Post show life painting!

Head study of Erica
8 x 10"
oil on panel

I got together with the fabulous painter Kristy Gordon last week for a super fun and relaxing life painting session. The model is actually my babysitter- a lovely young woman named Erica. It was great to get my brushes wet after the roller coaster ride that is a first solo exhibition! Kristy, Juan Martinez and I are working on a short outdoor, life painting video next week. Stay tuned!

Studio shots

Some shots of my studio the morning I took my paintings down to Ingram Gallery. It was quite a thing to  work with all of them surrounding me. I took a few moments each night, after my kids were in bed, to sit on my couch in the studio and have a good look- it felt pretty great actually. I posted all of the paintings in my solo show here. I'll post some show installation and opening night shots soon....

My solo show opens TODAY!!

My Name Is 

Ingram Gallery

49 Avenue Road, Toronto

May 5th- 25th

Wow, I can't believe the day is actually here. It is such a trip- working for several months on a group of paintings, in a 10 x 10 room, by yourself- then seeing it all hung, with breathing space and so much niceness in a gallery. 23 new paintings made the cut for the show and the good folks at Ingram did a great job hanging them. I am excited (and a little nervous) for tonights big opening- 5-8pm! 

Painting kids

 Girl Wonder
oil on panel
24 x 12"
2011

Magic

oil on panel

16 x 12"

2011

I am not a big fan of most oil paintings of children. Often I find they are so overly sentimental- that all you can see is how the painter feels and nothing of the child themselves- images of angelic little empty shells. Norman Rockwell did kids well- he obviously met a few of them- he depicted children as actual human beings with an array of emotions, involved in activities children actually partake in. I don't paint children often, but when I do I really strive to show something of them, just as I do when I paint adults- show a glimpse of who they are and what makes them tick. These are paintings of my son, in the dragon suit and a lovely neighbour and school mate of his named Grace- I hope I served them well. 

7 more sleeps....

"More than this"
oil on panel
34x39"

My solo show at Ingram Gallery opens next Thursday May 5th! The paintings are varnished and ready to drop off at the gallery tomorrow and I am feeling soooo excited!
This is a painting of a lovely woman named Sachi. I met her when she was pregnant with her daughter- we shared a midwifery clinic and our husbands know each other from the Sheridan Illustration program. This one almost didn't make it into the show- I lost patience when I realized that the head I painted was both too big and in the wrong spot and would need to be gessoed over and restarted. I turned her face against the wall for a few weeks and then gave her another go. I am super happy with how the head and hands turned out in the end. I can't tell you how many things I gessoed over in the past few months- there are whole paintings underneath some of the paintings in the show! Its liberating to be at a stage where that feels just fine.
Hope to see you in a week!

Moms I Know

One more thing
oil on panel
20 x 16"
2011

Turkish Mama

oil on panel

24 x 18"

2011

presently untitled

oil on panel

12 x 10"

2011

I met these lovely ladies at my neighbourhood drop in centre (for parents/caregivers and their children). There are really rad mums in my neighbourhood!

Goldie and Bill

Goldie and Bill
oil on panel
10"x8"

I painted this one, from life, of pen knife carvings made by my grandfather, during WWll. He served in the army as a mechanic, building and repairing motorcycles. Although he never served oversees he was away from my grandmother for long stretches of time.  My grandparents were both members of the Black Hawks Motorcycle club. The carvings are of them in their Black Hawks uniforms.  My grandfather adored my grandma and I tried to capture something about their relationship in the painting. It was a tonne of fun to paint- nice to take a breather from flesh!