Art and dolphins...

Had some great news this week. I've been accepted into the juried show at Portsmouth Arts Guild entitled 5 Members' Invitational. Myself and 4 other PAG members will be showing our work at the Portsmouth gallery in August. I'm thrilled! There's lots of painting to be done, but I'm feeling motivated and up to the challenge. All this sunshine we've been having lately has certainly helped. Spring is almost upon us, and I love spring.

I certainly welcomed the good news after my miserable Monday this week. I came across a documentary called The Cove, a snippet of which aired on the Oscars Sunday night (The Cove won an award). Totally depressing footage of dolphins being brutally slaughtered in Japan. I was absolutely horrified. As you may have noticed from the animal-related banners I have on my blog, which includes WSPA (World Society for Protection of Animals), Potter League (a RI shelter), and AAVS (American Anti-Vivisection Society), I love animals, so I was brought to tears by the image of a dolphin fleeing for its life, albeit unsuccessfully.

I immediately texted Dolphin to 44144, which was the number the creators of The Cove held up when they won, and hence discovered a website called Care2.com. I joined the group, which was free, and signed an online petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/724210624 If anyone is interested in helping these beautiful, intelligent animals, please click on the link.

If you're interested in learning more about the dolphins' plight, you can read an article here: http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/425_january_2005_japanese_dolphin_slaughter_continues_unabated.cfm?searchterm=dolphins_japan There is more information on the WSPA website.

Appreciate the sunshine

It's still cold outside, but the sun is shining, which is such a nice change. More crappy weather predicted tomorrow though... snow, rain, sleet. By March I'm thoroughly fed up with winter. The only silver lining is that it gives me an excuse to do some work on my website.

Speaking of which, I downloaded my new and improved website last night. The biggest change is the neutral grey background, which I hope enhances my paintings. Aside from that, most elements of the website have remained the same. To be honest, I really just enjoy playing with Dreamweaver, and when I get bored of how things look I enjoy the challenge of discovering new ways of displaying my work. There are still many tricks I haven't yet learnt.

I'll be posting some new images on my website this week, one of which will be on show at the Portsmouth Arts Guild Annual Members' All-Media Exhibition which opens on March 14 at 2pm. The exhibit runs through till the beginning of April.

Things to come

With the approach of Spring (though it certainly doesn't feel like it with all this rain and cold weather), comes another year of exhibitions and painting deadlines. I've got a few shows lined up for 2010 already, with others hopefully in the pipeworks. I'm also displaying work at the Portsmouth Arts Guild again this year, from April through to July.

All this means I have to get my A into G and produce a lot of paintings. Luckily I feel inspired and motivated, which is often not the case with me, but lately I've developed a keen interest in two subjects which should provide a limitless resource of material. One is interiors, the other people-scapes.

So far, the interiors I've painted have included a movie theatre, a restaurant, a diner, two motel rooms, and several rooms from private residences, with many more pieces to follow. My people-scapes have been inspired by New York and the busy Provincetown in Cape Cod. Aside from my interest in light, shadow, and reflection, what these two subjects have in common is the human element, whether it's the hustle and bustle of a busy street, or the quiet serenity of an empty room where the occupants have only just vacated, or are about to inhabit it. I like to wonder about these people - what are they thinking, why are they there, where are they going? People are interesting, and even a vacant room has a story to tell.

Right now I'm longing for summer. (I'm sick of being cold, and I desperately need some Vitamin D.) The onset of warmer weather also brings with it tourists to Newport, and thus busy, crowded streets. Good subject-matter for my people scapes. The sun also creates marvellous interior shots. In fact, the sun is essential to both my outdoor and indoor scenes. There's nothing like a darkened room with a liquid pool of sunlight, or the blue-grey afternoon shadow of people and buildings late on a summer's day.

I will be updating my website again in the next couple of days. I'll also add some of my most recent paintings. As you may have guessed, they're of interiors and people-scapes.

Lobster Pot Lights, 20x20" (top) - Late Afternoon on Commercial St, 20x20"

Room 28, 16x20" (top) - Room 14, 14x18"

It's been a while since my last post. I haven't blogged or updated my website for many months, and now we're into the new year! Geez, I really have been slack.

Since my trip to NYC I've been back to the Cape, and had a weekend in Salem, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I love Cape Cod. I embarked on a Hopper pilgrimage of sorts in an attempt to track down some of the Truro and Wellfleet locations he immortalized in his paintings. I was somewhat successful, but even when I wasn't, at least I had fun en route.

My most recent paintings have, of course, been of the Cape. I painted two interiors of the motel rooms I stayed in, and several street scenes from Provincetown. I've found myself wondering about the people I paint in my street scenes, what lives they lead, their relationships with each other. It's the same with my interiors. Despite their emptiness, my intent is to make the viewer curious about the previous occupants, or the occupants to be.

I have a few more paintings yet to post. I've also just completed a Monet forgery for the upcoming Fakes & Forgeries exhibition at Spring Bull Gallery in Newport, RI, and in the next few days I'll start on my next painting project. A new year, and a new start. Hopefully it'll be a successful painting year!

New York series continues

I've been a tad remiss in blogging lately. Too busy enjoying this fabulous weather! At last, summer has arrived.

Since my last painting "NYC Taxi Cab" I've created several smaller paintings of New York, which can be viewed under Cityscapes. My latest is "NYC Promenading II", another scene of pedestrians in New York backlit by the bright lights of Time Square. I have painted quite a few pieces from this angle. I was completely mesmerized by the neon lights, like a deer frozen in the headlights. Boy, New York's electricity bill must be huge! I love it though. What an amazing city.

NYC Promenading - 8x10"

More Big Apple...

NYC Taxi Cab, 10x20"

Finished my latest New York City painting this afternoon. I haven't exhausted my subject matter yet. In fact, I don't expect to for some time, so expect to see more in this series.