteries and veins that course through and around the heart. I couldn't have made that point with any more poignancy if I had tried.

Another happy accident. Another afternoon in Saskatoon.

what makes a painting a painting?

I was working on this little piece today and I couldn't help but notice the sheer volume of paint on the backdrop surface. This is where I discharge excess paint from my brushes, or mix colours as I go.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, the second shot below, pans out to show the small painting imbedded in the backdrop.

Looking at it, one might well ask just exactly how much paint is not on the painting itself. And then one might further ask, is the 'intentional' painting (the one I set out to paint) really any better than the unintentional painting. The intentional painting benefits from conscious effort, a trained eye, and a certain amount of discipline. But the other one, the one I didn't mean to paint, perhaps benefits from not having those very same qualities.

Over the years, I've had many offers from patrons wishing to buy my background wall(s).
Are they on to something?