Blog

Well, after shaking it up a bit, I think I’ve successfully been able to get a little looser on my figurative works.

After a week of feeling quite unsuccessful in the studio, these two under paintings came VERY quickly on the evening of Friday, July 13th during the onset of a massive thunderstorm in Canmore. It was one of those crazy maelstrom’s that carry spirits – good and bad in the electricity of the air like I’ve never seen.

There were actual moments this week when I thought trading my painting smock for a ball cap and uniform to sling fries at Mickie-D’s was looking attractive. Thank goodness I stuck with it and let the magic happen.

I am a huge Stephen King fan, and have recently been listening to his audiobook Duma Key – the story of a supernatural occurrence that turns a victim of a horrific car accident into the Rembrandt of the Florida art world almost overnight. King’s stories always inspire with their rich character development, turns of phrase and fantastic otherworlds. Perhaps that bit o’ magic was the final stirring of the pot, but I’m very, very happy with what brewed up in my studio last night during the storm of the century.

Since coming back from Gwaii Haanas, where the supernatural is run of the mill, I’ve been feeling twisted, chewed-up and generally mucked up, avoiding crowds…wishing for the company of trees and salt-water tide once again. I’m fairly sure a healthy dose of the super naturals came home in the Avalanche with me, because I just don’t know where else this work came from last night other than the edges of the “other” world between this one and that of the spirits.

In honour of the bard of the supernatural, I’m readying works for my solo show at BlueRock Gallery and entitling the exhibition, “Ordinary Alchemy”. There will be a mix of many old and new pieces – some from my “private stock”.