Dacia Gallery Holiday Show

My latest painting, "Radiate" will be included in Dacia Gallery's holiday show, Nunc Veritatem that opens tomorrow in NYC.  It is such an honor to be included in this amazing show with artists I admire so much, such as Patricia Watwood, Daniel Maidman, Max Ginsburg, Leah Lopez, Erin Anderson, Casey Childs, Janet Cook and Adam Miller.  I hope to see you at the opening tomorrow night (December 11th) from 6pm until 9pm.  There will be artist talks at 7:30!

"Radiate," oil on canvas, 24"x 24," 2014

New Plein Air Landscapes in Winter Exhibition at Grenning Gallery

I have a number of new plein air landscape paintings included in the "Gems of Grenning Gallery" exhibition at Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor, NY.  Below are a few of the paintings I have included in the show, as well as some photos of me at Cathedral Lakes in, British-Columbia, Canada, painting on site. There will be an opening reception on Saturday December 6th from 5:30 to 7:30.  I hope to see you there!

"Stream from Pyramid Lake," 8"x 10", oil on canvas

"Stream from Pyramid Lake II," 11"x 14", oil on canvas

"Waterfall by Quinescoe Lake II," 11"x 14", oil on canvas

Solo Show at Cube Gallery Written Up in Fine Art Today!

I am so grateful for the lovely write-up in Fine Art Today about my upcoming solo show at Cube Gallery in Ottawa!  I love what Jeffrey Carlson wrote about my work!  The opening reception for the show is next Thursday, Nov 6th, from 6 to 9 pm.  I hope to see you there!

Newly Released Book "The Figure"

I am so excited that my painting "A Forward Pull II" is included in this newly released book "The Figure: Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture, Contemporary Perspectives," published by Skira Rizzoli.  A huge thank you to Margaret McCann and The New York Academy of Art for including my work in it! It is an amazing collection of figurative artists.  John Seed has written a wonderful review of the book on Hyperallergic.  You can order your copy of this amazing book HERE.

Figureworks Juried Show 2014

I'm so excited that I have been asked to be on the jury for this year's Figureworks show in Ottawa, Canada, so I wanted to put the word out to all artists about this wonderful show. The deadline for application is Oct, 3, 2014, and you can find the submission guidelines on their website HERE. This is going to be an amazing exhibition of figurative art and is open to artists internationally.  I'm so honoured to be on the jury with the amazing artists Mat Dubé and Andrew Morrow and I hope to see your submission soon!

Lake Country Art House Workshop

Here are some photos from the portrait painting with a full palette workshop that I taught at The Lake Country Art House this summer.  It was a wonderful group and we all had a really nice time!  Also, here are some shots of the stages of my demo painting, taking it from the grisaille underpainting using Burnt Umber, through the block in of basic lightside and shadowside colours, to the final rendering of the planes and edges of the forms and features. We filmed a full-length video of the demo which you can check out on YouTube HERE.

Full Length Demo Painting Video

Here's a video of the demo painting from the workshop I taught at The Lake Country Art House this summer! It's my first iMovie ever, so please excuse the choppy edits and other weirdness.  Also, the sound is a bit low since it was filmed with my iphone, but it sounds okay if you use headphones.  Enjoy!

The New York Optimist

A huge thank you to John Sebastian for featuring my work on The New York Optimist!  We're filming a video interview shot in my studio as well, so I'll post that as soon as it's up!

Fine Art Connoisseur, Highlighting Women Artists

I feel so honored that my painting "This Too Shall Pass" was printed in the current issue of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.  The article on women painting women includes the work of so many female artists that I admire so much such as Juliette Aristides, Michelle Dunaway, Leah Lopez, Teresa Oaxaca, Cindy Precious, Terry Stickland and so many others.  A huge thank you to the editor, Peter Trippi for including my work in this article!  Be sure to pick up your copy of the October issue of  Fine Art Connoissuer!  It's an amazing issue and I really enjoyed reading what Kelly Compton wrote about the historical and contemporary careers of female artists!

Fine Art Connoisseur on "Loved and Observced"

I was so excited to see my painting "I Will" featured on Fine Art Connoissuer's website in their article on the exhibition "Loved and Observed."  This was an exhibition of female artists curated by Manu Saluja and Diana Corvelle at Hersh Fine Art in Long Island, NY.  It was such an honor to be shown alongside so many other amazing female artists! Check out the whole article HERE.

Four Portrait Painting Workshops in BC!

I had a busy vacation this past month, teaching four portrait painting workshops in BC while I was there!  I started with a full palette workshop at the Okanagan School of the Arts in Penticton, then taught a limited palette workshop in Lake Country, followed by a full palette class at the Lake Country Art House and finished up with a full palette workshop in my hometown, Nelson, BC.  All of the workshops were a ton of fun and everyone did an amazing job!  Here are some photos from the workshops, as well as step by step shots of the demos I did in the classes.  We actually filmed a full three hour video of the demo I did at the Lake Country Art House, and I'm editing that together right now, so I'll post the video soon (*does anyone know if it's possible to post a three hour video on Youtube?  Most of the videos on Youtube are shorter... will I need to post it on Vimeo instead I wonder?  I'm learning as I go :-) Anyway, congratulations to all the participants of these workshops, you all did such wonderful paintings!

The demo I did in Lake Country with a limited palette

The demo I did in Nelson with a full palette

The Penticton demo using a full palette

The Unicorn in Ottawa Style Magazine

I was so pumped to see my painting, "The Unicorn," in the spring issue of Ottawa Citizen's Style magazine!  A huge thank you to Patrick Langston for this support of my work!  Ottawa has been so supportive of my work since the very beginning and I'm looking so forward to being there in November for my next solo exhibition at Cube Gallery, which opens on November 6th, 2014!

Featured in Hi Fructose

While I was traveling in BC I was overjoyed to discover my work featured in Hi Fructose! I love what Caro wrote about my work! Check out the full article HERE.

Article in International Artist Magazine

Here are some scans from the article I had in the April/May issue (#96) of International Artist Magazine, where I share a step-by-step tutorial on creating atmospheric effects in a complex composition.  Back issues of this issue can be ordered online HERE. It includes many other great tutorials by artists such as Richard Schmid and Daniel Maidman, as well as an in-depth interview by Christine Egnoski with faculty artists from the Portrait Society of America!

Demo Painting From Ottawa Workshop

I had a great time teaching a workshop at The Studio Cafe in Ottawa last month! It was a three day portrait painting workshop, working from a live model with a full palette. Below is the demo painting I did in the class as well as a few photos from the workshop. I'll be teaching several workshop in BC this summer.  There is still space in the one in Penticton and Nelson.  For more information check out the workshops page on my website.

STAGE 1

Block in with Burnt Umber

My canvas is prepared with a mid-tone greenish grey ground, using white acrylic gesso tinted with a bit of acrylic Yellow Ochre and a little Mars Black. I let it dry thoroughly then sand it before beginning the underpainting. Using oily, viscous paint, thinned with linseed oil, I mark in the basic proportions first. Measuring the proportions to get the drawing accurate, I compare the width of the head to its height.  Then I mark in three equal proportions from the chin to the bottom of the nose; bottom of the nose to eyebrows; and eyebrows to forehead.  Because her head is tilted down, the top distance (from the top of the head to the hairline) is about an equal proportion to the thirds of the face. Next I block in the big forms and shadows in Burnt Umber. By “drawing with the shadows” I am able to establish the placement of the features quickly and accurately by judging the shapes and distances of the shadow patterns on her face.

STAGE 2

Color Lay-In and Big Form Modeling

I begin laying in the color by establishing a basic color for the light side of the face.  I am leaving the “real” shadows (the cast shadow on the neck and the cast shadows under the eyebrows and nose), alone for now so that they don’t get mixed up with the lights.  I will go into them later. I tint the base color in the light side of the face as necessary, such as in the plane change where the forehead bends up towards the light.  Also, the light side of the face gets slightly darker and cooler as it moves down the face (away from the light) so I make sure my colors and tones reflect that change.  At the edges of the face it also gets darker and cooler.  This helps to establish the “big form modeling” of the head, rendering the head like an egg by darkening around the edges, and turning the form to give it dimension.

STAGE 3

Describing the Smaller Forms

I complete the color lay-in by blocking in a basic color for each element of the painting.  For the shadow side of the face I tint the base flesh color with a mixture of Viridian Green and Cadmium Red Light to create rich shadow colors. I continue to establish the big form modeling, making sure that the hair reflects the egg shape of the head, and the head and body have a cylindrical nature. I paint the hair with a “Grainer” brush, which has some long hairs and some shorter ones. I lay in distinct brushstrokes in the hair and try not to mess with is.  This creates wonderful hair-like texture. Using a 1” synthetic bright brush, I block in a loose background, letting a bit of the under painting show through. I also suggest the sheer nature of the shirt in a painterly fashion.  Once the key elements are established, I define the smaller forms of the features, defining the planes of the cheekbones, none, chin, etc.

  STAGE 4

Final Rendering and Edges

At this stage I thin my paint with a bit more linseed oil as I continue to refine the features. Focusing on the description of the planes of each feature, I make some final refinements.  I also make the different textures (i.e. skin, hair, cloth), look like the material they’re made of.  Final highlights are added to areas such as the nose, forehead and hair. I also refine the edges, softening edges where the form turns as it meets the background, and sharpening areas that are bony, or where I would like to draw more attention. Edges are an area where an artist has a lot of artistic license.  The way edges are treated can really effect the mood of a painting. I like to contrast soft, “lost” edges (where you can’t really discern where one thing ends and another starts), with sharper edges.
  
 

Loved and Observed at Hersh Fine Art

 

I'm so excited that my painting "I Will," will be on display at the upcoming opening of "Loved and Observed, an exhibition of work by female artists that is co-curated by Manu Saluja and Diana Corvelle at Hersh Fine Art.  It runs June 21st to August 12th, with an opening reception on June 28th from 6 to 8pm.  Hersh Fine Art is located at 14A Glen Street in Glen Cove, NY. For more information, please email Steve Forster.

It's such an honor to show with so many artists I admire so much! The participating artists are: Elizabeth Adams-Jones, Erin Anderson, Juliette Aristides, Julie Elizabeth Brady, Aleah Chapin, Diana Corvelle, Michelle Doll, Alia El-Bermani, Alexandra Evans, Shauna Finn, Nanette Fluhr, Nanci France-Vaz, Kristy Gordon, Clarity Haynes, Leah Lopez, Gaetanne Lavoie, Lauren Amalia Redding, Kay Ruane, Manu Saluja, Holly Ann Scoggins, Rabecca Signori- ello, Emily Slapin and Maria Teicher. Hope to see you at the opening!

"I Will," oil on canvas, 30"x24"

I GOT MY ARTISTS VISA!!!

Michael Wides, me, and Julie Geifman with the precious document

I got my artists visa to remain in the states for another 3 years (while I work on my Green Card to stay even longer)!!!  It's been such a process and I'm eternally grateful to the amazing immigration lawyer, Michael Wildes from Wildes and Weinberg. He and his team somehow managed to organize this crazy pile of art documentation that encompasses basically everything I've ever done, into a manageable looking folder of documents.  It could have been an overwhelming process, but with their help we just took it one step at a time. I knew I was in good hands when I first met Michael and his dad, who was actually John Lennon's lawyer (a fact I didn't know when I sought him out but was totally impressed to find out). I am so incredibly happy and relieved to have my 01 visa now, and am excited to remain in New York for at least another few years!!

Mr. Leon Wildes, and John Lennon

They took this (everything art-related that I've ever done)

...and turned it into this

...and now I have this :D