Very happy happy to announce that new limited edition art prints of selected paintings of mine, are now available here at the Kilby Gallery.
Whether to make prints available is a big decision for an artist, and I only proceeded with the idea after being convinced that the quality of the offerings would be the finest possible. What this really means is that the image MUST be unfailingly accurate and true to the original. Printed on premium canvas using the best technology available by skilled craftspeople, as committed to excellence as I, the finished product must be seen in person to truly appreciate how convincing these reproductions are. Each is carefully assembled on professional quality stretchers, then custom framed by the artist, delivered with all hardware in place, ready to hang. At this time, four different editions are offered. Sized the same as the original paintings, each art print will be signed, numbered and accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. The total number of prints that will be produced is 12. Once they are gone, no additional reproductions of that piece will ever be made available. For further information, see 'prints' title above or please contact donk@rogers.com
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With the final touch of an antique wood custom frame, this commission job will be finished and ready for delivery. The project began with the request for a painting that would celebrate the fond memory of the dog seen here. After viewing a number of images featuring the collie, one which also included the three Icelandic ponies living at the farm, was chosen for its' wonderful connection between the paintings' subjects. Of course, three ponies and one dog equates to essentially fourindividual portraits, each highlighting the unique qualities and characteristics of the respective subject, not a simple task. The cedar rail fence was substituted inplace of a live wire livestock fence just because I like them and it seemed appropriate. When accepting and comencing a new commissioned work, I have two main goals to meet. First, the painting must exceed the clients' hopes and expectations, and second, it should match the quality and execution of my very best painting efforts, resulting in another worthy edition to my body of work as a painter. This recently completed piece was based on a scene along the road that runs up through the spectacular Beaver Valley. With exposed cliffs surrounded by lush, dense forest, the east and west side of the valley dominate the view, but along the way, there is countless quietly beautiful scenes right at roadside that shouldn't be missed. This painting celebrates one of those and was done in a painterly fashion and at a smaller scale than I currently create my pieces in. What caught my eye, as usual, was the combination of old fencing from long ago, along a field that hasn't seen a plow in many a year, surrounded by the natural environment that has steadily been reclaiming the land back into its' fold. Expect many more of this theme from me in the future! Around here each season offers an abundance of beautiful, unique and riveting imagery to keep a landscape painter busy, and I welcome the arrival of each one. That being said, for me one season is anticipated more acutely than the others and that would be the fall, when we are offered a brief burst of colour variety that recreates every view and vista. Every day presents a changing view, as each tree reaches its own colour zenith, then steps aside for another to have its' moment of glory. The richly coloured foliage of the hardwoods stands in a pure contrast to the evergreens, both in the canopy as well as along the forest floor. There is a downside to all this visual splendor and that is the duration of this annual event; it's hard to look and enjoy without the knowledge that all too soon, wind, rain and cooler temperatures will remove all the fall colours from our view for another year. I steel myself for this inevitable letdown by urging my senses to be on high alert, taking countless mental snapshots and feeling grateful for the seasonal pleasures offered by this little corner of the world I am fortunate to call home. I urge all to get out, rain or shine and do the same! When is a painting really finished; I wish I knew. With my usual approach, the application of a top coat sealant/protectant signals the conclusion of the painting, no more tweaking, studying, adjusting and messing is possible. But with this painting, I found another way of monkeying with it. This piece had existed for a while and I was generally pleased with most of it, but there were bits that I was less than completely satisfied with. After considerable study and head scratching, I came up a different method of 'adjustment', that is, I did a major cropping and recomposing the painting. WIth a new stretcher frame, I removed the painting, cut off the stuff I wanted to lose, then restretched it; a lot of work but now I am finally pleased with the painting, so well worth the effort.
Early studies and thoughtful pre planning usually catches these potential problem but once in a while, this degree of reworking is called upon to realize the potential of the artwork. When I began crossing over to fine art painting from the world of commercial art, one of my primary goals was to create artwork that reflected the place that I called home. With my move a couple years ago to the southern Georgian Bay region, I greatly expanded the possibilities of painting subject matter from my earlier home. Living minutes from the shoreline of one of the Great lakes, it is common place to see boats and watercraft of all shapes and sizes out on the water as well as moored and awaiting the next nautical outing.
For me there is nothing more enticing and beautiful than the tall masted schooner, trimmed in wood, moving through water with resolve and grace, nothing but the sound of the wind in the sails left in its' wake. Its' very sighting triggers the imagination to consider a time not so long ago when this regions' waters were dominated by ships of trade that were powered by sail. This painting was created by starting out with a striking image of this ship, and then creating my own version of sky and water to compliment it with the accent on high drama! This year on July 16 will be the first year that the Kilby Gallery will be participating in the exciting annual 'Artsburg' festival. Dedicated to celebrating all things 'artsy', this one day only extraveganza will feature live music, local foods of course, lots of art, with many art demos taking place in the galleries and on the street. With four unique galleries, as well as antique shops, metal artisans, a designer fashion boutique, an old time hardware store and a shop dedicated to all things 'honey,' there is much to see and experience in Clarksburg. Please come by, take in the sights and sounds, and be sure to drop into the Kilby Gallery. Brownie the gallery greeter and I will be waiting to say hi and show you around! don kilby Been bouncing back and forth between this piece and something very different (hint; nautical). Progress is being made on both. Here the painting(s) are starting to look something. Lots more refining to do but the promise I had envisioned at the beginning is starting to materialize. I'm especially looking forward to seeing this one wrapped up so I can experiment with the space between the individual pieces when hanging it. A decent sized wall will be required! Be back with yet another exciting update soon, I promise! Finally, a new painting to show off! This one proved to take a while, the complexity of the reflected image was indeed a challenge to pull off.
The image itself is based on the final paddle of the season around a typical lake found on the Canadian Shield. Although the canoe and paddlers etc. are not actually seen, my goal was to communicate the unique perspective and feeling of coasting a canoe in close to the shore, at a relaxed pace that allows lots of time for close observation. After realizing I had no way of supporting the joined panels, I decided a new easel was needed and commenced to fabricate one that will do the job nicely.
Once the images is sketched in, it's time to wash in a value study type foundation. I like to do this quickly and use just one brush as much as possible. Now it's time to get going with some real colour underpainting, pics soon! |
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May 2024
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