saturday...

ok, i know that some of you out there in cyberland are anxious to see what 'kaya' and the '19th century costumed dogs' look like but both clients have yet to receive their paintings...'kaya' will be shipped out on thursday and if the courier gods are smiling down on me, the package will arrive in vancouver friday as scheduled...which means that i can put the painting online friday afternoon...as for the the other painting, that client has set a firm date to stop by the studio to pick up it up although there was talk about sometime during the first week of may...this painting is particularly interesting and i look forward to the feedback from posting it online...

other than that, i'm finished 'esther's' portrait and it looks darling..i kept thinking all throughout working on the piece, 'what an odd name for a dog?'...so 'old testament....c'est la vie...she's adorable!...

today, i arrived in the studio very late as i didn't sleep a wink last night...i spent the night on the couch trying to sleep and when i saw that that was a losing battle i turned on the comedy channel and watched three hours of the best of the 'just for laughs festival'....try keeping quiet while watching comedians...of course after watching this i couldn't fall asleep....

lots of coffee and faith that i'll put in a good few hours of work today...

the other distraction is the lovely day outside...sunny, no wind and 22C...a tad too warm for me but lovely just the same...i would love to sit outside and do nothing but my anal neighbour is outside doing lawn stuff...the story of the neighbour is a long one that i'll write some other time...

be patient, the paintings are coming!....

not a 'nor'easter'?

today work continues on esther not much progress during the weekend as i had my friend ben over yesterday...we ate, talked about art and surfed the net looking at real estate, work benches and artist's websites...

the weather outside today is supposed to be pretty wicked as the eastern part of the country is being hit with a rare 'nor'easter' and we are going to see some of the fringe of that storm...maybe...

along with the portrait of 'esther' i've started work on a landscape painting...the subject is a trailer in the middle of the field in south dakota...memories of driving through that state a couple of years ago...i'll post this painting as soon as it's finished...

off to make tea...

kaya and wednesday...

kaya's portrait is done and it looks absolutely lovely...what a relief it is for me to have finished this painting in such a short time...i'll post this painting sometime late april, after the client receives it...she is the founder/owner of 'modern dog' magazine located in vancouver and this painting is going to be hung in the office...next in line is 'esther's' portrait, also a 'modern dog' dog...esther is a sweet daschund who often can be found in the pages of the magazine modelling some of dog items...

off to the easel...

long time...

i've been a little lax on my 'daily blogging'...the last painting took so much out of me that i've basically been walking around the studio questioning my abilities and whether i should apply as a greeter at wal-mart...

well, i'm back and things are going along well with 'kaya's' portrait...i should be finished it sometime next week...

i won't be putting the 19th century dogs portrait online until later this month...i don't like to show any work online until after the client sees it...hang in there because this painting is something 'to see'...

back to the easel...

monday and thunder...

the painting is done...i won't be able to post the photo until the client comes to pick it up which won't be until sometime in april...

time for tea...

so close...

the portrait of the 19th century costumed dogs is almost done!...i'm paralyzed with anticiaption of applying the final stroke of paint...it's been weeks since i first planted both canvases on my easel that i think i'll be in shock when i finish...a happy shock if that means anything...i must say, it's looking pretty good...

tomorrow i'm not going to be in the studio so i'm pushing for the max today...so close, so close...

back to the easel...

almost done...broke free

good news, i have succeeded in breaking through the 'stuck' period on this current painting...i'm optimistic that this piece will be completed sometime early next week...am i happy?...indeed i am...nothing is scarier than facing a block while working...you begin to question whether you are talented or worthy enough to be actually be taking money from strangers to create paintings for them...you begin to picture yourself as a greeter at wal-mart or picking up garbage along the shoulders on highways...not than i'm putting down those careers, i'm just saying that i feel like i shouldn't be doing what i'm doing...this phenomenon isn't uncommon among artists, even the best of the best have felt this way...

well, for now things are looking up and while the 'sun is shining', i'd better make hay....

sunny day...

here i am in the studio with a tea in hand, yes i said 'tea'...i have been off the java almost full time now for over a week (annual spring detoxing)...i miss it, i mean how can i be an artist without a cup of coffee in my hand?...the habits of artists have always been pretty straightforward, alcohol, drugs, tattoos, nightly rowdiness, visits to prostitutes, wild parties and i can go on....as for me, none of those really apply at the moment because here i am with a cup of green tea!...i think i need a 'schtick'...oh and on the radio currently is a classical diddy performed on the flute!...wow, living on the edge!...

well, maybe i'll just take my tea outside and sit on the front lawn...at least it's a sunny day...

doris day...

so i have been faced with a double whammy of bad news during the past week...the two remaining galleries in the united states that represent my animal portrait work are closing their doors for good...one gallery is moving on in one direction (the owner is a photographer) and the other is just closing for good (the landlord increased their rent by 50%!!)...as of today, i haven't any representation south of the border...i'm not sure why this bothers me so much as i did just fine a few years before prior to the galleries coming into my life...i suppose i felt an ease of pressure to not work so much to get my work 'out there' and noticed by people who would commission a painting...now i have to work that bit harder again...i know for the average 'joe' out there reading this, you might say to yourself, what's the big deal?...well it's just more time i'll be spending away from the easel and that is where i really want to be more...

enough whining i know, but i thought i would write this as this situation is taking a far amount of brainspace...

que sera, sera....

beware of people with knives...

happy 'ides of march'...

nice day...

the weather outside is lovely...i can see the sun shining and hear a few birds singing, all witnessed from my basement studio...i'm thinking that today i might take a chair outside, plant it right in the middle of the lawn where there is still some snow and sit there eating my lunch...what do you think?...the neighbours in my hood already think i'm eccentric...so how about a picnic in the snow?...

still working away on the 19th century dogs...

what my studio desk looks like...

yes, that's an opened can of guinness on my desk...and yes, it's early afternoon...i'm kicking off the 'st.patrick's day' celebrations early this year in honour of my irish heritage...i'm sure that my great-grandmother would approve of my shenanigan...

i seem to be overwhelmed today with the current painting...i have moments where i think i've conquered the 'hugeness' of it and then there are moments where it simply sits there egging me on to try and finish it...it's the 19th century costumes that are difficult to grasp, especially because i don't have a live model to stand here wearing what i'm trying to paint...sometimes working from research photos just doesn't grasp it for me....

back to the easel...

'Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!' (even though i'm a week early)

6 days since my last post...

not much has been going on since i've last written...i'm still working on the diptych of the dogs wearing 19th century costumes...things are going along fine and i expect to finish these paintings sometime late next week...

sorry that i haven't anything more thrilling or inspiring to write about...

today is my birthday...

the weather today for the first of march is supposed to be a big ice storm...apparently, the day i was born the weather was the same...there was a huge ice storm here in the big smoke and on the way to the hospital with my mother in labour in the front seat, my father had to get out of the car every few blocks to clear the ice from the windshield...march once again, storms in like a lion, which explains a lot about me...

the photo of me in the pink dress, was taken at my dad's birthday...the girl sitting next to me is my aunt...she died tragically almost two years ago...as for my relationship with my dad, we haven't spoken in many years...it's odd to think that when that photo was taken that many years later i would not be with either of those people...

the photo of me with the deer is a funny story...my mother,grandmother and i were at storybook gardens in london, ontario one day...i absolutely love animals and seeing this deer was amazing to me (i think i was 3 years old)...the game keeper had just finished what he was doing in the deer pen and i noticed he had stepped out leaving the gate open...so the curious animal loving kid i was, snuck in to get closer to the deer...as i approached the deer to give it a hug, this ram began charging at me full speed...scared, i ran out the gate leaving it wide open...i ran past my mother and grandmother screaming and behind me were a parade of animals...i tripped over the strap of my unfastened sandal, fell to the ground and was run over by that ram...my mother ran over picked me up and all i remember is being in the first aid station with a cut knee which became a permanent scar...every time i look at that scar, i wonder what become of the animals i emancipated?...