Fresh New Work at XC Art Restoration, Toronto.

After Hours  40x30 acrylic on canvas

$2000.

King West Crawl 40x30 acrylic on canvas

$2000.

On Approach 15x30 acrylic on canvas

$800.

Sunset Landing 15x30 acrylic on canvas

$800.

Eastbound 30x40 acrylic on canvas

$2000

Five new cityscapes were delivered to XC Art Restoration this morning. Along with my 'King West' themed paintings, I'm so excited to reveal what I've been working on for the past few weeks. Inspired by recent trips 'On Approach' Sunset Landing' and 'Eastbound'.

I get so inspired when traveling and on vacation. During our last few flights I've been enjoying the window seat. Even though it's a little cramped, I love to gaze out the window and get a bird's eye view. Flying at sunset and watching the sky get dark is so beautiful. I've taken many photos and have put my inspirations on to canvas.

XC Art Interiors is planning a move but just four doors south of their present location on Mt Pleasant Road in Toronto. You can always see them online here.

A Little Studio Update.

The Gathering  36x48  acrylic on canvas

Finished 'The Gathering' yesterday. The newest painting in the pigeon series. It's off to XC Art Restoration along with 4 others this weekend.

I've started using 'gallery wrap canvas' for my urban landscapes. The wide sides (1.25" or approx 4cms) take me a lot longer to paint and finish. 

I have 18 large canvases in different stages of completeness on the go at the moment. I'm aiming to get 12 of them completed and off to 2 separate galleries by the end of the month. Really enjoying the long work days.

This (hopefully brief) spell of cooler, cloudy weather is helping me stay focused on painting and all things that need to be done in the studio. While anticipating an up coming beach day.

Hotel Costes is my music of choice while I paint right now.

Serendipity - Following an interior designer on Instagram because you like her style and then getting a comment from her on one of your photos saying she just used your work in a project she's working on.

Be Back Soon.

It's been crazy busy here lately. Not just with this insane ice storm the north east received, but with the usual hectic pace of year's end. We were lucky and never lost power. The rest of my family and a few friends didn't fare so well. In fact my parent's home is still without power and they had some major damage to home and car from falling tree limbs covered in ice. Everyone was safe and sound though and that's what counts. 

There's been much going on in the studio also. Behind the scenes stuff, already planning for next year. Thank you to all that have purchased my art this past year. Thank you to the galleries that include me in their family of artists. Thank you to my publishers, my FB friends and fans, and Twitter followers. Thank you to all that have let me know that my art has inspired them in some way, and has brought them good feelings. For all of you I'm grateful.

Not sure if  I'll get another post up before 2014. I'm thinking I might just take a bit of me time and be totally self indulgent and do nothing for a couple of days.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays.

All the best for the New Year.

Peace on Earth.

Love.

Through the Looking Glass.

While driving around running errands this past weekend, I spotted one of my paintings in the window of XC Art Restoration Gallery.

I stopped to take a couple of photos. At first I was upset that there was so much glare and the painting was obscured, but the longer I looked the more I liked the effect.

Especially here in this shot. The bottom right corner of the painting and the reflection of the glass blend perfectly to create a winter scene of snow and buildings.

Here is the original painting, without the glare. 

'She Gazed Out the Window' 

36x60x2 

$3800.

Acrylic on canvas

Available at XC Art Restoration

New Urban Landscape Paintings.

He Always Flew the Red Eye  36x36  Acrylic on canvas

 Art Restoration
Sold

The last few weeks have been busy for sure although much of the work has been behind the scenes. I've begun working with my publisher again which is very exciting, but means that I can't share any images until they make it to print.  Hopefully I'll have a lot of new images to share in the new year. Doing this kind of work has been very satisfying because I get to 'play' with different techniques and styles of painting.

New paintings were delivered this past weekend to Art Restoration. They were inspired by the previous flight home from Vegas, a window seat and clear skies.

An Attitude of Gratitude.

 Sunset View

30x30 Acrylic on canvas

Sold

Urban Vista

18x48 Acrylic on canvas

Sold

I'm always touched when someone appreciates my work so much that they purchase it. For them to spend their money on something that I created, hang it on their wall and live with it, well that is the ultimate compliment to me. I feel I have done my 'job' well. So when I received word last week from a gallery, that her client had purchased both cityscapes, I was overflowing with gratitude. Thank you so much!!

When my work sells through a gallery it's a totally different experience for me than if I had attended an art fair or show and sold the piece myself. There is usually no customer contact at all on may part. This took a little getting used to when I first started out, but now it's just the way it is. I got over it. So while I can't extend a personal thank you to each and every person that ever bought one of my paintings through a gallery, I can say a big thank you to all of you right here. Thank You.  :-)

Landscapes at XC Art Restoration.

 Secret Place  36x48  Acrylic on canvas

Available at Art Restoration

 Early Riser  36x48  Acrylic on canvas

Available at Art Restoration

Art Restoration

Every now and then I get the exciting news that my work will be featured in a gallery, brochure, magazine or even on television. This is always such a big thrill for me because it gets my work out to be seen by so many. When I was informed that Art Restoration will be featuring my paintings in the front of the gallery and in the beautiful big feature window, I jumped for joy.

For the next few weeks Secret Place will be featured in the gallery's window and a selection of my landscapes will be at the front of the gallery. I hope that when people catch a glimpse as they go by that it somehow conveys a sense of peace and stillness. I feel that our lives have become so fast paced and hectic that in looking at one of my landscapes, I'd like the viewer to enjoy the calm and serenity that I've captured, even if only for a moment. And of course if my paintings resonate with someone so much that they purchase it, well that is the ultimate compliment. This is why I paint really. It's my way of bringing some peace and maybe a little joy into the world. And there's proof that looking at art makes you happy. You can see a previous post about this here.

XC Art Restoration Inc

604 Mount Pleasant Road

Toronto Ontario

Embrace Beauty.

Embrace Beauty.

Mind, Body, and Soul.

Mind.

Gaze at art. According to a study last year from University College London, when people looked at paintings they liked. MRI's showed that the medial orbitofrontal cortex, part of the brain that governs pleasure, lit up. The caudate nucleus, which is the nerve center relating to romantic love, also brightened. From Whole Living Magazine. March 2012.

There you have it. I hope you have some fabulous art up on your walls to gaze at! If you don't, get some. Fill your walls with what you love.

 Sunset View 30x30 acrylic on canvas

SOLD
Thank you

Link Love

I meant to do a blog post yesterday, I really did but then the day just got away from me and it never happened. Usually I'm very organized and my Mondays start with a big cup of steaming hot coffee and a list of all that's to be accomplished that day and the rest of the week. Well it was about 3 in the afternoon before I got to make that list. I started yesterday with a few emails I had to write which I found rather frustrating because the words just wouldn't come. So I do what I usually do then-I take a break and check out some of my favorite blogs. I popped in to see what Veronica was up to and found her photo of a new painting. I hope you feel better Veronica!!. Then I checked out my two favorite design blogs decor8 and decor addict. Awsome as always.

Gabriela was next-she's always got something very interesting going on. She didn't disapoint! And then on to Marisa's blog. A very interesting post on a heated topic!! It was after I had finished reading Marisa's post and spent way too much time writing and leaving her a comment that I thought I should check on the time. Oooops, 11:30 already??!?? Time to get those emails written and sent.

I spent the rest of my day varnishing and wiring 20 smalls for Art Interiors, and wrapping six new paintings for XC Art Restoration that I'm delivering later today. Oh yes, and because my studio is in my home, I also managed to get in three loads of laundry, make dinner, feed the cats, blah, blah, blah.

The little Daisy piece above will be available in my shop later this week. I'll be listing lots of new work very soon. Please check back often.

Stormy Weather

It's been crazy busy in my studio for the last few days. I am working on so many things at once I am starting to feel my head spin. I did want to share "Spring Marsh". This is the latest in a series of new paintings. It's funny, I've just noticed that many of the paintings I've posted have either blue or gray skies. Am I that influenced by the weather??? This painting is also available at
XC Art Restoration.

On Approach at XC Art Restoration

I've titled this newest painting "On Approach". It's 24"h x 30"w. on stretched canvas. I've been doing skies for a while now but this one is a little different. Where I would normally put a strip of land with some trees or bushes, I've added a darkened skyline. Just a hint of rooftops and such, some with lights just turned on. Perhaps this is my way of easing into the urban thing. I'm very comfortable painting my landscapes and achieving that soft focus look that I like to my work. So I've started to add buildings and a human element to challenge myself. Living in such a large and diverse city as Toronto provides me with endless subject matter for new paintings. I've been doing sketches and studies and taking dozens of photographs. I'm really "looking" at buildings, angles, and hard edges in a different way and am enjoying combining these things with the softness that I have been painting.

This painting along with four other new works that I just finished will be available for purchase at XC Art Restoration. They are a great gallery here in Toronto and have carried my work for quite a few years now. Their specialty is conservation and restoration of fine art and art objects but they also feature the work of selected artists.