Musing
Blog posts from my monthly newsletter alive + true.
Sign up to receive each new Musing, as well as show information. You’ll also have the first opportunity to buy new work.
The Evolution of a Painting: from start to finish
I SAW LOTS OF BABY PICTURES on social media yesterday for Father’s Day. It got me thinking about my paintings and their baby pictures. Right now I’ve got my new series of paintings in the Riverdale ArtWalk. I’ve got shots of them from the front, from the side, hanging...
A Passion for Purple: love it or hate it?
A few weeks ago, I felt inspired to return to an old favourite—purple. When I was a kid, I was crazy for purple. I had a purple pantsuit and an orange coat with a purple lining. I used to sit and stare at my mother’s irises and “accidentally” break one of the stems....
You’re So Talented: words I don’t want to hear
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” — Stephen King But he’s so talented! What does he know? “You’re so talented!” It’s lovely when someone says that you, isn’t it? Makes you...
Under the Influence: My childhood idol, painter Tom Thomson
I’ve been thinking about influences lately. What are my artistic influences? Do you choose your influences, or do they choose you? Can influences run underground, or will they always show up in your work? How does influence work? Is anything original? My head was...
The Dark Art: how to find the perfect painting title
Have you ever wondered how artists titles their work? Or wondered why the heck they chose that title? It’s a bit of a dark art really. Should you dredge up words from the subsconscious, remember old song lyrics, consult a thesaurus, or what? I’ve been thinking about...
All I want for Christmas: books on art (and spy thrillers)
For me, Christmas has always been about books. I love finding the right book to give someone, and I love the surprise of books people find for me. (I usually end up buying a few things for me along the way!) Here are a few books I’m reading now, recently finished or...
Back to the beginning: starting a new series of paintings
Earlier this month I released a small collection of paintings. I went through the full process of finishing the work (varnishing, photographing, cataloguing, etc.) and presenting it to the public. It was a ton of work and a great learning experience. But now the...
Finishing paintings: it ain’t over til it’s over
I’m a new artist and there are lots of things I didn’t know (and many things I’ve yet to learn). Probably the biggest shocker was discovering how much is involved in getting work ready to present to the public. I had no idea. For my new series First Light, which I’m...
Never miss a blog post
Subscribe to my monthly newsletter and receive first access to new work.