Here are 2 new paintings on canvas I finished last week which I’ve been working on for about a month.

They’re both 24″ x 24″ and could probably hang together although they’re not specifically a diptych.  C-0907 is primarily an exploration of cool reds with blue undertones. In C-0908 I was exploring warm reds with orange undertones.

It’s always so interesting to me to see how the same color can convey such different emotional content simply through temperature and tone.

Red Horizon # C-0907

Red Horizon, # C-0908

In Canada they call public museums Galleries for some reason. Perhaps it’s a holdover from the British system, but it does cause confusion at times because commercial spaces are called galleries also.

The exhibition dates for my first solo museum show at the Art Gallery of Windsor have been finalized at last.  December 4, 2010 - Feb 6, 2011

You might think that’s awfully far ahead. Although it may seem that way, believe it or not,  I need to begin preparing now.

The Curator of Contemporary Art,  James Patten has asked me to paint an entirely new body of work for this exhibition. The space is gorgeous but cavernous with several smaller nooks for more intimate work. At about 2000 square feet with ceilings of about 18 feet, it’s daunting task.

The paintings on the top photo, which are not mine by the way, are actually about 10 feet x 12 feet. They’re just swallowed up by the space. For the exhibition to have any impact at all requires massive paintings. Massive paintings require a lot of pre-planning, and major work to create.

Shipping is also a huge issue when you’ve got paintings that large. This week, I’ve been researching specially built stretchers which can be assembled and disassembled easily. I found a quality supplier right in my own Canadian backyard about 200 miles from my studio which supplies artists all over the world, called Upper Canada Stretchers.

This will allow me to remove  finished paintings, roll them, and ship along with the disassemble stretcher. Then the whole thing gets reassembled at the other end. Pure genious !