Florence is so Inspiring!

Here are some more of the paintings that I've done here in Florence. I did some of them as studies, to get a sense of how I liked a certain concepts before committing to doing large-scale versions, and some of them are final paintings.





















Me joking around beside my self-portrait, "Who am I? The Performance of Everyday Life," oil on canvas, 80" x 50,"
at the exhibition here in Florence, "In Bocca al Lupo." Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to properly photograph this painting before shipping it back to Canada, but this gives you an idea of how it turned out, and I'll post a proper photo of it when I return home soon!
















"Left and Leaving," oil on panel, 6" x 8"
This painting was done during a very difficult time in my life. It embodies the Buddhist philosophy that the way to contentment is to release the five cravings, which are sex, wealth, fame, lots of sleep, and fancy food. This is an image of me walking away from the five cravings, which are personified here as female water nymphs. I learned here in Florence that female figures are often used to represent abstract ideas and concepts, so I liked the idea of using them here to represent the five cravings. My sister, Jessica Gordon, was kind enough to pose for me for the water nymphs. The title is from the Winnipeg-based band, the Weakerthans, album name, which I was listening to a lot when I did this painting. This is a very small, painterly study. I am pleased with the overall effect, so I intend to paint it full-scale at a later date.

















"Self-reflection," oil on panel, 6" x 8"
This is an idea that I had for a twist on the Narcissus theme awhile ago. It's me looking into the water and seeing my reflection. It's a small study to get an idea of how I liked it before moving onto a larger one. Although I do kind of like it, I actually think I found it to be a little "sweet" for my tastes, and probably won't be doing a larger version of it. Still, it was fun to do!






















"Piedistallo," oil on panel, 14" x 6.5"
This is a painting that I did at the Bardini Museum here in Florence. It was so fun to go there and have the opportunity to paint pieces of their collection from life, so my friend Kevin Columbus and I went there regularly to paint together!






















"Transformation," oil on panel, 7" x 4.5"
This is a self portrait of me holding a poppy. Poppies in art often represent sleeping or dying, so it expresses the way I’ve felt lately, and the title hints towards a change taking place within me. I may paint this painting full size in the future.

Masks and Armour

Hey guys! Thought I would post some of the paintings I've done on the themes of masks and armour since I've been here in Florence. I have become very interested in the influence that culture has on our own life experiences, and living in Italy this past year has given me a deeper understanding of its impact. In both cultures, people develop mechanisms for masking their anxiety, but they do it in very different ways. The cultural observations that I’ve made here have led me towards exploring the themes of personal armour and masks in my work. These themes personify the layers of protection that we build up around ourselves, in the hopes of protecting ourselves. However our personal armour and masks in fact only prevent us from truly experiencing and enjoying our lives. “Sometimes the only way to open a path to soul is the negative way-by noting ways in which we are unconsciously protecting ourselves from the sting of life’s intentions.” (from: Thomas Moore. SoulMates. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.)

I did several studies of myself in armour, after studying the Armour they had at the Bardini Museum, and my favorite is "Self-portrait in Armour IV." It's not the tightest one rendering-wise, but it's my favorite compositionally, so I plan to paint it up larger in the future.






















Self-portrait in Armour I," oil on panel, 12" x 8"























Self-portrait in Armour II," oil on panel, 6" x 4"























"Self-portrait in Armour III," oil on canvas, 9" x 7"























"Self-portrait in Armour IV," oil on canvas, 6" x 4"























"Study for Who Am I? The Performance of Everyday Life"
6” x 4,” oil on canvas

This is a self-portrait of myself in holding two masks, a happy one and a sad one. It expresses the changeability in the way that we present ourselves in the world, and the influence that our surroundings have on the self that we show. I actually painted this one up really big as well (80" x 50," but sadly didn't get a good photo of it before shipping it back to Toronto, so I'll post one when I return home this summer!























"The Grownup," oil on panel, 12" x 8"

This subject interested me because I liked the humour in it. My friends here in Florence had come home one night with this strange, pseudo-batman mask, and when I saw it hanging on their wall, I had my friend put it on. He thought he was taking a hero pose, but I like that it reads as scared and protective. I liked the contrast between his defensive stance and the fierce mask, as well as the childlike quality of the mask. This painting embodies the idea that we bring childhood pain and defense mechanisms into our adult experiences, without even knowing that we're doing it.

I'll post more paintings soon!!

Some new paintings

Here are a couple new paintings that I recently finished.

My friend and I have been going to the Bardini Museum and painting in there. It's sooper fun to be allowed to actually paint in a museum! They're all really friendly there, and they pretty much all know us now too, so I don't even feel that weird doing it (anymore;)

"Armour at the Bardini," oil on panel, 12"x 8"





















Me working on my next painting in the Bardini
















Also, here's a commission I recently finished for a friend.
"Giovanni," oil on panel, 8"x 8"

New Years in Madrid

Okay, so I know New Years was awhile ago now, but I thought you guys might like to see some of the amazing art that I got to see during my holidays in Madrid!

Velasquez at the Prado





















Fortuny at the Prado





















Crazy beautiful Sorolla at the Prado





















Rubens at the Prado





















Sorolla paintings at the Sorolla House


























































There were a bunch of amazing little studies there...











































Me and my Mom on New Years in Plaza Sol





















(I'll post some of my new paintings real soon;)

Lovin' Life

I am thoroughly LOVING my time in Italy! A little while ago now I actually moved into a new and improved apt, so I thought you my like to see some pics of my new digs!





















Chandelier in the bedroom! (and crazy nice wood beam ceiling!)






















Big ol' mirror - good for painting self-portaits!

















"the studio" (in my bedroom;)






















Sweetest kitchen ever






















View from my bedroom window - I can see the Duomo from my window!!!

Oh, and on a side note, Italian hip hop is da bomb!!!

THE BEST DAY EVER!! (ELIZABETH GREENSHIELDS FOUNDATION GRANT!!)

I just found out that I have RECEIVED AN ELIZABETH GREENSHIELDS FOUNDATION GRANT!!!! I am so incredibly excited and grateful to have received this prestigious grant! I've actually been applying for it for the last ten years, so it totally blows my mind to have actually received one! Ya, they're totally the best foundation ever for their ongoing international support of realist artists and having them support me in my studies in Italy is so incredibly heart warming! (three cheers for persistence;) :D

New Self-Portraits

Here are a couple new self-portraits that I've done since I've been here in Florence. I guess this is kinda a self-discovery year for me, and maybe it's not been the easiest time so far, so I think that's coming through in these new self-portraits:P






















"Disconnect," oil on panel, 12"x 9," 2009























"By Myself," oil on panel, 8"x 6," 2009