NYC here I come...

It's time. To break. Out.

I have just entered a New York City-based  Art Competition called ARTISTS WANTED.


This is an online affair with profound material world implications for a denizen of very lucky artists.


As with so much these days, this competition is 'vote-based' and crowd sourced...hence my post today to promote my entry.

Here's the skinny...all I am asking is that you take a second out of your busy weekend (or whenever this post reaches your eyeballs) to click through to my ARTISTS WANTED profile to tap the 'COLLECT ME' tab. It would be awesome if you would also select the 'SHARE' tab to boot.


What the hey, let's make it happen.


Show me some click-love!


Please.

It's a Wrap! Imaginary Landscape Completed

There is nothing better in the world of commissioned artwork than being awarded a contract to paint strictly out of the imagination...within a certain sensibility of course. After all, the commissioned work must by its very nature be reflective of the ambiance in the space where it is to permanently installed. That is a consideration that will be deeply appreciated by the patron of the project. The sensitive artist will intuit the way from the blank canvas (and blank stares) of the unformed idea to a concept that fascinates and mesmerizes the 'committee' into a willing suspension of disbelief, to dream along with the artist of a 'crowd-sourced' solution.


Such was the case, happily, with the steering committee to outfit the Ecumenical Chapel in the new Manitou (Seniors') Lodge attached to the Watrous Union Hospital. 


Make no mistake about it, once I had heard about this project on the local artists' grapevine, I resolved in my mind that it would be an excellent project to 'get'. The new Lodge in Watrous is only a few minutes drive from here so mileage was not an issue. Plus, at our first meeting I suggested the idea of installing three panels to form a triptych. 'Install' being the operative word. I could just paint the thing in my own studio.

The initial mock-up that I created for our second meeting was painted on a single stretched canvas. I computer-generated this version that shows the design as a triptych or three separate panels. 

For some reason I decided to take a chance on romance...and committed myself to 'making up' a landscape with a few things in mind. This spilled out of the ideas that were tossed around at that first meeting. The idea of three panels sets up a natural progression of the eye from left to right, so it made sense to optimize this with a progressive series of images. 


The eye alights in the shady area of the tree on the left to be lead down a winding shoreline to a splendidly adorned evening sunset. The overall coloring tends to the cool lilac side, which is a restive and soothing hue. In contrast and to warm things up a bit, the sunset colors range across the whole spectrum with an emphasis on the orange-y yellow zone. 


The overall, casual impression is of a conventional 'landscape' but upon closer inspection the eye sees slight anomalies that reveal a sense of surrealism...things that may or may not be images flicker just outside of our peripheral vision.


As a starting block I relied upon my imagination with the condition (which I clearly stated in my formal presentation ) that I then carry on to model a second set of panels from the imaginary first. And then finally a third set based on the intermediate panels for 'three degrees of separation' from the original source of the image. Remember, that would be out of the recesses of my cranium. 


My reasoning, bold as it may seem for such a 'mainstream' commission, was that the end result be purely imaginative with no guarantees of any semblance of reality.


Much to my very pleasant surprise, after a couple of weeks I received a phone call from the Health Care District to inform me that I had been awarded the contract. Not only was I extremely stoked about the freedom I was being granted, I was also impressed that my budget had been improved without so much as a whimper. Now that's what we're talking about!

Standing with the preliminary sketch (on the ledge) along with the intermediate panels AKA Phase 2. The full-sized panels can be seen behind.

The intermediate panels placed in front of the full-scale panels early in the painting of 'phase 3'.    

Here are some fairly random details of the painting that show my tendency to stray rather far away from the standard 'rendition' of your typical landscape. Instead, in this case at least, I decided to follow my intuition to wherever it lead me.  Remember, the concept of this piece revolves around the contemplative setting of an ecumenical chapel in a Senior's Lodge. While not imposing itself on the viewer, this painting is conceived to offer a sort of visual 'portal' to encourage free thought and only a very subtle atmosphere of a quietly creative psychic respite. Nothing too rambunctious. But also not simply dull and routine. It's a fine, almost precariously perched balance. 

The three completed panels:

It would take a careful eye to patch in these details to their correct position in the mural. 

I think it is very interesting that pretty much everyone who has seen this piece to date has not only liked it, the general consensus is extremely enthusiastic. Which tells me that there is a lot of room in peoples' mental framework for acceptance of quite abstract work, bordering on the 'surreal'. Not only did the steering committee for this project affirm their admiration of the more abstract genre, but it is being embraced by the general public in terms of very positive adjectives like: "warm, inviting, comforting, soothing, calming, inspiring..." This feedback has been the most rewarding part of the project. 


The panels have now been safely delivered (without a scratch) to the Watrous Union Hospital where they will be kept in secure storage until they are permanently installed in the new Ecumenical Chapel. This is slated to take place sometime in May or June of 2012. 

The triptych of panels 'Imaginary Landscape'.

So you see, there IS hope for the acceptance of edgier, more challenging art than might first be imagined. I am so happy and gratified that the committee shared my enthusiasm for a more creative approach to this project. I feel it's a win-win-win situation for all the parties: the committee, the viewing public and myself as an artist who dared to offer an artistic vision that was perhaps a bit unexpected yet as it turns out yields a very positive outcome. 

Only on 'Lit Happens'

My friend Wes Funk is well, to put it mildly, a cultural icon in this corner of the world and rapidly ascending to a stellar level globally thanks to the rush of success he has enjoyed since the world-wide release of his best-selling novel "Dead Rock Stars". 


Are you still with me? OK. 


The long and short of it is, Wes brought a dear friend of his - fellow author Jacquie Moore - out from the city to do a reading at our local library in Watrous from her bestselling book "The Saskatchewan Secret" a few days ago.


Well. We could hardly stand all the excitement.

Photographing a photograph of Jacquie Moore 'in the wings' as she is being introduced to the group of almost 60 people in attendance to hear her read from her best-selling book "The Saskatchewan Secret". We were not disappointed!

The Master of Ceremonies read the glowing reviews on the back cover of "The Saskatchewan Secret". By the time she had finished her introductory remarks, the room was enchanted at the prospect of meeting the author.

Author Jacquie Moore pauses in a reflective moment during her reading.

Jacquie was a very gracious speaker who instilled a sense of trust in her audience by her even-measured explanation of how she came to write the remarkable chronicle that explores the special gifts of a group of thirteen healers of various strains and disciplines. She told us quite candidly that she had no intention of changing anybody's mind or opinion about any of the extraordinary claims that her subjects make. Jacquie confided that she wishes to capture for posterity some of the more esoteric methods in the book, lest they vanish forever to the detriment of future generations.


I saw her eyes light up with an inner fire when she read from her book and later discussed some of the details in an open Q & A. To my surprise and delight, several of the stoic participants came forward with their own stories that emanated out of the lively discussion that followed. There were even a few people who volunteered to demonstrate their own special skills with the 'dowsing rods' that suddenly appeared - as if on cue- from one of the organizers.

A willing volunteer tries her hand at an impromptu 'Water Dowsing' with improvised coat-hanger wires bent into long  L-shaped units. Every successful attempt was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Wes Funk looks intrigued by what he is hearing, while basking in the typically surreal atmosphere of a cultural 'happening' in the rural setting.

Moments after yet another demonstration of the 'Water Dowsing' phenomenon, this participant appears to be a little perplexed at her own unerring technique.

There seemed to be some kind of magic in the air as person after person stood to proclaim their affinity with this or that healing practice. I think there was something about the fine quality of Jacquie's presentation skills that coaxed out the adventurous spirit of the group.  Truly remarkable for the often (deeply) reserved community that we see in 'everyday life' around town.

During the course of our visit, Wes said that he wanted to interview a blogger for a segment on his Shaw Cable TV show "Lit Happens". 

He was also interested in the connection between thriving as an artist and social media.

Turns out that there was an opening on this morning's schedule. I needed to get into the city for art supplies anyway, so we inked in a guest spot for yours truly.

Wes was such a gracious host. He asked some very good, smart questions about the life and times of an artist in the 21st century living in rural Saskatchewan. He made the whole experience a relaxing, engaging time. I think he has a genuine gift for putting his guests at ease and drawing out the best in them. Dang it all, I did not bring my camera...but it was lots of fun and I think it will turn out great.

Seeing as how the interview was about blogging, I thought I'd better stop what I was doing and plunk away for a few minutes to whip up a ...blog.

Holy mackerel, the days are melting away into an early spring...unless that tell-tale scent of thawing dog doo lies. It would be so easy just to let the time pass me by without taking the time to chatter on about it, especially if I was under the gloomy assumption that I was writing to no-one.

The thing is, strangely and organically enough, I did the math and this blog has had on average about 60 readers every day since its inception a few months ago. 

I won't brag that I've almost hit the 5000 mark, it is no great feat when some blogs get a zillion visitors per annum.

Whatever. It's not about quantity, it's about quality.

Take for example a note that showed up in my inbox this morning.

Subject: your way with words.....

Michael, I thought you were an art critic....your way with words is stellar....I was in awe of what you said about my work, and the fact that it came from a fellow artist really means a lot. What you do is striking! do you do public art? Murals? I'm chairperson for Art and Public Places for the City of West Palm Beach. Deb Bigeleisen.

Now, I ask you, what do I do with that ?!

You see where I'm going with this?

In the meantime, life goes on in my studio. I just finished my latest mural commission called "Imaginary Landscape" that will be permanently installed at the new 'Manitou (Seniors') Lodge' attached to the Watrous Union Hospital. And now of course I am on to other painting projects.

Just before I take off, may as well show you some shots of that mural. I will be writing in more depth in an upcoming post about the ramifications of this artwork.

Posing with the preliminary sketch (on the ledge) along with the intermediate panels in front. The full-sized panels can be seen behind.

The intermediate panels sitting in front of the full-size panels.

The three finished full-sized panels form a triptych.

As you can probably tell, I could go on and on in this space for quite a while yet. But it is no way to get actual work done.

I get a bit territorial about that non-negotiable time in the studio so I am off!

Imaginary Landscape Mural study

I was asked to submit a design proposal for a mural for the new 'Manitou Lodge' being finished as an addition to the Watrous Union Hospital a few months ago. I thought about the idea for quite a while before committing to anything concrete. After mulling it over, I decided to take the project in a slightly (or rather, radically) different direction than per usual. It is my general belief that an important part of visual authenticity is to base images on something borrowed from the real world. That is to say, a sketch, mock-up or photograph of the 'subject' to be painted in order to achieve that unmistakable 'visual fingerprint' of the image for a powerful reckoning for the eye and inner sensibility. I don't concern myself usually with a 'photo-realistic' rendering, though I promise you that I have the technical skills to pull that off if it is needed.

Rather, it is more important for me to create a 'visual fingerprint' of a given object so that there is a high degree of recognition without subjecting my viewer to the tedious exercise of extraordinary detail that serves no useful purpose other than to say,  "Look, what a great painter I am, I can make it look so 'real'!"  

For me, the reality is that this style of painting ends up suffocating the viewer with too much 'stuff' and leaves little or no room for personal dreaming and interaction. That's the rub, right there.  

Sometimes less is more and it is refreshing to leave lots of wiggle room for mental and psychic navigation through the picture. 

So, imagine my delight when I explained the idea for this project. Which is? I suggested that the best approach for this image would be to drift away from a picture-perfect rendering of yet another oh-so boring landscape. You can get that just by taking a stroll out of town.

Instead, I proposed that my design be entirely 'imaginary' with the aim to prevent subject fatigue...not only for the viewers but also for the guy painting. I would first create an imaginary landscape with certain abstract criteria. Namely: the colors would be soothing to the soul, the subject would be a sort of progression from complex to elegant, the design would consist of three separate panels to reinforce the idea of progression and the image would include elements from nature such as trees, sky and water. It was pointed out to me that the chapel where the artwork was destined to hang was in fact 'Ecumenical', or non-denominational. As such, I was discouraged from including any obvious religious symbolism. Sounds about right.

My inclination was to force myself to separate from my usual modis operandi by winging it by the seat of my pants. This is how my preliminary sketch (Phase 1) turned out...before I had confirmation that the project was in the bag:

Much to my delight and ( I'll freely admit) surprise, my proposal was met with open arms and soon the proposal was officially accepted by the planning committee. I was in!


Using the first mock-up as a guide, I then proceeded to paint a larger version on three separate panels. Here are the steps for Phase 2:

The panels shown in this post are 30" x 12" each, with an intentional gap between that must be filled in with the mind's eye.


I will not go into the specifics of my technique here, you can see my notes in this album.


The next step in this project (Phase 3) will be to paint larger panels (that will end up permanently installed in the Manitou Lodge Chapel) based entirely on the panels of Phase 2. The end result will be three panels each measuring 60" x 24" with gaps between to reveal the wall behind. My reasoning for this approach is to arrive at three degrees of separation from so-called 'reality'. I want to push myself to explore the arena of the sub-conscious and also to rely (heavily) on my instinctive painting abilities. 


The idea of an 'Imaginary Landscape' could be called 'Imaginary Mindscape', for that is what it is. 

Life of a Logo

I am a founding member of the 'Spirit of Manitou Studio Trail' and we are now organizing for our fifth year. Check our website here to see what it's all about.


At one of our first meetings it was decided to ask the members to submit designs for an official logo. It would be our 'calling card to the universe', so it had to be clear, simple, meaningful and memorable.


Turns out my rough design was selected as the one with most potential as a logo for the Artists' Collective 'Spirit of Manitou Studio Trail'.


The logo had to be very legible so I decided to only slightly morph the initials slightly.


Here is a rough approximation of the design process that I went through at the time:


( I started with a passel of pencil sketches obviously...I have no clue if I saved them or not.)

The basic idea was to somehow integrate the 'S' of Spirit and the 'M' of Manitou into a flowing design. At first I thought it might look good as a sort of 'trail' or path design...

Then I tried the idea of building up the trail design to make it look like a dike or berm with a walking path on top. This idea ended up in the trash. The 'S' and the "T' were becoming LESS legible, which is a bad thing.

The 'aha!' moment came, finally. I realized I could mate the 'S' and the 'M' together to take on the appearance of a 'thunderbird' or 'Great Spirit' when you look at the 'negative space', ie: the WHITE as a shape.

With the addition of an additional layer of graduated gold ( for a total of only 2 colors in consideration of replication costs and simplicity) into the background of the design, and just a hint of drop-shadow for a 3-D pop-up, the logo was camera-ready.

When you go here you will see the latest incarnation of a 'logo' that I designed over five years ago now.


It is a link to 'Sask Culture'. They have built us ( Spirit of Manitou Artists' Collective ) a dedicated redirect page on their website which includes, you guessed it, this logo.


Of course the logo appears on the masthead of SpiritofManitou.ca and also on our brochure.


We printed it on directional signs that every member will be posting for the weekend of the trail.


This logo is really getting around. I couldn't even begin to guess how many eyeballs have seen it over the past five years.

Designing for the Future

This year my wife (who is also my business partner with 'G-G's Gallery & Gifts' ) and I decided to forgo our usual inclination to be 'non-joiners' -we are fiercely independent thinkers and for the most part this has worked to our advantage- by taking out a membership in our local business association, Watrous-Manitou Marketing Association. 


Several years ago I was hired to design the association's logo. It appears that more and more I am the 'go-to guy' for creative design in these parts. Here's the logo that I came up with:

It has morphed a bit over the years but the concept remains intact. My idea for the logo was to show the reflecting of the 'W' of Watrous to the 'M' of Manitou...seeing as how Manitou Beach is famous for the 'Healing Waters' of Little Manitou Lake and after all is said and done, it is the lake itself that is our #1 attraction for the thousands of visitors every year. So, it only makes sense that the lake should be front and center. That is pretty much non-negotiable in my mind and the majority of stakeholders are in agreement. So far so good.


One of the perks of membership in the association is a special discounted rate for a full-color ad in the 'Visitor Guide', which is a 'Readers' Digest' format glossy magazine that is circulated to all of the tourist booths in Western Canada as well as in all of the participating businesses. This year, we are publishing 17,000 copies so it will enjoy fairly significant penetration into the collective consciousness of a wide readership. 


Doesn't that sound like a good opportunity for a young business enterprise such as 'G-G's Gallery & Gifts' ?


We thought so. Yesterday I sat down and designed a half-page ad for the Visitors' Guide. It was a group effort. I posted several rough drafts on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ in the hope that I might get some valuable feedback. Turns out this is exactly what happened. About a dozen friends and colleagues chimed in with their tips and advice which I gratefully took into consideration. The result was very interesting!


Here is the final design after about seven drafts:

You know what they say..."Ya gotta spend money to make money". 


I bet this ad will work out for us in the future, that's what it's all about. Designing for the future.

Ode to The Rock

A couple of years ago I started a painting on panel to recall my fond childhood memories of summers in Newfoundland, affectionately known as "The Rock". To start, I called my Mom to brainstorm on  ideas for themes that ought to be included. 

Why? 

My mother was born and raised at South Dildo, Trinity Bay. This is a small fishing village where my Grandparents spent the better part of their lives. My Grandfather Malcolm Hollett was a fisherman in the waters of Trinity Bay, and I went out with him in his fishing boat on more than one occasion to help with squid jigging, hauling lobster pots and going after cod. We pulled up the odd Sculpin too, the ugliest fish known to man. 

Just in the past week or so I decided to dust off the long-neglected panel to pursue the finishing touches. Mind you, it still needs a bit of work, but I think it is coming along nicely.


At last count I came up with a grand total of twenty-four references to Newfoundland in this painting. There are probably a few more but I may have lost count.

Tell you what. I will run down to my studio and take some detail shots to see if I can tally up all of the pictorial references to the Rock...one of my favorite places on the planet. Be right back.

An  iconic ice-berg floats benignly in the northern waters as a Viking ship slips by enroute to L'anse Aux Meadows, one of the earliest recorded points of contact from the Old World to the New. 

Lans Aux Meadows is situated on the northern tip of the Avalon Peninsula, where the first hardy souls dug in to settle alongside some of the richest fishing grounds on the planet. 

Puffins are just one of a menangerie of strange and exotic species that call Newfoundland home.

This fun-loving gal dons her best Sou'Western and oilskins to be 'Screeched In'. The willing codfish is thrust against her  lips in a fond, lingering kiss that she will always remember as the moment she became an 'Honorary Newfoundlander'. The Grand Banks off Nfld were once lauded as the epicenter of the richest Cod fisheries on the planet, 'till the stupid fucking, short-sighted politicians of the day were too cowardly and short-sighted to impose limitations on the Cod fishery (despite the repeated and very emphatic urgings of their own scientists of the day to do just that) , which were all but decimated near the turn of the 21st century, throwing thousands of fishers and fish plant workers out of gainful employment.

The iconic 'I <3 NY' is slightly modified in this instance when the shot-glass of the fine, world-famous Jamaican rum known affectionately as 'Screech' is raised to toast a continuation ad infinitum of good times on the Rock!

Hauling lobster pots are a time-honored tradition, life-style and livelihood for Newfoundland fishers who harvest some of the tastiest lobster in the world out of the chilly waters of the North Atlantic.

The national, er, provincial flower of Newfoundland is the wonderfully exotic 'Pitcher Plant', a carnivorous plant that lures its unsuspecting prey (of spiders and insects) into a sort of vessel that holds rainwater sweetened with its alluring scent. Once the potential meal is floundering in the liquid, a cap closes over as the teeth along its edges engage the interloper in a battle to the death. Of the bug. Just one of the many delights that make Nfld such a unique biosphere.

Lobster pots rest between deep dips into the frigid waters off the coast of Nfld.

In Newfoundland there is a long-held tradition that has people dress up (usually as members of the opposite sex for a suitably impenetrable disguise) to tromp through the streets of their towns and villages from door to door at Christmastime. The general idea is to trade a song or two for a dollop of Screech and hopefully a snack. It is not that unusual for this clandestine activity to carry on throughout the night until  sunrise. This is one movement that will never be suppressed.

'Kitchen Parties' are a staple of home-spun entertainment even long after the advent of mass media in the parlors of out-port Newfoundland. Many a youngster grew up surrounded by the strains of guitars, fiddles, spoons and a chorus of voices, spawning such great internationally-acclaimed acts as "Great Big Sea".

Heading out to the fishing grounds. Godspeed and happy jigging!

The Moose is Loose in Newfoundland. I heard a report on CBC radio not that long ago about the runaway moose population on the Rock. There are hundreds of thousands of these giant beasts roaming the island. They are so plentiful that they have become a mortal threat to travelers on the highways. You do NOT want to have a close encounter with one of these things when you're on the road, so please drive carefully.

The world-famous "Newfoundland Dog" is a hero to many, as they are well-known to be water rescue dogs. Built huge but extremely gentle, they are very powerful swimmers and are hard-wired to protect their human counterparts when floundering on the high seas.

In 1763 the final battle of the Seven Years War was fought at the Battle of Signal Hill in which the  french surrendered  St.John's to the British. On December 12 1901, the first transatlantic wireless transmission was received here by Guglielmo Marconi. 

A squid fisherman shows off an exceptionally large specimen. In the past, squid was used mostly as bait for lobster pots but in more recent times, the squid has been recognized as a delicacy in its own right. Calamari anyone?

It is not that unusual to spot any number of whale species in the coastal waters of Newfoundland. I have had very close encounters with so-called 'Pot-Head' whales while bobbing in the waters of Trinity Bay on fishing trips. But that is another story!

'Bake-Apples' are one of a wide variety of berries available for picking in the lush evergreen forests and boggy marshes of Nfld. These are a wonderful treat that my Grandmother would 'put by' in Mason jars for the winter months.

A common mode of transport to and from the 'mainland' is by ferry boat from Port-Aux-Basques to North Sydney, N.S. It is about an eight to ten hour journey that we often took as kids. Usually it would be an overnight trip. It was always such a welcome sight to spot land ho after all that time over the deep in the fairly restricted confines of the boat..

In my Grandfather's day, and my Great-Grandfather before him, lobster pots were a hand-made affair. It took special skills and materials to manufacture these highly effective traps, passed down from one generation to the next. I wonder if they are still hand-made to this day?  I imagine so.

Always proud to don the 'Sou'Wester' I allowed myself to be present in the form of a little self-portrait in lieu of a signature in this painting. 

I hope you enjoyed the tour of this painted panel, which is my homage to the wonderful memories of idyllic childhood days spent on 'The Rock'. I am sure that there are many many more things of interest and general fascination that I could have, should have included in this project. Sure, I could jam in a few more things. If you think of any glaring omissions I would be delighted to at least entertain the idea.

This just in. 

My Mom chimed in today with a clarification that I thought I would share: "Your 'Tribute' is amazing, I thoroughly enjoyed viewing it.  However, I do have one minor (not really) correction you should probable make to your preamble.  Your grand-father didn't fish off the Grand Banks for lobster. Instead, that's where the larger fishing schooners fished for cod fish and as you may remember your grand-father had only a small fishing boat that he used for on-shore fishing.  Sure he trapped lobster in later years, but you must remember, as far as I know, they hang out in more shallow waters around rocks.  (I may be wrong about the rocks, but I seem to remember something to that effect). One other little detail. The custom around the Christmas visiting is called mummering to-day, but years ago it was called jannying.  By the way it is making a big come-back, especially aroung St. John's, where there is a mummers' festival, which I think is in its fourth or fifth year.  There was a very interesting article in a recent issue of the Downhome magazine.  You could probably access it on their web page if you're interested."