Village Church
2008    June  

Acrylic on Canvas
22 x 30in

This copy was made for my wife's cousin. Like the original it will hang on a shadowed wall. The simple black frame helps lighten the painting through sim-contrast. The pigments mixes have been designed to reflect as much light as possible. The redish to yellowish pigments will darken as evening approaches and the blueish will lighten.. The row of orange trees which in the above graphic appear light yellow are painted with mica-orange-pigments.

Both these paintings add an incredable amount of colour to a shadowed drab wall.

Waterfalls
2008     May   

Acrylic on Canvas
16 x 20in

Originality painted Aug 2006.Overpainted with new colour system in May 2008.

The dark cobalt blue sky is the only colour that appeared to work with the others.

Red Wave No. 1
2008     May   

Acrylic on Canvas
18 x 14in

You either like it or you don't. It's that simple.

Volunteer Appreciation Day Kanata Seniors Center 2008 june 5
2008     June    

Acrylic on Canvas
30 x 22in

I set up my regular pigment based colours to scatter the surface reflecting light causing more problems for the camera but not for the human eye. The painting tends to glow under proper lighting conditions.

I also used mica-based pigments in the grey hair and gold jacket causing intense reflections further disturbing the camera . Note the grey hair going from silver to matte grey because of reflection.

Modigliani Deconstructed
2008     June

Acrylic on Canvas
14 x 18in

This deconstruction illustrates the compositions curved pickup lines usually hidden by traditional art styles.

It is a small painting but radiates a great deal of presence. The eyes convey the mind. A lack of body surface detail reduces the erotic component but begins to ambiguate self as mind and, body as other to both the self in the painting and to the viewer outside the painting.

Reality Construction
2008     July

Acrylic / Mirrors / No.3 Brush /on Canvas
14 x 18in

Didn't know when I started what it would look like when finished.

The core concept deals with the idea that we construct our own views of reality and convince ourselves that our constructs are real.

The real brush with its pool of paint stuck to the surface represents the tools that we use to construct our paintings. The four mirrors on the bottom right allow us to treat the painting as an every day object by seeing our own reflections.

It is interesting how the four mirrors with their half inch separations and a viewer standing at an optimum distance blend the separate images together in the minds eye.

Our minds tend to work like a CD music player that encounters a bad spot and quickly interpolates the sound just prior to the bad spot and just following the bad spot. We don't notice the bad spot because it has been replaced.

Guilt, Shame and Fear are the three word concepts used by all religions and all marketing spin doctors to control ideas and construct your reality..

How many times have you used these word concepts to win your point in an argument ?

Don't you care about (insert issue here).

We (the believers who have constructed reality ) must do something (insert either appropriate or inappropriate action here).

We (the believers who have constructed reality) have to set the example and then others will follow.
We (the believers) always say others cannot do enough. If we ever say others can do enough then we lose our purpose and moral power over others..

Painting, Music, Language all use various forms of reality construction. With most paintingt and music we generally know its a construct. Some painting and some language attempt to become associated with reality to the point of becoming and illusinon of reality.

Unfortunatily we can be tricked by these illusions of reality more often than not.

Classic Nude
2008     July

Acrylic /on Canvas
14 x 18in

Pose History:

Giorgione: Sleeping Venus / 1508

Titian: Venus of Urbino
/ 1538

Modigliani: Nude with Necklace / 1917

Keith O'Connor: Classic Nude / 2008