Since I hung these paintings as I was working on them in my apartment on a rig for a video backdrop, I knew they could easily be clipped. A visit to a lumber store elicited 1/4" PVC pipe; I cut the lengths, wrapped them in black duck tape. The 6' piece of plastic PVC pipe, however, curved like a crescent moon and was in danger of ripping the paper on the long paintings. With hours to go before installation at the gallery, I grabbed an old shower rod from my storage, and dashed off to Dollarama and bought a broom handle! I'm not happy with 'the look' of the hanging apparatus' of the two large paintings, but am happy I was able to hang them! Barring frames and glass, this is a good way to display them.
The paints used for all the paintings are the highest quality professional watercolours, Windsor and Newton, Daniel Smith, etc.
In all, the materials cost for each painting is about $80.-$100., this includes the watercolour paper, many tubes of professional watercolours, and the expensive, protective layers of Golden's UV protection varnishes.
Inviting friends and colleagues by email to drop by while I am gallery sitting @ Arcadia Gallery 680 Queen's Quay W, Saturday afternoons, June 11 and 18, 1-6pm, where there is a show I am in with Philip and David, first, the in-line photos were not showing in the sent email, and then I sent another email with them attached and apparently those were not opening either! How irritating. It is either Google or Apple or, perhaps, both conspiring as their supercomputers take over deciding who is to see what images in what email when! :)
So. Last ditch effort. A blog post with the images, and even more images. Here is the email:
Dear Friends, I was honoured to be invited by Philip Cairns to join he and David Bateman in a group show at Arcadia Gallery, a small, non-commercial gallery at the foot of Bathurst St in an artist's co-op. I bought a roll of Canson 48" x 5yd cold-press 140lb watercolour paper and got to work. My portion of the show is what I did on that single roll of paper! The Opening on Sunday was low-key, and wonderful. I set up chairs near my paintings and people came in and we sat and chatted for awhile, half an hour maybe, and then, when they left, more would come. It was one of the best experiences I have had at an Opening in that there was time to connect with everyone at some depth. I even sold two of my small drawings, portraits done at poetry & music events, and commissioned two more graphite portraits! Both of those portraits will be begun, if not done, during the hours I will be sitting the gallery. Please come on down if you'd like to see the show - the three of us are quite different as artists and our work syncs well together - and to chat and hang out a bit and then I can catch up on you, your life, and what's going on (my favourite part). Here are a few photos from the Opening (photo taken by John Oughton) and iPhone pics of David's and Philip's & my paintings from when we hung the show. The final 7 images are the 'official' photos of my paintings, taken in direct sun, the full spectrum, and colour-corrected. After, you can browse Harbourfront, take in whatever show is on at the Power Plant, enjoy the lake. Hope to see you either Saturday June 11th or 18th, 1-6pm. And hope all is well and you are enjoying the Spring! Such a beautiful season! love, Brenda
Here are the images
David Bateman's paintings Philip Cairns' paintings
My latest painting, finally finished. Portrait of the Artist’s Son, 2016, 40” x 48”, watercolour on 140lb archival paper. It is in the show at Arcadia Gallery, which runs from June 4-19, and the Opening is Sunday afternoon, June 5, 1-6pm. Arcadia is a small gallery, 680 Queen's Quay West, at the foot of Bathurst, in an artist's co-op. The Facebook event page is here: Three on the Scene.
Some paintings are a gift, this one, torturous stroke after stroke, first drawn a month ago, and painted in sporadic marathon sessions since then. Burst a blood vessel in my eye on thurs, my eyes were so sore from painting for many hours, up close, step back, up close, and today, another marathon, all afternoon and evening. This detail was taken in artificial light and the colours were quite washed out so I deepened the tones in photoshop, and hopefully within the week I will get a chance to photograph the whole painting in daylight and post it.
I'm calling it quits on the painting! It's done when you abandon it.
___
The painting is nearly done. I need to work on the clothing a bit, and maybe darken the background if it is possible. Also, the paint is quite thickly applied in the highlights on the face and so I need to balance that in the shadows and maybe mix an orange tone to match what's there and apply it thickly.
After putting in a full day on it, tired, my eyes sore, I am in a bit of a slump and think the painting does not work. That could be exhaustion speaking.
Tuesday, May 31 at 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Ft. McMurray Fire Relief Fundraiser for the Red Cross at Palmerston Library Theatre 560 Palmerston
Avenue
Featuring: Clara Blackwood, Sonia Di Placido, John Oughton, Stedmond Pardy, Mikel BC, Stanley Fefferman, Steve-Paul Simms, Linda Stitt, Tim Maxwell, Kirk Felix and Brenda Clews. Open mic.
The end of May 2016 Poetry & Music Salon is a FUNDRAISER for the FORT McMURRAY fire relief fund. Everything in the donation box will go to the Red Cross. As a pop-up salon with 11 features, too many to collect for, everything will be donated to the survivors of the continuing wildfires. The Federal Government matches all donations, and so does the Alberta Provincial Government, so it will be a gift that triples!
A very awesome evening of poetry & music at Palmerston Library Theatre on Tuesday May 31, 6-8pm! 560 Palmerston Ave. Free event.
If you would like to receive notifications of future Salons join the Facebook Group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/poetryandmusicsoiree or send an email to join the mailing list: poetrysalon [at] brendaclews [dot] com
We had an exquisite Poetry and Music Salon in the Theatre at Palmerston Library in early May! Our features, Elana Wolff and Susie Berg, who read both collaborative poetry and some solo pieces, and Jim McCuaig, who made his guitar sing extraordinarily detailed and resonant East Coast Blues, were outstanding. All of those who read or performed on open mic were terrific - Steve-Paul Simms, John Oughton, Stanley Fefferman, Cate Laurier, Stedmond Pardy, Sharon Goodier and Roman Romaniuk. Palmerston Library is a wonderful place. I have received much support from the librarian, Iana Georgieva-Kaluba, and the branch manager, Misuk Hedman, for these Salons that I am still quite star-struck with the amazing space and the beauty of everyone. George, the sound technician, was so knowledgeable that I can’t imagine the new system of sound recording for the videos that I am embarked on without his help. Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy the Salon. You all made the evening marvellous! Much gratitude and love to all. xo
Here is a video of the entire salon! With a cord and the know-how of the sound technician at the library, I recorded directly out of the the library's mixer and the sound in this salon is simply the best.
SUSIE BERG is the co-curator of Toronto’s Plasticine Poetry Reading Series, and the author of the poetry collection, How to Get Over Yourself, the blog The Starbucks Poetry Project, and three chapbooks: Paper Cuts (CreativeJames Press, 2007); Awaiting Butterflies (words (on) pages press, 2015), and You Will Still Have Birds, a conversation in poetry with Elana Wolff (Lyrical Myrical Press, 2015). Her work has appeared in such journals as carte blanche, ArsMedica, and Switchback, and in the anthologies The Mom Egg Review, Desperately Seeking Susans, and Body and Soul. She is the editor of the upcoming anthology Catherines, the Great, due from Oolichan Books in 2017. Visit her online at http://www.sber40.wix.com/susieberg, or follow her @SusieDBerg on Twitter.
Music Feature:
Ex roady, ex theatre tech, ex subway driver, JIM McCUAIG is now finding joy fingerpicking East Coast Blues and some originals.
The Salon is organized, hosted and videoed by Brenda Clews,
