Portrait in Charcoal, a couple and their Rottie

The Portrait is progressing, I want to have it done this week.

I know that the client doesn't need it until Christmas, but I said I'd have it done by now, and I really hate missing deadlines, even if they're self imposed.

I've been spending hours on this Business Plan that I have to have done by Oct 4th. We've been told that our plans should be between 30-50 pages, I'm at page 10.

If it was just wordsmithing I'd be fine...

It's all of the research that takes the time, and makes me want to tear out my hair. You have to have facts and figures to back up everything you say, and yet, so much of what I want to do defies quantification.

The stuff for the mural/faux side of the business, thank goodness, is a bit easier to define. The portrait and teaching sides a bit more difficult, the fine art side....anybody's guess. Collectors come from every walk of life, education and economic level. How do you define that in a nice neat equation?

Maybe I'm taking this too seriously? Maybe that's what I have to do, take a best guess using the facts and figures I've been able to gather. ~sigh~

Canfest, Wienerfest and Canada Day

Happy Canada Day!
I've spent the last week going slightly nuts, getting every thing ready for the weekend. The Wienerfest 'T' shirts are ready, I'm still working on fridge magnets and coasters, but my darling hubby (DH) has been diligently packaging cards and taking care of other details.... I think.... we're almost ready.
Here's the schedule, I'm in Port Stanley, in a tent doing caricatures by the lift bridge 1-8 Thursday, 1-6 Friday, Saturday, Sunday. The First Friday Art Walk is in port Friday night, so I'll 'convert' my tent to an art walk tent at 6 and stay until??
Saturday, DH will have my other tent at Wienerfest in Thamesford from 10-4, this event is off Highway 2 (Dundas) behind Tim's in the Riverwalk Park. I've got the above mentioned 'stuff' there, plus I'll be showing off the portraits that I do by commission.
Speaking of which Bev and Howard, things are going well, I'm just at an early stage, so there's not much to show yet, soon.

Drawing Charcoal Dogs

My shirt-tail cousin Linda Collier is the organizer of weinerfest in Thamesford Ontario. This a huge event with over 600 dogs and 4,000 dog people attending. It's next weekend July 3rd for various reasons I won't be there, actually I'll be at Canfest in Port Stanley, but for her I've been doing Dachshunds, just for fun.

Another reason I can't be there is because of some very strange regulations of the Ontario government, when I can I'll explain.

The Secret Commission

Dear Robin

What a absolutely wonderful job you did painting Tillie and I. I will cherish it forever!!
Thank you again...it is awesome, it could not be more true to life!
I'm happy its on your site!!!! Thank you once again.
Sincerely and very grateful
Faith and Tillie
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That's the kind of reaction that tells an artist that they've hit the mark. Thankyou Faith for your permission to post the finished painting.

Like all of my realism work, I used a very traditional technique. I start with a Grissel (a mono tone shaded drawing in paint) to make sure that I have everything 'right'. Then I start glazing in colours (very thin transparent layers). Most paintings have dozens, in some cases a hundred or more thin thin layers of paint, in a very limited pallet. I only use about 6 colours. As I work almost exclusively in acrylic that goes much faster that it otherwise would, so I was able to complete this in 6 weeks, averaging 1o hours a week.

I've been working on other stuff at the same time, as perhaps you know, I'm still plodding away on 'Thank a Pollinator" part of the at risk series. unfortunately I ended up gessoing over (whitening out) most of what I did this week as I wasn't happy with it. There are people in my paint group that think that just proves I'm crazy... was there ever a doubt?
That puts me even farther behind. I won't be able to enter the Mississauga mixed media show "The New Hybrids" as a result, sigh... there is always next year.... sigh.
I am planning on entering the Woodstock "Visual Elements" show, and I've been invited into the "Appreciation of the Arts" show in St. Thomas. So...... I'll keep you updated, MUST go paint :)

pugs and other commissions

The pugs are done, and another commission is started. This one is top secret. I can't show it to you until after it's delivered and the patron gives their approval. It's also causing me fits. I don't paint landscape unless it's important to the 'story', in this case it is very important.

I know many artists would say that figure work is harder than landscape, but for me it's just the opposite. Probably because landscape doesn't excite me. Yes occasionally I'll see a vista that makes me want to reach for a brush, but that is rare indeed. I'm much more entranced by the small living things around us that most of us take for granted.

That of course is what the 'At Risk' series I'm working on, is all about. There are so many of these creatures that will not be here in 20 years if we don't do something NOW, that I have an almost frantic sense of urgency to record them, and tell their stories. Perhaps in some small way I can help open peoples eyes to what we stand to lose. In the words of Joni Mitchell "you don't know what you've got till it's gone".

I have one more commission to do, and no, neither of theses two are due for Christmas, although if it were possible.... I'm still working full time so unless a modern Medici takes me on I can only work on these things, evenings and days off, (sigh).

I love commissions, but I have a solo coming up in April, and I'd like to fill the room with the 'At Risk' series. I'll need about 20 pieces, so I've got to get to work!

pug progress

I still have to do background, just a bit to ground the dogs so they don't appear to float in mid air, and a bit of tweaking here and there, other than that...
These are Lucy and Amos, and I believe the story goes that they were rescues, who had to be placed together. Kudos to the family who adopted them both. Lucy might have a bit of mixed blood, as her face is a bit unpugly, not that her people care, and Amos is...round. I haven't met them in person so I can only hope I've caught their individual personalities.
All of our dogs have been rescues, sometimes that's a bit of a challenge, and some behaviours require a bit of work, but always it's worth while.
My work is still at the Old East Studios and will be there until Monday the 15th of December. They have a musical evening on Tuesdays called Ruby Tuesday, and they are having 'The Red Door Lounge~with the Devin MizzA' on Sat Dec 13th. The gallery part of the studio is open to drop in traffic 9-5 Monday to Friday, so if you're in the area, drop by. So far the show has been a success for me, and we'll hope for continued success. Things are starting to wind down for the holidays, and a bit of a break will be nice. take care until next week,

one lovely pug

The Old East Studios Arts Boutique is this weekend. I've been busy trying to get everything ready, I haven't unpacked a lot from the St Thomas Show last weekend so I don't have that much to do, although there is some re-labeling , and some framing to do.

I've been working on "In Praise of Weeds" some more, There were a few bits that needed tweaking (I'll show when I think I'm 'there'), and I've been working on the pug commission, one done, one to go. The observant will notice the changes I've made from the photo. I've had to add a foot, thanks to my dog model and studio companion Rolley the Russell for the assist. The things he'll do for a treat, like sitting for ages while I sketch his feet, I hope it was worth it to him, it certainly was to me.

I'll be setting up my work for the show on Thursday night, there is a musical evening at the O.E.S. Friday night and they would like as much of the art up for that, as possible. Catherine will be putting in her art Saturday morning, and then she will be there for the rest of the day. I'll be there Sunday for the show and to take it all down (hopefully there is nothing to pack up!) (O.K. I'm a dreamer). If you're looking for some unique gift ideas for someone , or for your self this will be the place. Hopefully, I'll see you there.

art and show

wow, what a feeling... ahead of schedule! Tilley is done. This painting is the second half of the commission I've been working on. She has raised several favourable comments from my painting peers, which is always a good thing. Now as long as the customer or patron in art speak is as happy, the mission will be accomplished.

I hang my work at the St Thomas library on Tuesday April 1st in the morning. The 'art wall' is just to the left of the circulation desk. Look up, way up. I'll have 9-10 paintings there for the month.

The library has asked me not to hang Eve, or any of her sisters, as much as I expected that it always frustrates me. The same evening at the art guild meeting I was speaking to another artist who has been asked to remove her life studies (nude figures) from an 'art show and sale'.

It's not as if these works were pornographic, or even mildly erotic. Art has a long history of celebrating the human figure, and yet people would rather see, and have their kids see, images of death, dismemberment, violence and destruction, than a tasteful nude.

Artists have often lamented this strange outlook, and I could tell stories, like the public galleries that have strict policies that don't allow nudes (even if it's a copy of an old master), or of the time when a set of clothing was made for Michelangelo's "David"

The human figure is the most challenging form for an artist to paint, and is a thing of remarkable engineering, and beauty. This topic has so many related issues, ~IE body image in young women, don't think that's related? Of course it is. the body is 'dirty/ugly' ergo 'my' body is dirty/ugly...~ that I could go on, and on, and...but I'll stop now. Robin

The first part of the commission is finished, and just in time, I have to give it to the lady tomorrow. Then I have to get the second part done (a black lab) a.s.a.p.

This little gal is Libby, and she is a birthday present for the person who loves the real her. The painting is 11"x14" which is significantly bigger than the dog it represents.

I'm in negotiations for an April show in St Thomas, I''ll let you know more details as they come up.

And of course, as the various paintings I have to get done in the next short while are progressing, I as always will give you sneak peeks.

I was asked why some of the pictures I'm showing here (on my blog) pixalate when you try to print them... well first of all, as all artistic works are copyright protected, (copies should not be made with out the artist's permission) prints shouldn't be being made. To help combat that I generally take the photo from a distance and then crop it to reduce the number of pixels, all of this is done to help protect my copyright. No publishing it on the web does not make it public property, and even in the case of a commission, I, the artist, still own the copyright.

Illegal copies are a problem that is becoming quite prevalent now artist's are using the web as a marketing tool. An artist I know went into a local restaurant, and on the cover of the menu was a lovely painting of a fly fisherman, yep... his painting, copied off his web site, with out his permission. The most extreme case I've heard of -now this is a story circulating in the artist chat rooms, so take it with a grain of salt- is of an artist going into W--mart and finding a display of art prints, some of which were of one of his paintings. True? I don't know, but it's very possible.

So if some of the paintings posted here fuzz out when you click on them to enlarge, I apologize, but one must protect ones self, Pirates are every where har har, not just the Caribbean. Cheers Mateys

Robin