On the Blocks

On the Blocks, oil on canvas, 24”x30”.

The first painting I have worked seriously on for over a year. I’ve the tension and the angles in this composition and the flattening of shapes juxtaposed with the sculptural rendering of the monumental figure. It feels to me that the subject is about to burst out of the confines of the rectangle - which, given the subject matter, is how it should feel. To ward of the insanity of this last year, I have been painting miniatures for my dollhouse and photographic backdrops for @westcoastbackdrops.

Break in the Clouds

Break in the Clouds. Oil on canvas 48” x 36”. Love the combining of water, shore and sky - a simple pallet and big drama.

Evening Light

Evening Light oil on canvas 48”x 36”.

The reference for this painting came from a little cove very close to us. Little streaks of sunlight interrupt the reflections in the water. We are so lucky to be able to go down to the shore after a long hot day and contemplate the serenity of this small and rare part of the world.

Portrait of a Young Girl

The reference for this portrait came from the town of Sulmona in Italy; a little girl waiting for the beginning of a parade that, in the end, was canceled because of rain. The flat shapes in the painting contrast with the modelling of her face and the figure’s position on the canvas - turning to her right- creates tension and leaves the viewer wondering what is happening that affects her so.

Portrait of Rosanna

Portrait of Rosanna Butterfield, oil on canvas, 22x28 - She wanted to be portrayed playing her beloved cello, Grandmother (who commissioned it) did not - so a compromise!!!

Portrait of Rosanna Butterfield, oil on canvas, 22x28 - She wanted to be portrayed playing her beloved cello, Grandmother (who commissioned it) did not - so a compromise!!!

Into the Waves

Another in my series of people at the seashore. These two sisters -with dog- are testing out the temperature!

TD Art Gallery of Greater Victoria Annual Moss Street Paint In

Early stage of portrait painting at the TD Art Gallery Paint-In yesterday. Thousands of people attended. It was fun to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

Wrapped

Another in my coffee shop series, dealing with intimacy and isolation. The title is an appropriate one, given the number of times the woman is wrapped - by her scarves, her sweater, her arm, the hand around her face and most of all by the fact she is wrapped in thought. The paper she was reading and the glasses have been discarded to allow her to devote her mind entirely inward. The fellow behind her is a foil - engaged and active - which emphasizes further her stillness and solitude. The curves in the composition - the tire of the car seen through the window, the tables and the back of the man's head - reinforce the curve of her head as she looks down. Although they are very much apart, the two figures are connected by the lines of their hands and by the diagonal line of the window. Oil on canvas, 20" x 24"

Connection

This painting, entitled "Connection", is an unusual composition for me as it is painted on a square. Derived from a scene in my favourite coffee shop, it's about isolation and intimacy - light and dark, flat shapes and rendered form. The eye must journey through barriers of stripes to see the story of the scene, which takes up a very small area of the painting.
oil on canvas, 36"x 36"

White on white

Celebrating my new website!! This is my first post. A very recent work - oil on canvas, 30"x 36"