Monday, November 30, 2009

Robert Genn at Lake O'Hara



I got to the beautiful Lake O’Hara lying in a rainbow sleep, under the steeps of Mount Lefroy and the waterfalls of Oesa. And there I realized some of the blessedness of mortals… I looked at the emerald and violet of her colour. It is emerald and malachite, and jade, and rainbow green, and mermaid’s eyes… These are some of the people who stand about O’Hara: Lefroy, Victoria, Huber, Wiwaxy, Cathedral, Odaray. I have memories of the clearest crystal mountain days imaginable, when we fortunates in the heights seemed to be sky people living in light alone.”

J.E.H. MacDonald
Group of Seven

Sunday, November 29, 2009

1972 Art Theft from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts



Art heist at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Broadcast Date: Sept. 4, 1972

It's the largest theft in Canadian history. Around 2 a.m. on Sept. 4, 1972, armed thieves use the skylight to enter the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The three masked men bind and gag three museum guards and flee with jewellery, figurines and 18 paintings worth a total of $2 million. Among the stolen booty are paintings by Delacroix, Gainsborough and a rare Rembrandt landscape estimated at $1 million.

"They were discriminating thieves and had a fairly good idea of what they were looking for," says museum spokesman Bill Bantey.

• The three armed thieves used a ladder propped against a back wall of the museum to enter through the skylight which was only partially alarmed due to repairs.

• Some 20 more paintings were left behind after the thieves accidentally set off a door alarm while leaving the museum.

• Despite calling in the international police agency, Interpol, to help track down the thieves, the stolen art was never recovered. According to a 2003 Globe and Mail article, the Rembrandt alone, then estimated at $1 million, would be worth 20 times its original amount.

• According to Interpol, only drug and weapons trafficking surpasses art theft as a criminal enterprise. It is estimated that more than $8.5 billion worth of fine art is stolen every year.

• Currently (2005) on the international scene, some missing works include 250 works by Marc Chagall, 271 MirĂ³s and 355 Picassos. Interpol estimates that only one in five stolen artworks is ever recovered.

• Boston's Gardner Museum was the victim of the biggest art heist in history when thieves snatched 13 paintings from its galleries in 1991. Notably among the plunder were three Rembrandts, including the Dutch master's only seascape. The stolen artworks, collectively worth $300 million, have never been recovered.

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Archives.

Please click here to access the CBC radio archive.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Number One Canadian Painting in Dollar Value. February 2002.


A rare Paul Kane portrait brought from England for Sotheby's Canadian art auction has sold for nearly $5.1 million- more than twice the previous record price for a Canadian painting.

As the gavel fell last night, the crowd of 500 in the sweltering room erupted in a round of applause.

Fierce bidding for Kane's Scene In The Northwest- Portrait, executed in the winter of 1845-46, reached $4.6 million in a three- way duel among two American buyers on the telephone and Winnipeg art dealer David Loch, who bid with a subtle nod of the head from the back of the room. A fourth buyer dropped out of the bidding at $900,000.

When the dust settled, Loch- who's known to represent media mogul Ken Thomson at art auctions- got the prize. Adding in the buyer's premium (15 per cent on the first $50,000 and 10 per cent on the remainder), Kane's portrait will actually cost $5,062,500- 10 times its pre-sale estimate.

The highest amount previously paid for a Canadian painting was $2.2 million for Lawren Harris' Baffin Island, purchased last year by Thomson. He exhibits his extensive collection at his gallery in The Bay's Queen St. store.

In the auction house tradition, the name of the buyer of the Kane was not revealed. But Thomson- a voracious collector- was seen at the auction preview on Friday and again in the room last night.

"I already have eight small sketches by Kane," he said at the preview.

Last night, he wouldn't confirm whether he was the buyer. "All I'll say is that I was at the auction and witnessed it," Thomson told The Star's Michael Traikos.

"I won't say whether or not I won it. I made up my mind that I wasn't going to comment."

The auction took place at Ritchie's auctioneers on King St. E. Ritchie's formed a partnership last year with Sotheby's to enable the liquidation of entire estates, not only fine art.

Thomson's deep pockets would keep the painting from leaving Canada, which would have been permissible in this case. Canadian laws prohibit the export of culturally significant works if they have been in the country for at least 35 years, until a Canadian buyer can be found. The Kane portrait arrived here only last year.

The highest amount ever paid for a Kane painting previously was $525,000, in 1999, for an oil portrait of an Indian titled Manngwudaus.

Kane was Canada's first well-known artist, the most celebrated 19th century artist/explorer, who painted Indians throughout the west before they began to lose their characteristic dress and customs through contact with Europeans. Most of his work is in public collections including the Royal Ontario Museum, the National Gallery in Ottawa and the Stark Museum in Texas.

The portrait sold last night was of Kane's friend Capt. John Henry Lefroy, who had recommended to Sir George Simpson- superintendent of the Hudson's Bay Co.- that Kane be allowed to travel with the company's fur traders on their canoe fleets to the west.

Lefroy was a scientist and a military man who came to Toronto in 1942 to study Earth's magnetism. His calculations established the site of the magnetic North Pole. His scientific equipment is placed on the sled in the painting, which was done in Kane's Wellesley St. studio, with the winter background painted in later. Lefroy's assistant, who was not in town at the time, is shown in the background with his back to the viewer.

"It's a great piece of Canadiana," Loch said after the sale.

A copy of this painting, likely by Kane's wife Harriet Clench, is in the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. Adding to the painting's value was its freshness on the market. It has been owned by Lefroy's British descendents for some 150 years, and has not come to auction before. Lefroy also has relatives in Canada who do not stand to benefit from the sale.

The evening realized a total of $6.8 million, or more than three times the total of Sotheby's sale in the spring of 2001. Only 10 per cent of pictures (by value) went unsold.

Credit:
Judy Stoffman. Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont.: Feb 26, 2002. pg. A.03
Copyright 2002 Toronto Star, All Rights Reserved.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Lawren Harris's Old Stump, Lake Superior sells for 3.5 Million

Winner of Canada's Second Most Costly Painting Award




Thursday's CBC news reported that Lawren Harris's, Old Stump of Lake Superior, sold for $3.5 million dollars, making it the second highest selling picture in Canadian history. Interestingly, the picture was a sketch for his painting 'North Shore of Lake Superior.'

Harris's painting St. Patrick's Street Toronto recently sold for $2.8 million, and his 'Winter in the Northern Woods' sold for $1.4 million, in 2004. Prior to that, his painting 'Baffin Island', sold for $2.5 million, in 2001 making it, at that time, the most costly of the Group of Seven paintings.

The big dollar total for Harris's works cashes in at $11.2 million dollars.

And, now for the million dollar question.

"Who painted Canada's most expensive painting and how much did it sell for?"

Well, you can check the answer to that question in the Yahoo article linked below.

Click here to see the CBC's story on the sale.

To read the article on the North Shore sale, in Yahoo click here.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Brian Seed, of the Ottawa Art Association





Brian Seed is a well respect watercolourist. He is a member of the Ottawa Art Association, and he enjoys participating in their annual art shows.

One look at the Association's list of standings for 2009 (click here and click events)reveals that Brian is not just well respected, but he's also very good at his craft. In the 2009 Spring contest, Brian snagged a 2nd place, and in the 2009 Fall contest, he took first place.

Brian is noted for his ability to simplify his subjects by eliminating superfluous details. In the above picture, he combines this with his restricted palette of earth hues, to create an effective early spring atmosphere. And, this presents a strong contrast to the colour of the home made quilt which blows on the clothesline behind the farmhouse

I like the way Brian leads the eye along the route of a white snowy swale in the field up to the house,the clothesline and the barn. Each of these become linked like a line drawn aross mid page. "That's it folks, don't go any further..this is where the picture begins and ends. This is what it all about - my rural lifeline."

Nice touch Brian!

.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Ottawa Art Association 2009 Fall Awards: Watercolours


Fall Awards: Watercolour Competition
First Place: Brian Seed,'Obama Inspired'.
Second Place: Josephine Braden, 'The Beagle Channel'.
Third Place: Jane Findley,'Sunflower'.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Do Colours Stay at Home?



Emily Carr, Above the Gravel Pit.

Sometimes it leads me to wonder - do colours stay where they belong?

Scientifically speaking colours are nothing more then a spectrum of light waves - frequencies of vibration of electro magnetic waves which are given life by our atmosphere. So, when you look at yellow tulip petals, you see subtle shifts in frequencies of light vibrations. Such being the case....then the yellowness of tulip flowers are not properites of the flower - they are vibrations of light which reflect from the flower. Follow my drift?

Now, lets step out onto a limb. Have you ever looked at a coloured object and had the feeling that you were looking at the colours of that object, surrounding it?

When artists unify their picture by spreading distinct colours around, are they acknowledging that frequencies of light, deflect and bounce?

Do artists see this?

I spend a lot of time in the mountains, and when you become attuned to colour, it is easy to see the light blue of the sky, literally washing down from the sky into the valley below.

Recognition of this quality of light is built into the craft of many if not most, painters.

Do colours migrate? It would seem that most artists would think so.

reference: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Fredericks: Now Represented by the Stockdale Mill Gallery




Its the dream of every new painter to one day reach a level in their ability where a gallery accepts their works. Thanks to Bell Byrne, who introduced me to Janet Battaglio, owner of the Stockdale Mill Gallery - I gained an opportunity to present my portfolio for inspection. To my delight Janet selected some 20 paintings.

Stockdale Mill Gallery is located in one of two charming old mills which sit opposite each other,on Cold Creek. One was a sawmill and the other a grist mill. The gallery is in the refurbished grist mill and is located in the hamlet of Stockdale, a few kilometers west of Frankfort, in eastern Ontario. These communities are not too far north of Bellville and Trenton.

The mills are treasured local historical buildings and have been painted and repainted by many, including, as I was told, one of the noted Keirstead family painters.

Its with much appreciation that I take this opportunity to thank both Janet and Bell, Joan Riley (see the right side panel),Maggie Tainsh,Diana Britt, Stephen Snider, and the many others who saw potential in my fumbling fist.

Please click here to be taken to the Stockdale Mills Gallery.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

AC Leighton


Above the Treeline
Oil on Canvas
Glenbow Museum Collection, Calgary, Ab


Above the Treeline is a statement of the glory and majesty of the Rockies and its expressed in the artful language of worship. The peaks lift like hands in prayerful supplication. The scene is positioned so the water is near the observer's eye level, and it takes us along its path, into the snow lined valley and onward to the place where sky and land meet and where streams of white cloud descend from the heavens above.

click here to link to this site

Friday, November 20, 2009

Maud Lewis, Nova Scotia Folk Artist: 1903-1970




Extract from the Maud Lewis Website:

Maud Lewis was born in Yarmouth County, and endured many hardships in her early life. As a teenager, she started to experience deformities of her face and hands as a result of a childhood disease. Maud married Everett Lewis, and together they lived in a small one room house with sleeping loft, without benefit of electricity or plumbing. Although she suffered from physical handicaps, she made hand drawn Christmas cards and later, small brightly coloured paintings, which she sold to help overcome their poverty. She also painted birds, flowers and butterflies on various parts of the tiny house in which they lived, and many articles within the house. Examples of Maud's art can be found in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, which has reconstructed her house and installed it in the gallery as part of a permanent Maud Lewis exhibit. Her work can also be found in the Canadian Museum of Civilization. She is the subject of a book, "The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis", and a stage play has been written about her life. She is also the subject of two National Film Board of Canada documentaries, "Maud Lewis - A World Without Shadows" (1997), and "The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis" (1998). In later years, her husband Everett also began to paint.

Please click this line to be taken to the Maud Lewis Website.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Bill Lishman: Artist Extraordinaire

This brief promotional video presents Bill Lishman: sculptor, inventor, architect, engineer, and naturalist. Look for Bill's works to appear in forthcoming blogs.


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Paul Kane: Early Canadian Artist



Paul Kane’s artwork is among the earliest record of life in the Northwest before white settlement. His romantic oil paintings along with the best-selling book about his travels influenced domestic and international perceptions of North American Aboriginal people into the 20th century. Today his pictures of early native life are used to illustrate history in books, films and at historic sites. While his artwork is familiar, Kane himself is not well known.

The Irish-born Paul Kane (1810-1871) remains one of the most frequently reproduced painters, past or present. Kane’s two-and-a-half year sketching trip across thousands of miles of difficult frontier is still unequaled by any other artist on the continent. In recent years, Paul Kane has been identified as one of the most important ethnological artists of nineteenth-century North America joining the ranks of Charles Bird King, Karl Bodmer, John Mix Stanley and Kane’s U.S. mentor, George Catlin.

Paul Kane was one of the first "tourists" — as opposed to explorer, trapper or surveyor — to travel the northern fur-trade route from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean. He was also the first Canadian painter to be credited with a best-selling book, Wanderings of an Artist Among the Indians of North America. Published in London in 1859, this popular travelogue has been translated into French, Danish and German.

Extracted from the Paul Kane Website. Please click here to see other information on Paul Kane's life and works.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Stephen Snider: Fall Market Scene



Please click this line to check Stephen's website


Stephen Snider - Premium Artist

Stephen Snider is internationally known for his historical illustrations, aviation art, drawing and painting classes and children's book illustrations. Stephen uses woodcut, watercolor, acrylics and oil paints to create his art and is recognized for his attention to detail and accuracy in each historically researched piece.

Stephen Snider has been a freelance illustrator since the early eighties after graduating from the Ontario College of Art in Toronto. He's worked for advertising agencies, book and magazine publishers, design firms and corporate clients all over North America. He's even covered peace time operations in Canada and Europe for the Canadian Armed Forces.

Stephen is still busy illustrating for his clients but in the past few years he's branched out more into the fine arts world. He enjoys landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, portraits (animal or human) and just about anything else that catches his eye. He can be found in downtown Toronto or in resort towns like Whistler sketching the buildings and people. He then goes back to his country studio in Northumberland county and works up the sketches into larger paintings for commissions and future clients. When he's not busy illustrating for a publisher or painting a large cityscape or doing a watercolour of some grand old Muskoka cottage, he's teaching two classes a week in drawing and painting to adults.

The above biography was extracted from Robert Genn's, Painter's Keys. Please click here for the Painter's Keys website.

Monday, November 16, 2009

'An Open Sea', Its Really a Turner Before He Became Turner. Hello?



A JMW Turner painting, 'An Open Sea', may leave Canada for sale in the United States. The picture is owned by a a descendent of Sir Herbert Holt, a businessman who brought it to Canada almost 100 years ago. The sale of the painting was put on stay for a year by the Canadian Cultural Review Board, to see if a Canadian purchaser could be found.

Sotheby's the art auction company creates the ultimate bafflegab description of the potential removal of the picture from Canada to sell, by saying, that it is really a Turner before he became Turner.

Please click this line to be taken to the story which appeared in the Toronto Globe and Mail.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Ave. in Kleinburg - Nunannguaq: In the Likeness of the Earth,"


Ningeokuluk Teevee: 'Cross Current', 2005

"Part way through "Nunannguaq: In the Likeness of the Earth," at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, I began thinking about a whale."

This is the first line of an article written by Peter Goddard, a Toronto Free Lance writer and published in the Toronto Star.

The article tells of Goddard's visit to the McMichael Gallery of Kleinburg, Ontario,and of the art celebrating 50 years of art produced by Cape Dorset's, West Baffin Island, art cooperative.

Goddard writes of the above picture, " Whales, seals and Arctic char galore – silvery and golden schools of them in Ningeokuluk Teevee's aquamarine lithograph, Cross Current (2005) swim like threaded beads forming a "T"– remain sacred imagery in the northern imagination".

The article goes on to tell how the exhibit shows the fine relationship between Inuit art and mapmaking.


Please read the article by clicking on this sentence as a link.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Kenneth Gordon - In the Steps of the Seven



Morning Pile Up



Kenneth Gordon: 1929-1998

It is said that Kenneth Gordon followed the Group of Seven, in their style, but yet Gordon's style was unique.

Kenneth Gordon attended high school in Manhattan, New York, USA, and art school in Michigan. He made his home for most of his life in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ken was a high school teacher in Winnipeg for much of his working life, and after retirement he moved to a small town in Manitoba where he painted throughout his retirement.

During his years in Winnipeg, he and his wife made many trips together into the wilderness to draw inspiration for his beautiful works. His pictures hang on such prestigious walls as that of Sony Canada, Boeing, and the Park Plaza Hotel, in Toronto. Kenneth was represented by many premier Galleries during his life and his works have spread into private collections in many countries.

Please check the Galleries West website for a biography of Kenneth's life:

Jia Lu Paintings 1995-2007 Part 2




Readers are advised to turn off the playlist below to enjoy the music which
accompanies this posting.

Please click this link to visit Jia Lu's website

Friday, November 13, 2009

CBC Documentary Video: Removal of the Last Known Assembly of Haida Totem Poles



Raven with Snow, watercolour painting
Artist: Pat McQuire
From: Native Arts of Canada,Ltd.
Vancouver


Bill Reid, CBC announcer of Haida ancestry, and later to be, Haida artist accompanies a team of archaelogists and native Haidas to an abandoned village on Anthony Island. Here we see what is possibly the last known collection of Haida Totems. They are removed and taken to be preserved and protected from decay.

Please click this line to view the video.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Rare William Kurlek Painting Found



A rare William Kurelek painting, called 'King of the Castle', showing a boy wearing a Toronto Maple Leaf sweater, defending a hill against other playing boys, was recently found in England. It's discovery can be attributed to the technology of our age, and it began when Shaun Mayberry of Winnipeg's Mayberry Fine Art Gallery, rang in early morning and his English caller, told him of his painting and even sent him a jpeg copy of it. The interesting story of this discovery and where its journey leads can be found if you click on this linking line.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Lest We Forget: National Film Board - Images of a Forgotten War



Films of World War 1.
49 second video clip produced by the Topical Film Company and in the possesion of the National Film Board of Canada. Year, 1941.

Canadian troops arrive in England prepared to defend the Empire. The troops are seen arriving on rail baggage wagons. Some wash themselves (outdoors), another is seen writing a letter. A group of soldiers pose for the camera with a large Union Flag which has a border made up of miniatures of Allied flags

Please click on this line to be taken to the NFB video.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Johannus Boots', Latest Work



She stands defiant in her understanding and belief that nothing can harm her and that the wave of fear, which is constantly projected in our lives by the corporate-media and governments is only an illusion. With this confidence and belief, a portal opens to a brighter path of self-awareness.


"All matter is merely energy
condensed to a slow vibration,
we are all one consciousness
experiencing itself subjectively.
There's no such thing as death,
life is only a dream,
and we are the imagination of ourselves."
Bill Hicks

Please click this line to be taken to Johannus's website.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Cornelius Kreighoff - a troublesome reputation?





The Canadian Encyclopedia Online gives readers an interesting study of the life of Dutch artist, Cornelius Kreighoff. Kreighoff was born in Amsterdam in 1815, and died in Chicago in 1872. Kreighoff emigrated to the United States, and from there migrated to Boucherville, Quebec, the home of his wife's parents.

Kreighoff focused on French Canadians and Natives, in much of his Canadian artwork. His work received considerable status, since he was reputedly the first significant painter to present and interpret Canadian life.

Recent critics have noted that Krieghoff's art was less then complimentary of French Canadians, and that he sought recognition and status among the English military community.

"His French habitant scenes cover a range of situations: in some, for example, folk greet one another en route, play cards, race their sleds, fraternize at the local inn, or attempt to settle a tract of un-arable land - granted to them by the government - in the hinterlands of Québec. In another typical scene, a British solider flirts with a young francophone woman, the intimate moment interrupted by her husband or a parent. In Breaking Lent (The Thomson Collection), the local priest, stern and imposing, has arrived unannounced at a parishioner's humble abode only to catch the family in the forbidden act of eating meat during Lent. Whether viewed as benign narratives or subtle, satirical commentaries on French Québec society, such genre scenes often evidence Krieghoff's awareness of the relationship between ethnic groups and/or social classes."

Please click on this line, which is a link to the Canadiana Encyclopedia article on Kreikhoff.


This interpretation of Kreighoff''s art is generous, compared to what I have heard French Canadian art critics say about his work. Some say his work is patronizing and demeaning to rural French Canadians. If you double click the large top picture, it will open in size and you can study it closely. The picture, show the hardness of daily life in the world of the French settler. Its a harsh, basic, life reality painting.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Oscar Cahen, abstract artist




Oscar Cahen lived a short life and has been dead now for many years. Some people feel that he may have become Canada's premier abstract, expressionist artist.
This CBC Radio One documentary, is a delight to listen to.

Please click here to learn about the life and art of Oscar Cahen.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Clive Powsey Chisels his Landscape Successes



Every artist has is own style. Its as personal as a signature, or a fingerprint. In Clive Powsey's case, it the way he uses his brush to chisel his way to success. The rocks in the above picture are chunky and carved with irregular cuts, angles and shapes. Most painters stive to create simplifications and impressions. But Clive delights in using his brush as a chisel to cut the patterns he seeks.

Look, for instance at the foreground cliff, with its upper surface, its descending face, and its lower tableau. We find a complex interrelated network of angles, shapes and patterns designed to create the impression of a harsh and rugged environment.



Clive appies this same technique to painting shallow water, or in some cases dappled light at the bottom of a canyon. This is a recognizable Clive Powsey signature.

Norval Morriseau 1931-2007

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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Quebec, Automatiste Art Show in Varley Gallery, Unionville, On.



Fritz Bratner: Montreal Harbour

CBC's As it Happens, presented an interesting interview this evening (November 4th)with Roald Nasgaard, curator of an exhibition of art prepared by the "Group of Sixteen", (known as the Automatistes)from Quebec. The group was iconoclastic and artists within the group,defined their art in a social context. The group was founded by Bordous and they signed a philosphic manifesto. The group consisted of artists, writers, a TV producer and sculptors.

The interview explored the noton that this group was influential in the development of Quebec's 'Quiet Revolution,' and that their iconoclastic elements were counterpoints against the rigidity of the ecclesiastically controlled Quebec society.

Painters included the famed Jean Paul Riopelle and Fritz Bratner, and their paintings were for the most part rather abstract and impressionistic.

The Frederick Varley Gallery, in Unionville is presently featuring a show of Automatiste art and it runs until February 28, 2010.

Please click here to read Roald Nasgaard's article on this showing.

Native Chiefs, 1883, National Portrait Gallery




This picture of Blackfoot and Blood Indian Chiefs from Alberta, was taken in Brantford on the occasion of the unveiling of the Joseph Brant, monument. Neither the Blackfoot, nor Blood nations participated in the Northwest Rebellion.

This picture among others can be found in the National Portrait Gallery in Ottawa.
Click here for the link.

photographed. October 13, 1886
Photographer: Park and Company, Brantford

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Alex Fong, Watercolourist Supreme






Alex Fong is a rare breed - a succesful artist who makes a living painting "watercolours". Alex makes his home in Kelowna, British Columbia, and his reputation has spread from there throughout his province, and into Alberta and from there across Canada.

And, for those who are familiar with the arts scene - its a tough haul, for anyone to sell pastels, pencil work or watercolours in most of Canada's galleries. And, the reason is fueled by public appetite for acrylics and ois. Which leads to the question, "How can Alex be succesful in such a narrow field?"

Anyone who has seen Alex Fong's work, understands how Alex makes it work for him.

The common lament of most watercolour artists, is that their media doesn't have the same dominant colours as oil paints.

Alex's paintings are crafted with a pallet of brilliant colours. And, not just that, but he possesses the eye of a master in creating delightfully impressionistic works which show his colours at their finest.

Technically, Alex paints on a watercolour board surface, which he says, "has a little tooth, but not a lot." And, his subjects, be they pheasants, or fish, or wine bottles, liberate him to use brilliant colours - often enhanced with a touch of acrylic paint. And, styistically, Alex is noted for painting in a round pattern to draw the viewer's eye into his focal centres. Then, for good measure, he makes his works pop with effervence by playfully scattering masking fluid drops around his works. When he removes the dried masking fluid, white circles suggestive of bubbles appear. He then colours a few of them in with bright colours.

Alex joins a growing legion of Canadian watercolourists who cover the surface of their works with a lacquered finish, forgoing the use of glass. And this enhances the power of his colours. Many casual observers who are not painters, easily assume that his works are oils or acrylics.

But, through it all, Alex has carved out a reputation for himself as a premier watercolourist and his works are sought out and his reputation is supported by a number of upscale galleries. Hopefully one day, he will be invited to host a workshop and put on a demonstration of his craft in Ontario.


Please visit Alex at his site by clicking this line.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Top Three Awards in Oil Painting, Ottawa Art Association 2009.


'Rock Art', 3rd prize, by Jay Anderson



'Lanie', 2nd prize, by David Kearne



'Shoreline', 1st prize, by Karen White

Fredericks-Artworks Blog, copying policy


The Canadian Copyright act, section 29 reports on fairdealing, that it is not an infringement to reproduce someone else's work for research, study, criticism, review or to report. Which pretty much sums up what this site is about. All content sources, be they artists, printed references, and website url's are respectfully identified on this site. http://http//www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/rsc-1985-c-c-42/latest/rsc-1985-c-c-42.html

Mission Statement
A Portrait of the Visual Arts in Canada, is intended to celebrate the richness of Canada's visual arts, and to promote the arts in Canada.

Statement of Intent
I make every effort to credit the sources of information used in this blog and to obtain the permission and cooperation of all the works presented by living artists. I try, as much as possible to use works from public sources eg. national and provincial collections, of deceased artists. If for any reason, any artist disapproves of anything written about them or their work the artist is encouraged to request withdrawal of the content.