After Cityline It's Back to Normal Or Is It?

Well a few months have passed since my art/design segment that I did with Sharon Grech aired on Cityline. The excitement has faded and things have gone back to normal around here. The living space and studio was staged beautifully and cleaned for 'shoot day' and looked absolutely wonderful. A page right out of a magazine. Then reality took over and it hasn't looked the same since.

With my gallery work, as well as the paintings and illustrations I do for posters, there has been a lot of creative chaos on a daily basis. The furniture gets moved out of the way, the dining table is now a work table and there are plenty of canvases in various stages of 'art' all over the place. And yes I get frustrated at the end of the day when I 'should' put things away and tidy up. I need a proper studio. A studio where I can spread out and get messy and not have to worry about putting things away at the end of the day. Until that day comes I'm thinking of moving into the spare room and painting there. Tis will mean working in the same room that now holds the kitty's litter boxes. Hmmmm, I'll keep you posted on how this works out.

That Eglinton Painting.

I've received numerous inquiries about 'that Eglinton painting' on my art wall featured by Sharon Grech on Cityline. Unfortunately that painting is not available as it's hanging in my son's home, but don't fret, other small paintings in the series are available at Art Interiors and can even be purchased on Art Interiors site. 

 My art wall featured on Cityline

 Bay-Yorkville  6x6  acrylic on canvas

available at Art Interiors

 Exit-Cumberland  12x12  acrylic on canvas

available at Art Interiors

 Exit  6x6  acrylic on canvas

available at Art Interiors

Summerhill  6x6  acrylic on canvas

available at Art Interiors

I'm on Cityline With My Art. Somebody Pinch Me!

Watch here

Here are just a few pics from the Cityline taping I attended last Thursday. So much fun to be in studio and see all that goes on behind the scenes.

Here's a birds eye view from the green room of Brian Gluckstein with his collection of one of a kind pieces for his segment.

Host extraordinaire Tracy Moore hams it up for my camera. She's so much fun and engages the studio audience. Everyone was having a great time.

Sharon Grech and stylist Diane Gallard setting up one of the display walls. How to hang art. That small 12x12 landscape behind the orange flower is one of mine.

Thanks Sharon, for making this adventure happen. It's been a great experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. My little corner of a studio is a joy to paint in and now the rest of the space is pulled together and inviting. I'm no longer embarrassed to have clients come in.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about paintings you saw on the show or purchasing info in general. Be sure to check out my website, the 'available in studio' section of my blog as well as the list of galleries that carry my work.

My Cityline Dream Comes True.

I was down at City TV studios yesterday to see a taping of Cityline. It's kind of the icing on the cake that they taped this home day show (which airs my segement) on the 30th anniversary of Cityline. I've watched this show from the beginning and it's become a part of my life. If you'd like to catch up on my Cityline adventure you can read this post. The show has aired. You can see the episodes here.

This process began a year ago when I connected with Sharon Grech through Twitter. She was doing a color talk for Benjamin Moore that I wanted to attend. I mentioned that I'd be at her presentation and would like to introduce myself afterwards. And so I did. We had a nice chat and I boldly told her my idea for a Cityline segment.

My paintings had been used as props on Cityline before, and I even got a very special mention (see this post).  I was especially excited to see them included in two house tours with Sharon, as well as in the Benjamin Moore Colour Trends brochure, twice. As far as coincidences go this was a BIG coincidence.

Sharon liked my idea and thought it would work nicely. An artist that lives and works in the same space and would like to have clients in to view/purchase the art, but the space is in a constant chaotic mess. The art not displayed (in fact not on even hung on the walls). Walls painted with a harsh cold white paint that made the whole area too stark and cold.

She helped me choose paint colors for the wall and got me excited about hanging my art. It was alot of work but well worth the effort. Now I won't be embarrassed any more when clients come in to consult for commissioned work or to purchase my art.

So here we are almost a full year later and (my) design segment is finished. This has been a dream (goal) of mine for years. As a loyal viewer of  Cityline  I just knew that one day my art (and in this case myself) would be included. I am so thankful and grateful that this dream is now complete. Special thanks to Sharon, Fiona, Diane, and all the behind the scenes crew involved. I'm popping the champagne and celebrating for a bit and then I'll be back to work at my easel.

Studio Changes.

My studio has certainly changed from the time I decided to turn my passion for painting into my career. 

I started out painting very small paintings on the dining room table.

When we moved into a larger apartment there was more space available to me and I progressed to larger works and invested in an easel.

A few years later we moved again this time purchasing a loft/condo in the entertainment district, in downtown Toronto.

I now have a cozy little corner studio that I work from. It's on the southwest corner of the building so I get plenty of beautiful sunlight. My morning commute is fantastic. It's about 6 steps.

Technically my studio space is smaller but it seems much larger thanks to 10' high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows.

It's also easy for me to move furniture out of the way in case I have to spread out and work on the floor. I've done this for some larger paintings and mixed media work.

Next year in June it will be 4 years that we've lived here and my little studio space has been changed quite a few times.

Yet, I've still to purchase proper lights to paint by during these  gloomy cloudy and dark days of winter.

Changes are coming once again. Walls have been painted and some new furniture has been purchased.

My special collaboration with Sharon Grech is coming along and a date for the 'after' shoot for our Cityline segment has been set.

I'm really getting excited about it as it's now all coming together. It won't be long now.

So What's Next?

A great big thank you to all that attended our multi artist studio clearance sale last week. It was a huge success and many pieces of original art made their way out to new homes. It's a cloudy, rainy Monday and I have that 'so what's next' feeling I sometimes experience after something big has happened. 

Today is a day for putting things away, clearing up the mess, and planning for new projects. After spending the last few weeks (months) working on cityscapes and small 'subway' paintings, I'll be needing a break from painting hard lines.

I feel the need to paint natural, organic shapes for awhile. Play time. Exploring some abstracts and just letting the paint do what it will on the canvas.

It's also time to get back to this project and finish up loose ends. In no time, Sharon Grech and her team will be back to film the 'after' part of my Cityline segment. Off to see how this day unfolds in the studio. Enjoy your week!

Studio Update.

It's been business as usual here in my little corner studio since our return from Vegas last week.

Here's a sneak peek at the floor canvas I'm working on right now. My inspiration, those fabulous 'modern art' carpets that I see in all the home decor magazines. They are way out of my budget so a perfect excuse for a DIY.

To get the very textured paint effect that I want, I applied some acrylic modeling paste very lightly and haphazardly all over the canvas.

I've used seven different Benjamin Moore paints and layered color over color. I had an idea of how I wanted the finished canvas to look, but as I painted intuition took over and I just went with the flow. If an area looked too dark, I went over it with a lighter color. If an area started to look to neat, I splattered and flicked the paint.

Four of the paints I purchased at my local paint store and the rest was graciously provided by Sharon Grech and Benjamin Moore.

Here are some of the tools I used. I especially like painting this textured effect with a brayer instead of a brush.

The painting is now finished and I'm really pleased with it. All that's left to do is to turn under the edges and give it a couple of coats of Benjamin Moore's Stays Clear to make it really durable. 

The reveal??  You'll just have to wait and see the finished floor canvas when our segment airs on Cityline later this year.

Back to Work.

The weather is perfect today to start a new project. Humidity is gone and there's a great breeze happening so I can paint with the balcony door and windows wide open. This huge piece of canvas is for the Cityline segment that I'm working on. You can read how my 'dream project' came to reality here and here. When complete, it will be a one of a kind floor cloth.

In looking at this photo I kind of feel that I've bitten off more than I can chew at this point. The piece of canvas I'm working with is quite large, about 6'x7'. So far I've only used this painting technique on stretched canvas that was 4'x5'.

As the canvas is much larger and un-stretched I'll have to paint it on the floor. It will be a bit of a challenge painting it this way but I'm definitely up for that. I don't want to share too much of my process as I want to save it for the big reveal. Stay tuned.

My Cityline Segment.

This past Monday, Sharon Grech and her crew were here filming the 'before' part of my Cityline segment. I still have to pinch myself when I say this. My Cityline segment. Dreams do come true!

I thought I would be nervous but I was ok. It was fun watching the crew set up shots and run through what we were going to say. I was enjoying being in the moment so much that I forgot to take photos.

So now the fun begins. I get to do all the dirty work. I'm not going to give away all that we are doing for this segment, but I will be sharing sneak peeks every now and then. The 'after' will be shot in the early fall and it will air sometime after that. I'll keep you posted.

Special Collaboration Reveal.

So I've hinted that there is something really big happening here. In a previous post I wrote

I have a special collaboration in the works but its much too soon for any real details yet. This is going to be BIG and I'm over the moon when I think about it. It's something that has been on my mind for a few years now, and a few months ago I decided to get off the fence and just go for it. Special things do happen when you step out of your comfort zone. So grateful for all the new and exciting opportunities lately.

I also posted a teaser a few weeks ago but didn't want to reveal what's going on until I was more certain that the project was a go. Now, enough of the details have been worked out so that I'm comfortable revealing what the big secret is. Drum roll please.............

I am working with Sharon Grech of Benjamin Moore and Cityline fame. (Yes me!) She has graciously agreed to feature me and my live/work space dilemma in a Cityline design segment. Sharon will be here in my studio/home filming the 'before' in just a few weeks. Then I will be busy doing the dirty work for the 'after' to be filmed sometime later this summer.

I'm pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming all this and yes I am wide awake. Stay tuned to follow along as Sharon helps me transform this somewhat dysfunctional live/work space, into a spectacular home/studio space. I'll post the air date as soon as I hear.

Buried Treasure.

Today is Buried Treasure on the Altered Page. Seth Apter has asked participating artists to re-post their best blog posts. Not an easy thing to do and I'm not even up to 500 posts yet. I've chosen three posts that were very special moments for me.

Cityline March 2010. Kimberley Seldon discussing 'toille' with Tracy Moore. Kimberley included one of my small paintings in the design segment (and even pronounced my name correctly!) You can read the entire post here.

Sign Sign Everywhere a Sign is my second choice. I have a serious love of Vegas, Old Vegas, and neon. You can read the entire post here.

My third best blog post is Eclectic Elegance. I was thrilled to see one of my paintings included in the 2012 Benjamin Moore Color Trends brochure. A second painting was used in a home tour with Sharon Grech on a Cityline episode. The entire post is here.

So now head on over to the Altered Page where you can see all the participating artists. Happy reading!