Today's New Work

Obey The Crown

22 x 28 acrylic on canvas

Continuing with the building of paintings for upcoming shows I made this today. I think it was longer than 2 hrs worth of work. I have another painting 2/3 done but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see it.

Urban Art @ Minto Park July 18, 2009 Elgin at Gilmour Street, Ottawa

This is a year of new adventures for me. Perfectly in line with this is my new position as one of the organizers of the 4th Annual Urban Art @ Minto Park art in the park show.






My good friend Tim Hunt is the other organizer. Between us we hope to get this thing going!







So, on bustling Elgin Street, one of the few Ottawa streets alive with action day and night, you will find the Urban Art Show on Saturday July 18th, from 9pm - 5pm, rain or shine. We are currently lining up participants for the show and if you are local to Ottawa, and a fine artist, I encourage you to apply. It is a juried event and it is an event strictly for handmade goods.




We are looking to give a hand up especially to those new to art shows in general and we hope your experience at the show encourages you to keep going. We need more artists in the world that's for sure.







I'm excited to announce we'll be participating in a community art event linked to a giant world-wide event called Art for Miles. At our show we'll be rolling out a 12' x 5' canvas and inviting the public and our artists to help create a mural on the topic of the Urban Environment. Our mural will join many many more from all over the world in May 2010 in Egypt.

FROM: TO:

At that time all the murals will be linked together and wrapped around a pyramid in Giza in an attempt to create 12,000 miles of murals for peace for the world, and possibly to break a Guinness Book of World record for the longest mural. This project has been in the works for TEN years. I love the idea that a part of Ottawa will be around a pyramid don't you? Over the years my art has gone around the world, to many places I have never been. This one totally captures my imagination.

More info on the event itself at www.the-art-miles-mural-project.org/

And if you are curious about Urban Art @ Minto Park check out the blog. You can find the info and application there as well as an intro to some of the artists appearing at our event. Or you can email the show at urbanartshow@hotmail.com

Old Ottawa South Art Festival - Saturday Sept 20...

This Saturday you can find me at the Old Ottawa South Art Festival. It's in Windsor Park.

This map will help,

& click here for the offical website that shows you the whole shebang.

Looks like a great place to walk to

And walk around in.

It's good to go somewhere new and to try new things.

This will be my first time at this show and my last Art in the Park of the year.

Where did the time go?

Let's enjoy this last outdoor show and may the sun smile upon us.

Dog Days of August

I met several dogs over the month. One was smuggled into the Carp craft building (no dogs allowed!) and I managed to get his picture...

The others were all visitors to my booth at the Outdoor Art Show. Being a real neighbourhood dog park, all the dogs were quite comfortable in their surroundings and I was amazed at how many decided to take a load off in my booth. Guess they I was in their spot.

Imagine. All these dogs are descended from the wolf. Fascinating.

Outdoor Art in Minto Park this Sunday 12-8pm

Well I am going back to Minto Park, across from Jack Purcell Community Centre on Elgin Street

this Sunday for a new Art and Music in the Park show. There's a whole lineup of musicians who will be playing all day and into the evening. We will be joined by face painters, performance artists, jugglers, and a community drum circle (4:00-5:00).

Sounds like a real event! Hope you can make it.

Two More Arts in the Park here and gone

So it's almost the end of August. The usual summer shows are over. Each of them predictable in terms of weather but unpredictable in terms of turnout.

Strathcona Park this year was fantastic! I think that the rain held off until 3pm made a big difference. People came out to enjoy the nice Saturday, a rarity this year.

The lady with the duck hat was back

What floored me were my fellow vendors. A few of them ran for their vehicles at 3pm when the rain came.

They then drove onto the site, which they weren't supposed to do at all, and brought their cars in while people were still walking the paths looking at the art! Hello? This is really dangerous. Not to mention bad for the show which was supposed to end at 5pm. Perhaps they had a bad day and just wanted to go, don't know, but I cannot believe they weren't stopped somehow. Amazing.


The Kingston Women's Festival had a great Sunday weather-wise but the turnout was much lower than usual. Those who came were a lot of fun but where was everyone? I have found over the years that if the weather is generally poor throughout the summer, if you finally get a good day, you take advantage of it. The summer is just so short. My guess is people were simply out doing other things. Cottage? Camping? Traveling? Can't blame them. Fall is starting to show itself already. I saw some leaves turning on my ride downtown this morning. Along the Ottawa River Parkway I saw blushing red amongst the trees on the Quebec side of the river. Seems too early to me but that doesn't mean it's not happening. I'm hoping for a great Fall.

Here are some scenes that played out in front of my Kingston booth...

An amusing non-plastic bag unknowingly walked by the plasticmaster

and later...

...and right after we made it home from Kingston, the skies opened up. This year, I can pretend I live in the tropics, just no fantastic palm trees is all.

Strathcona Art in the Park 2008 -Sneak Peak

I'm almost ready for Art in the Park at Strathcona Park in Ottawa. Thought I'd post a peak of something new I painted for the show.

Art in the Park is scheduled for Saturday August 9th, 2008. We have a raindate for the show of Sunday August 10th which will come into effect *IF IT IS POURING RAIN AT 7:30 am on Saturday morning*

Let's hope it goes as usual. It rains everyday anyway. To get there, follow Laurier Ave East until you can't go anymore. That's where the park is, right alongside the canal.

Chance Meeting 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas SOLD

Getting Ready for Minto Art in the Park

I've been getting ready for the first of three Arts in the Park, all happening in the next 6 weeks.

Art in Minto Park is a Saturday art show, 10-7pm, on Elgin Street across from Jack Purcell in Ottawa. Along with the local artist's on hand, the art show will also have the sketches of Rich Little, also a local artist. Can't wait to see them!

Made the local newspaper :O

At school today I was told the Ottawa Citizen had a picture of my work from last weekend's Art in the Park...and here it is.

It was shot by Pat McGrath for the Citizen and here's the link to the whole gallery of pictures he took from Art in The Park.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/photogalleries/template.html?topic=08-06-07-artpark&g=8

Thanks!

Day After the Weekend Before

Art in the Park in the Glebe is over for another year. This year? HOT. We went from 18C on Wednesday to 21 Thursday to 29 Friday and 31's Saturday and Sunday for the show. There wasn't any time for any of us Northerners to acclimatize to the hot, hazy and humid conditions. Summer is here. And as I discovered when I unpacked the car a few minutes ago, summer stayed with us overnight and we're in for another day, same as before. There was one Art In the Park where the humidex got to 46, (we reached 39 and 41 this weekend) and then it rained, and then it was like a steam bath. So, this weekend could have been worse weather-wise. The severe thunder and lightning never materialized and we had a fantastic spot with shade in the morning, then a bit of sun, then shade again. Very enjoyable.

The show was big.
Here's an overview of all the tent-tops looking down into the park.
You can't see them all in this shot... There were as many booths behind me.














This was my tent and my view looking out.














Every year it grows. Many Ottawans had a glazed over look. A show this size and this interesting is unexpected in this city, especially in a city park. Couple that with hot hazy and humid and many people were just overwhelmed, looking for the tent where they can get a cold drink and take a breather before heading off to see "what else is here", and trying not to miss a row of booths in the meandering booth layout. There were a lot of first-time visitors this year. It's a good sign of a healthy show.

The mix of things is changing. Used to be almost all paintings at one time. Now many types of art are represented. For me this is the show that really grounds me in my life as someone who goes out there and sells their work. It kicks off my season and I saw many people who I may only see once a year and that's always good.

This guy is only at this show. But I see him every year. What you can't get from the pictures is he has a musical soundtrack with him. Some medieval music for the knight and some marching song for the Mountie getup.
He came as a medieval knight on Saturday.
And a Mountie on Sunday.


Since we were beside a food tent, I saw him without the horse for the first time ever. He was bathed in sweat. As we all suspected, his costume is really hot.

If you didn't get there this year there are two more Art's in the Park coming up: In Minto Park across from Jack Purcell in mid July and Strathcona Park in mid August. The Glebe Art in the Park was the first one and is by far the biggest. Come and support the new ones too. Meanwhile see you at the farmers' markets...

New Work Happening

I'm ready for my close-up acrylic on canvas, 14" x 14"

I'm always a little nervous when I start painting after school has ended. How will I integrate what I've been studying all year with what I've been making all the years pre-art school? I never know if I'll be able to incorporate the new stuff into my old stuff. But this painting represents a satisfying blend of my old and new styles. I get to do the bold composition, some lines, strong colour, but it's a more sophisticated take on shadows and layers and textures. I like the way this guy turned out. I'll show you more as I buckle down and get to it.

Done For Another Year. July 22nd, 2007.

And it's over. Art in Minto Park, year two, is history. It was a funny show this year. I think it was the weather. We've had such lousy weekends all summer, kind of cool and with at least one rainy weekend day every weekend, that this weekend people were just taking in the sun. They were strolling, and eyeing things casually, in no particular hurry. It makes for a nice atmosphere, and a relaxing time, if you remember you're working outside and it's not cool, and not rainy, but sales can be slow with people just taking in the sun. I had a good show, and I enjoyed myself, and I came up with countless get-rich-quick schemes, none of which will come to fruition, but interesting ideas nonetheless. I also got some great pictures to think on.
This one's a favorite. Here's a little guy earning his keep as a pack animal. I was dying to know what were in those pouches. Treats? Doggie bags to attend to his business?? I'll never know. They were here and gone.








And then at the end of the show we saw this:











I know it's hard to tell what it is, maybe this will help:


Like the Sasquatch, we were all amazed to see two pigeons in a tree. When have you ever seen a pigeon in a tree? Rooftop? Yes. Street? Yep. Statue? Cliche. But a tree? Me? I'd never seen this before. It's kind of fitting that my great 10x zoom camera got this lousy shot of the pigeons in a tree. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe that that's what they were, but I saw them, and I know it's true.

Preview for Minto Art in the Park

Three Billy Goats Bluff

24" x 24" acrylic on canvas painting

So this is a sample of what I've been hard at work on all this week. It's why this has been a week of Day Olds without any Fresh Plastic to show you. I'm trying to get as many paintings done for this weekend's Art in the Park as I can.

Here in Ottawa we now have 3 of these shows during the summer. This is the newest, being the second year for the show, in a great downtown location. Being new you never know what kind of crowd it will be, or even if there will be a crowd. The good thing though is there's a coffee place across the street and my friends will be there with me.

Of course I hope to sell things, I make my living with my art, but I do the best I can, show up, and then have a good time being there. Pretty much everything else is out of my control. And if you want to do this kind of work, you have to accept that.

Let's hope the weatherman is right and it's a nice summery day tomorrow.

Drop By Details: Minto Art in the Park

Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Elgin Street, Downtown, across from Jack Purcell Community Center

Saturday 10 - 7 Sunday 10 - 6

Booth #15