February 2018
No one says Feb-ru-ary... its Feb-u-ary right?
Well we just squeaked by Jan-ru-ary (yeah, I did that on purpose). January has typically been a bit of a slow month for artists and galleries alike so I'm glad it's over. Work has begun for my show at Westland Gallery with Elle Belz. My studio is starting to look like a garden... a garden being taken over by space ships!
Although I intend to focus on more local flowers, I have continued a bit of an older theme with the first batch of floral studies. I was first introduced to the Arctic Poppy during a trip in 2009 with my friend Mike Austin, a local tattoo legend. I was invited to tag along and paint while he took part in a ground breaking documentary on the revival of Inuit facial tattoos (Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril). I was fortunate to learn about this rich history and watched as several women had their hands and faces tattooed. While staying with Alethea and her husband I quickly learned that if the water wasn't delivered, you had to venture out to find a quiet spot to... relieve yourself. its was during one of these outings that I first found these little poppies. The poppies in the north are so small that I was unaware that I was stepping on them. They grow inches from the ground and are smaller than a penny. They are a pale yellow and grow in little clusters. By far, my favourite flower. I have started with a few small panels and a couple medium sized canvases to get a feel for how I
want to do these. So far I have managed to fulfill a couple ideas and I am pleased with the work. The first group will be heading to Shane Norrie Contemporary in Stratford. As I develop and hone the floral pieces they will slowly make there way to Westland Gallery in Wortley Village for the show that starts April 24th.
Arctic Poppy 30" x 30" Oil on Canvas
Arctic Poppies 30" x 30" Oil on Canvas
On the other side of the studio are a few new sci-fi themed pieces (honestly they are all mixed up and scattered throughout the studio). I have never been a fan of the palette knife... mostly because I had never used one. I recently picked up a plastic knife that came in an "econo" bag of brushes and it seemed to fit the bill. I started to enjoy the look of the thick paint layering over subsequent layers. I have much to learn but I intend to do so. These pieces will soon be available and can been viewed at the studio or at a number of comic cons in the Fall.
Space Freighter 10" x 12" Oil on Board
Troop Transport #9 8" x 10" Oil on Board
Krista and I would like to thank everyone for their support of the newsletter. We enjoy staying connected to you all. Please don't hesitate to pass along or "share" the newsletter to family and friends. This type of networking is essential to the success of any artist. We continue to welcome people into the studio and encourage you to stop by if you are in the area. The coffee is usually on!
Jamie
Poppies in Vase 14" x 11" Oil on Support Panel
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