tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67180117866065667122024-02-18T17:33:32.099-08:00Pat PostsNotes from My Studio - Pat ServicePat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-12141166470622928612023-11-08T17:39:00.001-08:002023-11-18T12:00:47.287-08:00Black Velvet Paintings<p>You know those treasures we can still find in second-hand stores, the paintings painted on real velvet? They gave me the idea of starting with a black canvas, which is the opposite of how I have traditionally worked. Using different blues, reds, and yellows, I mixed my own blacks, then layered thin washes on the canvas until the surface reached a rich matt finish. This formed the base for the brush marks I placed on top, the marks thick and thin, opaque and transparent, with their edges jagged or smooth depending on how the brush draws across the canvas. The dark grounds make the colours pop, but also the dark grounds make a wonderful surface to draw on. Below you can see the steps I took to paint a Black Velvet painting. </p><p>1.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFykTMNyrgnEik-GdmJdplMKnInvwY2QSdJskJYg68va8KE5XrR4iz2NKpGVV6UfiCbwl-XdlN1bwFzx6F9-EigmYh7dek2BQzGM6YJndGK3IILHgPMNEzhOdLvMUDDmhkiz2Cp6WJUwJzei0rKr7Bn7f32mj4iyBNEXr5aTq5LxTNnDMQ_4me7rf0pyc/s1200/Image%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFykTMNyrgnEik-GdmJdplMKnInvwY2QSdJskJYg68va8KE5XrR4iz2NKpGVV6UfiCbwl-XdlN1bwFzx6F9-EigmYh7dek2BQzGM6YJndGK3IILHgPMNEzhOdLvMUDDmhkiz2Cp6WJUwJzei0rKr7Bn7f32mj4iyBNEXr5aTq5LxTNnDMQ_4me7rf0pyc/w150-h200/Image%201.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /></p><p>2.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9Pj2f6nq9lUgMRS99a7oJVTh9X2jlrjlG1DNhHlI2BcuBMPepniVEjznaz_6Pjvln_fJ5Fi7g7wk32fWH5LxBWZJQtauIOyZK0t2j_Q2NVODwEFP-d1sdQJ1GWvmDg7WkAdy1IX_vjQmHI-Qk1BtcYF5RuQeX6ZOeEoStkcz082IAypl8RSqGUj3ugM/s1200/Image%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9Pj2f6nq9lUgMRS99a7oJVTh9X2jlrjlG1DNhHlI2BcuBMPepniVEjznaz_6Pjvln_fJ5Fi7g7wk32fWH5LxBWZJQtauIOyZK0t2j_Q2NVODwEFP-d1sdQJ1GWvmDg7WkAdy1IX_vjQmHI-Qk1BtcYF5RuQeX6ZOeEoStkcz082IAypl8RSqGUj3ugM/w150-h200/Image%202.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /> </p><p> 3.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uIPVQq08ccoLmSckTeEk2hZhN4xP1GHesF4RZoKMR-bUZaSgzsxqpLF_zabw83aann9SGG1YMutVxNwGrp_W8eH7uMavPl28x5-bN2UeqN9JduN5nV41bI_42sBFokoMdkuKW47yDKsOThCePqa_tEHOZ7kVEdH_xXnQJegvIsa9LkbMNQgOBIrEZmk/s1200/Image%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uIPVQq08ccoLmSckTeEk2hZhN4xP1GHesF4RZoKMR-bUZaSgzsxqpLF_zabw83aann9SGG1YMutVxNwGrp_W8eH7uMavPl28x5-bN2UeqN9JduN5nV41bI_42sBFokoMdkuKW47yDKsOThCePqa_tEHOZ7kVEdH_xXnQJegvIsa9LkbMNQgOBIrEZmk/w150-h200/Image%203.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /> </p><p>4. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUiU7-W1uDU0i1kScVkyYV03NnsGe_S6xgKlANzfo1bewsrSsjMZ_CpMWZ9_vUhkmrGlEGjgwjuZXh4Ec89E8wU53sEYzkWJ2FRzxOvviMqfP2M_9l2CmIAntk9i5ivaXPSDyfeSdb82Br3rLMhgEmF9x06IN7tP56W0Vpu1tGv-HRJnIXOETCMlQC6A/s1200/Image%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUiU7-W1uDU0i1kScVkyYV03NnsGe_S6xgKlANzfo1bewsrSsjMZ_CpMWZ9_vUhkmrGlEGjgwjuZXh4Ec89E8wU53sEYzkWJ2FRzxOvviMqfP2M_9l2CmIAntk9i5ivaXPSDyfeSdb82Br3rLMhgEmF9x06IN7tP56W0Vpu1tGv-HRJnIXOETCMlQC6A/w150-h200/Image%204.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /> </p><p> 5.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifnf2Lfp3mUTLtOTqBzRF3K4UFo6iKscYseQfNHmBt0YuxDvIBVKpmoC4s4epdCzDTVDS5xfRt9w3R3zJpZEFs-M1ERFZLPOPDIfhyFET3DN4wU5IMQ9e4YgQKefPJRMkSrRgV4lIdXyMkQKMA0gfNjQgJ6I6UHju3R0JsZKKSQ4JUkAEzTecHyn9hd0/s1200/Image%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifnf2Lfp3mUTLtOTqBzRF3K4UFo6iKscYseQfNHmBt0YuxDvIBVKpmoC4s4epdCzDTVDS5xfRt9w3R3zJpZEFs-M1ERFZLPOPDIfhyFET3DN4wU5IMQ9e4YgQKefPJRMkSrRgV4lIdXyMkQKMA0gfNjQgJ6I6UHju3R0JsZKKSQ4JUkAEzTecHyn9hd0/w150-h200/Image%205.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> 6. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WUEqQJ-SmeXPud0-2ex4leXe8vb8DhHYkfRBpjLT7nGXg3XbEWbCkS-mGMwZqfYiU0QGlNAps2C5mZzEaL6quDsFZQI3s0FrkNnSC464OHfWvljX-QZV-qDGG-3TIu5QmIcvuiRFj_wh0GgdRS7Ppg3xzPsRolWTL0IMvJ9zsgSLYUjMw1-kJCcKiZ0/s1200/Image%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WUEqQJ-SmeXPud0-2ex4leXe8vb8DhHYkfRBpjLT7nGXg3XbEWbCkS-mGMwZqfYiU0QGlNAps2C5mZzEaL6quDsFZQI3s0FrkNnSC464OHfWvljX-QZV-qDGG-3TIu5QmIcvuiRFj_wh0GgdRS7Ppg3xzPsRolWTL0IMvJ9zsgSLYUjMw1-kJCcKiZ0/w150-h200/Image%206.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /><span style="text-align: center;">7.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkAkm90LCz-yQFkGTFte4fo-365cLkrNNnlUQ7yIzNto5nA8kngYotmlsSX_pK5HCtTIuLkDfoBn945NQ90rf0R7hlPbCdYLCIlqHQcRcEs9qyKGoQOs3ZTc6PFB-YizclE2EcnL1wH5VJ2LZjZY0M4ZdELkMXb4BwFMxCW22FGnXo5E9xzZrgHd3gzc/s1200/Image%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkAkm90LCz-yQFkGTFte4fo-365cLkrNNnlUQ7yIzNto5nA8kngYotmlsSX_pK5HCtTIuLkDfoBn945NQ90rf0R7hlPbCdYLCIlqHQcRcEs9qyKGoQOs3ZTc6PFB-YizclE2EcnL1wH5VJ2LZjZY0M4ZdELkMXb4BwFMxCW22FGnXo5E9xzZrgHd3gzc/w150-h200/Image%207.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> 8. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsO7us5CThfW0Yt15ZJCAe9o6ktU6wH72Li-vBtCgJmOIMGZfCuE230MxXpm1bHHYhjazZCCMBBowhj3EbEbgE0KN9Sr4JqKbsx0B2jSmvMsmzh41vR4ClBssHXeqldQY-UGtnhnOxH1pYICoOCoKiF8QhSn2jxkxI4Ig-iR2GWkPmStenrf2nbujcrA/s1200/Image%208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsO7us5CThfW0Yt15ZJCAe9o6ktU6wH72Li-vBtCgJmOIMGZfCuE230MxXpm1bHHYhjazZCCMBBowhj3EbEbgE0KN9Sr4JqKbsx0B2jSmvMsmzh41vR4ClBssHXeqldQY-UGtnhnOxH1pYICoOCoKiF8QhSn2jxkxI4Ig-iR2GWkPmStenrf2nbujcrA/w150-h200/Image%208.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /> </div><div><br /></div><div> 9. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUjrNk_Ua59BeXPljvHrP0Fq_KI8UKrL4_lpl9OapN30YVwG6rc4-z-Tm_K3_fDi0H-uRbvSlafvh7RmbeZpoPy3zV34ZP5kydRAqiduZFqZ5Wa9FukWFcp9h6IzmBIxRMzQqm4Q9_MPN3k4ARrieOFaTGFLi9WCt074YZaenFk8Loejsu3yk1E4WpFc/s6328/Black%20Velvet%20II,%2066x46%22,%2023.05.1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6328" data-original-width="4400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUjrNk_Ua59BeXPljvHrP0Fq_KI8UKrL4_lpl9OapN30YVwG6rc4-z-Tm_K3_fDi0H-uRbvSlafvh7RmbeZpoPy3zV34ZP5kydRAqiduZFqZ5Wa9FukWFcp9h6IzmBIxRMzQqm4Q9_MPN3k4ARrieOFaTGFLi9WCt074YZaenFk8Loejsu3yk1E4WpFc/w279-h400/Black%20Velvet%20II,%2066x46%22,%2023.05.1.jpg" width="279" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-88317457910550530662023-03-25T16:21:00.000-07:002023-03-25T16:21:05.831-07:00'Spring Fever'<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXg_PtwKMbKwlS1uIb1ZQa_thfYMxihWu6IaqJ0jw2R5AKb3AQVNVSI2412wTVspJ9Go-vKazK2R-3VvXpp3Zk3jSic8j_DtDND1marKIXknaCG-gG60ic0k4bFWMGWbEERnJv1NAwfLtJ1GleDRcYpiquZruF4ahaf3g6GhXFUKoGjPdsfCA54XQ/s474/Spring_Fever_exhibit_6__ScaleMaxHeightWzQ0MF0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="474" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXg_PtwKMbKwlS1uIb1ZQa_thfYMxihWu6IaqJ0jw2R5AKb3AQVNVSI2412wTVspJ9Go-vKazK2R-3VvXpp3Zk3jSic8j_DtDND1marKIXknaCG-gG60ic0k4bFWMGWbEERnJv1NAwfLtJ1GleDRcYpiquZruF4ahaf3g6GhXFUKoGjPdsfCA54XQ/w400-h326/Spring_Fever_exhibit_6__ScaleMaxHeightWzQ0MF0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />These paintings and others of the floral series are presently in a group show at the Oeno Gallery Royal Annex in Ontario. This is a very nice exhibition space in The Royal Hotel, Picton, a lovely town near to where the main gallery is located in Bloomfield, Prince Edward County. Catering to a triangle that encompasses Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal the gallery attracts devotees all year round. <p></p><p>Here are the other of my paintings in the show:</p><p>Velvet Poppy, 30x30", 2020</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5AgqXsWo1g8Mq75aqp2Dj16kdPSbu70Kj62NxcdEiQmvIUDd8gxzKy90rIMFUNoCnBpOFvL3J9eUZeapyUHmCMcD_yOS2IG00X74rJt9K7xIaXXHT2sPcwumQnfLxw9hhWHgBbDdUYWqaQnDPSMefEGm1qjg_TaU6mnWyeV5Gn_aJpRjxQ0IFQBW/s720/Velvet%20Poppy,%2030x30%22,%2020.06.B%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5AgqXsWo1g8Mq75aqp2Dj16kdPSbu70Kj62NxcdEiQmvIUDd8gxzKy90rIMFUNoCnBpOFvL3J9eUZeapyUHmCMcD_yOS2IG00X74rJt9K7xIaXXHT2sPcwumQnfLxw9hhWHgBbDdUYWqaQnDPSMefEGm1qjg_TaU6mnWyeV5Gn_aJpRjxQ0IFQBW/s320/Velvet%20Poppy,%2030x30%22,%2020.06.B%20copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Twin 2, 30x30", 2020<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxPxzEXUmQYzK2IuB_zuKA-Fq6lH4s-Wk8iloINi4aIUIBTu5rlHhZ7rYGK8mS3TGiJWv3RZ19b8Mok7cd7pcX_d3wr-XByhbde4dG3VbjwxJ6i3kUdWD6XHS5WXP1BAiwx1MNSMbhO2r4i0b_cDL3vf7aqHja5H5qi4-KqGPveikZUX-5h8rHYJ3/s504/Twin%202,%2030x30%22,%2020.04.C%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="504" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxPxzEXUmQYzK2IuB_zuKA-Fq6lH4s-Wk8iloINi4aIUIBTu5rlHhZ7rYGK8mS3TGiJWv3RZ19b8Mok7cd7pcX_d3wr-XByhbde4dG3VbjwxJ6i3kUdWD6XHS5WXP1BAiwx1MNSMbhO2r4i0b_cDL3vf7aqHja5H5qi4-KqGPveikZUX-5h8rHYJ3/s320/Twin%202,%2030x30%22,%2020.04.C%20copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Purple Rain, 30x30", 2020<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vzT3qVMc3yKVm_AnzYZkFyWBwynvGQlTFnEuSJ4ZPadDYcFssrUKqHtbVnHGXk8E7KxRALWNHFEl6Lpd9yRs205yAE_X9Pe00OaVYCRoZ6JZ4wc6UcTxmnUk-k0NOMoLw5crd6SFLr3fYHIkV1ljWvftGzb_Mi3UlRKRYb_YH32vMjUxw125gJJi/s505/Purple%20Rain,%2030x30%22,%2020.03.B%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vzT3qVMc3yKVm_AnzYZkFyWBwynvGQlTFnEuSJ4ZPadDYcFssrUKqHtbVnHGXk8E7KxRALWNHFEl6Lpd9yRs205yAE_X9Pe00OaVYCRoZ6JZ4wc6UcTxmnUk-k0NOMoLw5crd6SFLr3fYHIkV1ljWvftGzb_Mi3UlRKRYb_YH32vMjUxw125gJJi/s320/Purple%20Rain,%2030x30%22,%2020.03.B%20copy.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Blossom, Pale, 30x30", 2020<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqBoLWl8YJGERtracDuotE5p0BDtjPGw6u40rpIObsSQqUWQZ5fUZwwplmyDfPMoLnV2xIVyig-U2x3--NVlb7RB51_MxcoAP-GFWhkqP8UgPKBJC-O4BS2IUow5matoInzanUw4heY6AMBCn3ql4FyQ0LJK0_kOhxcnYvkPcS7kc7_fgY4fp6npl/s504/Blossom,%20Pale,%2030x30%22,%20l9.l2.A%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="504" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqBoLWl8YJGERtracDuotE5p0BDtjPGw6u40rpIObsSQqUWQZ5fUZwwplmyDfPMoLnV2xIVyig-U2x3--NVlb7RB51_MxcoAP-GFWhkqP8UgPKBJC-O4BS2IUow5matoInzanUw4heY6AMBCn3ql4FyQ0LJK0_kOhxcnYvkPcS7kc7_fgY4fp6npl/s320/Blossom,%20Pale,%2030x30%22,%20l9.l2.A%20copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>If you go to my post for November, 2020, I talk about how I started this series. I had such fun during that uncertain time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat</p>Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-28471542814760415462023-02-21T21:21:00.002-08:002023-02-21T21:21:37.537-08:00New Arrangements<p>Something fell into my lap last year that I hadn't been looking for; but I knew when I saw it that I wanted it. For the last few years I have been trying to simplify my life and here was something that might work. There are so many things I do, things that I do and enjoy doing, but I struggle to stuff them into the few short hours of every day. </p><p>Up until now, I have always had 3 or 4 galleries showing my work. From the early 80's when I went to Toronto and met up with the formidable gallerist Miriam Shiell; and through the years when I connected at the Emma Lake Workshops with the brilliant artist Robert Christie and his gallery at that time, Art Placement in Saskatoon; and then there was John Long of the Wade Gallery who took my paintings to Los Angeles. That is only the beginning of the great galleries that I have been lucky to be shown by. They were artists and dealers who loved art and worked in a difficult business to introduce me to the world. </p><p>Because I have had the luxury of being able to go to my studio every day, I have always had paintings galore to show. That is not the problem The problem is selecting shows, sending jpegs out, keeping in touch with the galleries, packing paintings to be delivered to the galleries, and so on. Lots to do. </p><p>When Oeno Gallery made the suggestion that I show with them exclusively, I was very ready to listen. This would be simpler. Rather than having work all over the place, and losing track of it, and forgetting about it for a while; I could focus on the one relationship and be on top of what is happening.</p><p>And that is what we have been doing for a while now. It is going very well. In fact, it is going so well, that there is only one hang up - I am busier than ever. </p><p>Here is a photo of me relaxing at the Sandbanks in Prince Edward County, which is where the Oeno Gallery is located.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjo0ar-ygvO7GXmCsZnSTad16K3y1QUmeCxSOTC3n2pvT2ppAubjnroycRfu5fAV8sHh-aoUlLPB-RGSOCeRPzGikwGwsIrVUBFMBW-Q_kOAYQjmrWJ760jy14A0ab_cnP49Df2e--lTcfYtf_D4U3PTUWJ0TTvnxRRNNCJmjLZttISea3Vxw6APv/s885/IMG_1809.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjo0ar-ygvO7GXmCsZnSTad16K3y1QUmeCxSOTC3n2pvT2ppAubjnroycRfu5fAV8sHh-aoUlLPB-RGSOCeRPzGikwGwsIrVUBFMBW-Q_kOAYQjmrWJ760jy14A0ab_cnP49Df2e--lTcfYtf_D4U3PTUWJ0TTvnxRRNNCJmjLZttISea3Vxw6APv/w325-h400/IMG_1809.jpeg" width="325" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-26721686024548803362022-09-02T11:41:00.000-07:002022-09-02T11:41:48.426-07:00My First Studio outside of my Home<p> My first studio downtown was in the Gault Building on Water Street. They made work clothes and overalls during the depression and Second World War; my uncle told me that one of the workers was killed when he fell down the freight elevator shaft and the next day there was a line-up of people out the door and down the street, hoping to get the job. </p><p>One brave day in 77 or so, when my kids were finally in school full time, I ventured down to Gastown to meet an agent about renting a space for a studio. This building eventually became a fine part of the Gastown restoration project, but at the time it was pretty empty above the bottom three floors. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-lUkxoWIu6T63bOPTUX9J-GgkzjhWPhdpyTTTky-itnQ48VZOyVkbXYb5rgdFLvKiQGI-C4Flbt3sLiLtbjn73MB9R9zJhFymDY7DgvJJd9EVe3wOPVaL63oK1G0ygaonjSk1eLDLKqlvhxsQ-Rx-iHEY-f5Yoo5xswL-cg6hxWRUVH_s6U-GLpg/s720/Gault%20Building.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="720" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-lUkxoWIu6T63bOPTUX9J-GgkzjhWPhdpyTTTky-itnQ48VZOyVkbXYb5rgdFLvKiQGI-C4Flbt3sLiLtbjn73MB9R9zJhFymDY7DgvJJd9EVe3wOPVaL63oK1G0ygaonjSk1eLDLKqlvhxsQ-Rx-iHEY-f5Yoo5xswL-cg6hxWRUVH_s6U-GLpg/w359-h255/Gault%20Building.jpeg" width="359" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For around $75 a month, I was able to rent a great space on the top floor and my husband came down and built a wall so that I could lock my door. The view out the window was the Vancouver waterfront and the North Shore mountains. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivAJGVp2DpN2PAe51LnsABBXlYmTHeenvC-jC1EwTmUJU69q2fgvDrGxX5dye8JFL6W1938Bt7WTqunQkVqikBRPK6aCegOyHXz3OgcFS5m1uNQoXyA3KUKAT476GS44Az_7X9ariqAr7e46tuUPNIcPXf-hgXpntW3bXBHpU-ZC4e1WKJq_eebAW/s4096/81%20Old%20Studio%20window%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="2731" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivAJGVp2DpN2PAe51LnsABBXlYmTHeenvC-jC1EwTmUJU69q2fgvDrGxX5dye8JFL6W1938Bt7WTqunQkVqikBRPK6aCegOyHXz3OgcFS5m1uNQoXyA3KUKAT476GS44Az_7X9ariqAr7e46tuUPNIcPXf-hgXpntW3bXBHpU-ZC4e1WKJq_eebAW/s320/81%20Old%20Studio%20window%20copy.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Because I was paying the grand sum of $75 a month, I hurried there at every opportunity that I had. I painted the view out the window, I painted from sketches and watercolours I made around the city, and I set up still lives to paint from. I painted and painted and painted.<div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VSIlYo6uU8cVnmKQjDRSXFbk1eb0eLTXIVNE2IfgTwzo8VAYJofjL5qZN9V-WFaRPwmXOIDV-itDn_WNCyjOBkuv-RBRvpkC18sbDRcw4BZrjsxsuywc5XThXvFimBlgaU-J3Ov0tV13kyzMfCK2QLt-erJPTZqMtennKVjmpyeNupU6OD3bhqYk/s2964/Water%20St%201980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1933" data-original-width="2964" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VSIlYo6uU8cVnmKQjDRSXFbk1eb0eLTXIVNE2IfgTwzo8VAYJofjL5qZN9V-WFaRPwmXOIDV-itDn_WNCyjOBkuv-RBRvpkC18sbDRcw4BZrjsxsuywc5XThXvFimBlgaU-J3Ov0tV13kyzMfCK2QLt-erJPTZqMtennKVjmpyeNupU6OD3bhqYk/w400-h261/Water%20St%201980.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>When you are painting that much, eventually you build up a body of work that you would like to exhibit. In 1979 I approached The Studio Shop in West Vancouver and they gave me my first solo exhibition. Recently I counted up and I have had 55 solo exhibitions since then and participated in over 65 group shows. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have had some nice studios over the years, but I think that was my favourite. <br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div></div>Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-20873265071485775922022-06-06T18:41:00.000-07:002022-06-06T18:41:11.970-07:00On the Question of Changing Your Style<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGreuw4VCldScNhDzZD1fqsmoOJ6D-FiLXxOYSFdnmUwfOg08LKgoyhOFXj2c8UlWCXWXuTDNk7aaY39imvZxWZ96pAx326lKCMeb-wl1v4x7GRT0s8iCSBATqnrL8k8VU_2Zp82CX30WvnRMGWSltAq3_1hdN_Gt8QxLDllwstRJzONmtgiGSdVal/s720/IMG_1497.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGreuw4VCldScNhDzZD1fqsmoOJ6D-FiLXxOYSFdnmUwfOg08LKgoyhOFXj2c8UlWCXWXuTDNk7aaY39imvZxWZ96pAx326lKCMeb-wl1v4x7GRT0s8iCSBATqnrL8k8VU_2Zp82CX30WvnRMGWSltAq3_1hdN_Gt8QxLDllwstRJzONmtgiGSdVal/s320/IMG_1497.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Photo from 'A Life of Picasso The Minotaur Years, 1933-1943' by John Richardson<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I was so surprised to see that these portraits of a woman's head (I forget which one it was, maybe Dora Maar) were both painted in 1939. Look how different they are! One is a somewhat realistic depiction of a woman with a cute green hat. We would know who it is if it were a friend. The other one however is a strange contortion of a head and body, sort of surrealist, and only the people on the inside know who it is intended to be.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many times I am chastising myself because I keep changing my 'style', if you can call it that. I go back and forth from a more realistic depiction of a landscape to a minimalist abstraction with only a few clues as to what it is. For instance, here is a lake that I painted inn 1999:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj1WEpzaFPh493xAVImY1Sv3-M4xNSLsTGOj-lYx1P1xD8-eqlrsbWGHObaaz3WhO6XoWR951-fhz5RTuqPrMJxhmL5FjUn9gUCDWqKGproedjVjYNp2EvOneZAmhY99rmFPHXjAUphVB-XnGFUJ4wrxzxeTa0v_3qq4Tne0ng1f4hXYfyKx0_D44/s1440/99%20Chaperon's%20Lake%2038x54%2099.4.3%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1440" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj1WEpzaFPh493xAVImY1Sv3-M4xNSLsTGOj-lYx1P1xD8-eqlrsbWGHObaaz3WhO6XoWR951-fhz5RTuqPrMJxhmL5FjUn9gUCDWqKGproedjVjYNp2EvOneZAmhY99rmFPHXjAUphVB-XnGFUJ4wrxzxeTa0v_3qq4Tne0ng1f4hXYfyKx0_D44/w640-h442/99%20Chaperon's%20Lake%2038x54%2099.4.3%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chaperon's Lake, 38x54", 1999.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can see it is sort of an impressionist lake scene with shrubs and bushes in the foreground, then the water of the lake and the view across it. However, here is another lake that I painted in 1988:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQDupDHjgEDuT_P4jfLBOa8Z5mm-HPr3UH4CETP4kOaYO2mQEA5LeHkA3MaWd7lz6P_nYpPy57GImLcQO2ZRdr-SNERj0u5Pmvs1Gk7sCfEHMHe4HHop9GZjPkCbCSzS2m04i1qjgyEqcXPQgF3PoiJrxMGdnQbBVZs2Uyepbbt91OqkFn-baTFSI/s1440/88%20Lake%20Shapes%2040x50%2088.8.8%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="1440" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQDupDHjgEDuT_P4jfLBOa8Z5mm-HPr3UH4CETP4kOaYO2mQEA5LeHkA3MaWd7lz6P_nYpPy57GImLcQO2ZRdr-SNERj0u5Pmvs1Gk7sCfEHMHe4HHop9GZjPkCbCSzS2m04i1qjgyEqcXPQgF3PoiJrxMGdnQbBVZs2Uyepbbt91OqkFn-baTFSI/w640-h514/88%20Lake%20Shapes%2040x50%2088.8.8%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lake Shapes, 40x50", 1988.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is so different. There was time to change because they were painted 10 years apart. But Chaperon's Lake is more similar to the work I did in the 80's when I was first starting out; and Lake Shapes is hinting at what I went on to paint in the early 2000's. I guess I sometimes I have to remind myself that I can still do something, to reassure myself that I am still me. And it is actually really boring if you are just repeating yourself. When you are in your studio regularly you have lots of ideas and you want to try them all. Many famous artists do it with no qualms at all. Look at Gerard Richter - his two different styles are extremely apart from each other, all abstract to photographic reality. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-18244066019279077952022-02-11T22:07:00.000-08:002022-02-11T22:07:18.350-08:00O'Keeffe & Stieglitz An American Romance by Benita Eisler <p>For the past month or so, I have been quite entertained by this biography. Written in 1992, it is full of endless details and sometimes cutting comments about the subjects' behaviour.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVgbqjSfCXPm8B5FPK3r_E5ifowWc0F5DC1nzOLS2a_mWzEzlqaefDtgFc7OqyIu3ORk5lnGvKP8BP1H_wBPrf52IEwMlKmfZ4Hi4TCq8ojipInkYN1fKkbpFp0IKzCYiAwyf960hem9lvgb4m8HEdYy7w7vx3nDlz_Q239WfgoojYzDnrI_tuYVww=s360" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="360" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVgbqjSfCXPm8B5FPK3r_E5ifowWc0F5DC1nzOLS2a_mWzEzlqaefDtgFc7OqyIu3ORk5lnGvKP8BP1H_wBPrf52IEwMlKmfZ4Hi4TCq8ojipInkYN1fKkbpFp0IKzCYiAwyf960hem9lvgb4m8HEdYy7w7vx3nDlz_Q239WfgoojYzDnrI_tuYVww=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p> </p><p>Because Steiglitz had his renowned gallery 291 and later The Place, Alfred and Georgia knew and interacted with many artists, collectors, critics and society figures. The names are so familiar: Charles Demuth, Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, Florine Stettheimer, Mabel Dodge Luhan, it goes on and on; they seemed to know everybody, wealthy and not. </p><p>One artist that I was inspired by, John Marin, was a good friend of theirs. I always wanted to see more of the actual paintings and drawings that he created; they were full of energy and life. But it was curious to hear about him as a human being with the flaws and ups and downs in his relationship with them.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCphPDCcPQDkgB0igHchWtPTHFtWsMZj4LwVfVhqjhO0-s0hW5iqrVVf-vVPK2XVP12Y_7IB1BS5Fe9R7ZooYk7_0HKdinbiosKfp6d-OPLgfQtg9XXDAH-39QHVT8vVbdD0nx1xr6jEhpnlrzt3k83Mhj0nvYrHd32snMHueJBdNRU9Lq7Cuuv_yN=s360" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="360" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCphPDCcPQDkgB0igHchWtPTHFtWsMZj4LwVfVhqjhO0-s0hW5iqrVVf-vVPK2XVP12Y_7IB1BS5Fe9R7ZooYk7_0HKdinbiosKfp6d-OPLgfQtg9XXDAH-39QHVT8vVbdD0nx1xr6jEhpnlrzt3k83Mhj0nvYrHd32snMHueJBdNRU9Lq7Cuuv_yN=w640-h301" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>O'Keefe and Stieglitz were brilliant artists, and brilliant marketers, but they were not brilliant in interacting with each other or with their friends. Living at a time when people wrote letters, there is quite a record of their thoughts and behaviours, not only through their own letters but also through the letters of others. The author doesn't hesitate to note how nasty and even cruel they could be, the both of them, on occasion when interacting with each other and their friends and acquaintances.</p><p>While reading, I dug out an old coffee table book that had reproductions of Georgia's work. I hadn't really looked at any of her paintings for a long time. What surprised me was that I liked them more than I remembered; but however I was unsettled that my recent floral inspirations may have been influenced by what I saw so many years ago. </p><p>Georgia O'Keeffe, 'Black Iris', 36x30", 1926</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhc_xdnK3ohNT603YetyEP13djDtZG01btv_dA4f1xQZYTmaO_5Sfes9aAK7CPxl_F9W3Is-hJ5Pc-kqg_I5CCgM9He4DPCgwDIC8CUTOTQY3UCz-JEeugUBBeDofxoyTUWVpkv0vTOQeJsRYnU9wmxLBJkG-ZqgrgEUHhZgSEInfM2hIjXG2CB7pMZ=s360" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="270" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhc_xdnK3ohNT603YetyEP13djDtZG01btv_dA4f1xQZYTmaO_5Sfes9aAK7CPxl_F9W3Is-hJ5Pc-kqg_I5CCgM9He4DPCgwDIC8CUTOTQY3UCz-JEeugUBBeDofxoyTUWVpkv0vTOQeJsRYnU9wmxLBJkG-ZqgrgEUHhZgSEInfM2hIjXG2CB7pMZ=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Me, 'Canna Lily', 42x42", 2019<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqgOyMdnY9YTNrWUibns4x_z0AdssWcI99n4eqR3hn8yd7N-GajfBhUYyt89LdF1-eCkRUvnIa2mTirpoVwKRqLZ79Hs6jo2_467w_5H0MF_AP3eGHmckx86U6kx9RHmPJaY5APoyAswAlaSe8mDbdcE6EUJOdRWVkrA3i5gsnsgChrawUc5YMnrUD=s270" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="270" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqgOyMdnY9YTNrWUibns4x_z0AdssWcI99n4eqR3hn8yd7N-GajfBhUYyt89LdF1-eCkRUvnIa2mTirpoVwKRqLZ79Hs6jo2_467w_5H0MF_AP3eGHmckx86U6kx9RHmPJaY5APoyAswAlaSe8mDbdcE6EUJOdRWVkrA3i5gsnsgChrawUc5YMnrUD=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p>They worked hard, all their life, and saw the rewards for that, Georgia more than Alfred at the end. When he died, he was quite hard up. Georgia being younger had more time to produce paintings and lived long enough to become a very rich woman. </p><p><br /></p><p> </p></div>Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-35578896103474801632020-11-09T11:53:00.001-08:002020-11-09T11:57:40.357-08:00Painting in a Pandemic<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaoHvx1LFo3iJuqWoPsQfbTnw4UtlIhtuGUhJHAj033n384EqA-Aqj6ZI7xdK0CmDlv9kCkqW4HHltVz5kSruXlKffGM9COe3INEcqDj_LLv9dlt0cTIOhOPDZMizHMzD5ePBOBHNoHU/s2048/Pat+4%252C+June+2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaoHvx1LFo3iJuqWoPsQfbTnw4UtlIhtuGUhJHAj033n384EqA-Aqj6ZI7xdK0CmDlv9kCkqW4HHltVz5kSruXlKffGM9COe3INEcqDj_LLv9dlt0cTIOhOPDZMizHMzD5ePBOBHNoHU/s320/Pat+4%252C+June+2020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lately people have been asking if I am still painting.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The world has been in turmoil for a while now, however most of us artists just carry on as usual.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">We go to our studios and pick up a paintbrush or whatever is our favourite tool.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">After I sent my paintings to Newzones Gallery in Calgary for my landscape show in March (yes, that March and no I wasn’t able to attend the opening), I returned to a series that I had started in 2019. The subject is something new for me, or new/old. Years ago I painted flowers, flowers by themselves or flowers in still lifes. I had some success with those paintings and was very happy with them. Eventually though I decided that I couldn’t compete with nature, nature had more sophisticated tools than I had, and I turned aside from that challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It seems that this past decade of exploring colour – and simplifying detail to do so – has somehow led me full circle, however. Looking for a new starting point I started tentatively thinking of flowers again. In the same way that I had simplified the landscape, I saw how the flowers could be a beginning. This wouldn’t be an attempt at verisimilitude; this series isn’t really ‘of’ flowers. The flowers with their radiance and intensity initiate the act of putting paint on canvas but they don’t control the result. The result has more to do with the curious act of ‘painting’, playing with hue, surface texture and markmaking.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHp5Yde5pETajYDhp8T1_VVGWKoFXi721wonUFTC-C2BRJFrKHhnmTFk1PaiB26JlZhOWsNWLHDHMqBWoYIssYvL1TlMFrXmrrT-yN_bgnlw-nuBidv32H8XjrU4HECad8x-gRtjFNBZw/s560/Studio+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="560" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHp5Yde5pETajYDhp8T1_VVGWKoFXi721wonUFTC-C2BRJFrKHhnmTFk1PaiB26JlZhOWsNWLHDHMqBWoYIssYvL1TlMFrXmrrT-yN_bgnlw-nuBidv32H8XjrU4HECad8x-gRtjFNBZw/w640-h480/Studio+view.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can see Neil Wedman's essay in my previous post. He explains it much better than I can do.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-31432948228119665342020-11-08T16:57:00.000-08:002020-11-08T16:57:45.179-08:00Neil Wedman Essay<p><u>Pat Service's Flowers</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The subject of flowers is, in every sense, central to the new series of paintings by Pat Service. Departing only slightly from her almost constant concern with depicting broader aspects of the landscape, Service has made an abundant sequence of square canvases, in sizes ranging from 20 x 20 inches to 42 x 42 inches, each holding, at its centre, identifiable portrait of a single blossom. Detached from stem, leaves or even a background shade, each unique flower head appears, greatly magnified, like a target, flattened and alone within a square frame, the arrangement reading like a hypnotic spiral analogous to the actual formation of a blossom in nature.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">These bold flower paintings seize and touch the viewer in an instant, in a way that only a painted picture can do and, of course, further unhurried inspection reveals a richness at the heart of the thing. Each represents a different botanical specimen presumably based on a real life sample but it is clear that realist portrayal is not at issue here. Pat Service is merely an admirer of natural bouquets not an expert horticulturalist. All the same, like all of Service’s work, The Flower Paintings find origin in the surroundings of her life and observations but interpretively expand upon the dull limits of outward appearances. Only the small circles, signifying pistils, anchoring each floral shape at its centre have a peculiar exactness intimating a notion of plant science but ultimately make no concession to accuracy or illusionism. From painting to painting, each monochrome palette varies hues that are only casually attendant to the natural spectrum. Mainly the paint is applied on its own terms abjuring the contours and folds faithful to delicate petals in favour of examining the plain and uncomplicated contour of a flat canvas. Thinly, I think, at first and never awfully thick, a loose but solid wash forms the general silhouette of each bloom over which short, sturdy, brusque strokes of the same colour introduce textures and nuanced, layered tones pushing the colour to the edges of the petals, ragged in places with the unfussy dragging of a dry brush. Around the outside contours of each posy is a thin strip of raw, un-primed canvas like an outline separating the spectacular, large flower from the surrounding negative space remaining in the frame. The negative space is painted white, titanium white, making the lack of spatial definition a deliberate and integral element of the composition, the thin border of ivory white, unpainted canvas left around the flower describes the line of an invisible drawing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The tradition of floral painting and its connotations for the cycles of life, domestic comfort and ephemeral glory reaches back to the ancient world. It also drags disparaging associations of a dainty banality, a cloying impression of amateur crowd pleasing so-called feminine art. At a glance, Pat Service’s flowers can remind a viewer of the particularly delicate, somewhat Victorian custom of pressed flowers but in another glance, this bold art bears a stronger and favourable comparison to Andy Warhol’s 1964 Flower Paintings. To my mind, the similarities are most obvious in the square formats used by the two artists and in the matter-of-fact flat applications of vivid colours often incongruous to the shared floral subject. Of course, Warhol’s flowers are silkscreened from a found magazine image and Service has painted hers by hand but there is a clearly generic character to either series. Neither Andy Warhol’s or Pat Service’s versions of this subject are really about flowers. This work concerns the vital act of portrayal, of working paint and colour and form to render a familiar theme in an unfamiliar way and convey the essence and ordinariness of beauty.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">NW <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">October 2020 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><a href="http://www.neilwedman.com">Neil Wedman</a></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqcazbJ8480pK83PzkfljQ1EfYjWLqKxEXdyPt5bf5aHstMCsfWdqecAmcPpWR8hVkYhH_L3Sss96tbrNqfERCf5fTemi8oaAhn_qWzy4luzXkBPqRArLXuVhEex9dTFwVXYA9mlMQIE/s2048/Canna+Lily%252C+42x42%2522%252C+19.10.B+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqcazbJ8480pK83PzkfljQ1EfYjWLqKxEXdyPt5bf5aHstMCsfWdqecAmcPpWR8hVkYhH_L3Sss96tbrNqfERCf5fTemi8oaAhn_qWzy4luzXkBPqRArLXuVhEex9dTFwVXYA9mlMQIE/s320/Canna+Lily%252C+42x42%2522%252C+19.10.B+copy.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3nwV9XJNh6BBJSDnPk2jUa9mQOJH2oAQfzaKNCQEmUr8DJKrUKpAD_l5Q5T1YiwM088S7W_Ga4St4Q2i-JuFm5fYxM2g0aKbdHnOmdMFup53ovVaRBJRVCXChed5I4NPVyDsn6rii34/s2048/IMG_8953+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3nwV9XJNh6BBJSDnPk2jUa9mQOJH2oAQfzaKNCQEmUr8DJKrUKpAD_l5Q5T1YiwM088S7W_Ga4St4Q2i-JuFm5fYxM2g0aKbdHnOmdMFup53ovVaRBJRVCXChed5I4NPVyDsn6rii34/s320/IMG_8953+copy.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p>Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-65235995063523483552020-02-25T16:33:00.001-08:002020-02-25T16:33:18.696-08:00Reading About Other ArtistsI have read quite a few good books about artists lately. There are so many biographies around now, fat books that take a long time to read. I find them fascinating; it is endlessly interesting to read about the struggles and the successes. 'Lee Krasner, a Biography' by Gail Levin; 'Agnes Martin Pioneer, Painter, Icon' by Henry Martin; 'Edward Hopper An Intimate Biography' by Gail Levin; 'Joan Mitchell Lady Painter' by Patricia Albers are examples of the many you can find in your favourite bookstores (mine happens to be Pulpfiction Books on Main Street here in Vancouver - or if you are in the depths of Kerrisdale, Hager Books will find them for you).<br />
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'Ninth Street Women' is a heavy tome that was sitting on my friend Bob Christie's desk when I was in Saskatoon a while ago. Pretty soon it was sitting on my desk also. The author Mary Gabriel chronicles the lives of female artists who were very involved in the abstract expressionist movement but didn't get the attention the guys got. Now it seems to be their time - some fabulous paintings are hitting the auctions with great success.<br />
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Myself, sometimes I feel like an imposter because I didn't go to art school and didn't start painting until I was over 20. That was not the problem with these artists. They were fully engaged in the process of painting and learning to paint and figuring out how to get better from an early age and completely committed to the challenge. They were driven in a powerful way to make canvases, engaging new and innovative ways to put down the paint.<br />
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Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-63570595565767274722018-10-16T22:50:00.000-07:002018-10-16T22:50:18.752-07:00Detail versus ColourI sometimes think people don't understand when I say that I had to get rid of detail in my paintings so that I could go crazy with colour. In my early years of getting into painting, I was trying to prove that I had 'skills' in my ability to represent something. That went on for quite a while and I did some good paintings that way. But then it got boring. The careful placement of brushstrokes was a very unimaginative exercise; it took a lot of time but it wasn't very difficult. I started to get jealous of my friends who were abstract painters. They could place large areas of innovative colour and shape on their canvases in ways that were exciting. I started to think I would like to do that. I wouldn't let go completely of my wish to connect to the real world; but I began to think I could do it differently. I realized that our eyes and brains can easily put together images from very minimal amounts of information; a few flicks of a brushstroke can create quite a good description of a face, and so on with other things. So I started to get brave. I created simple shapes to represent basic elements in a landscape, a tree for example, or a road beside a field. Then I could really play with colour! I could put a red or a blue or a green anywhere I wanted.<br />
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Here are a few paintings to show you what I mean:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPSr8Co_t8c9TNdPkr84J2eZ6clNS1d3mazEQDIuNvPoiQN_t4vet19wlIaw9xbaqMe_o2Fagb40evxRmWAjrKKEC6kBFq8dVCyTv44Gg6BpFlLy8E9ticWpubMdkHQXzj76G8U-oOmw/s1600/By+Way+16x20+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPSr8Co_t8c9TNdPkr84J2eZ6clNS1d3mazEQDIuNvPoiQN_t4vet19wlIaw9xbaqMe_o2Fagb40evxRmWAjrKKEC6kBFq8dVCyTv44Gg6BpFlLy8E9ticWpubMdkHQXzj76G8U-oOmw/s1600/By+Way+16x20+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Foothills, 36x66", acrylic, 2013<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqo7-5zdjTmoUkd5MqiRol_CdkLkUuEtiD0sLr-qm6h9CS-_Qv9IFVGmn0MI-LYjeua1m18AMqdaYbTFLCRUB4-m2JrtERig-xDO9TbRT_-BXqQpGqq72Sk8R3x_W7NnGxijN_sBehmSg/s1600/Foothills+36x66+2013+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1494" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqo7-5zdjTmoUkd5MqiRol_CdkLkUuEtiD0sLr-qm6h9CS-_Qv9IFVGmn0MI-LYjeua1m18AMqdaYbTFLCRUB4-m2JrtERig-xDO9TbRT_-BXqQpGqq72Sk8R3x_W7NnGxijN_sBehmSg/s640/Foothills+36x66+2013+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Corner, 42x42", acrylic, 2013<br />
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Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-56132354145813293292018-06-12T18:17:00.000-07:002018-06-12T18:17:13.003-07:00Arbitration Place on Bay Street in Toronto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nikola Rukaj Gallery in Toronto has placed some of my paintings at Arbitration Place on Bay Street. They will be up for June and July this summer. I hope they are aiding the discussions and 'arbitration' taking place!</div>
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Here are a couple of them: </div>
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'Layers-I', 36x48"</div>
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'Minder', 69x65"</div>
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Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-78733165154736200532017-05-01T16:44:00.000-07:002017-05-01T16:44:19.729-07:00'Tree Trunk' Paintings Sent to Nikola RukajRecently I sent some paintings to the Nikola Rukaj Gallery in Toronto. These particular canvases are abstractions derived from images of tree trunks and they were painted at the Emma Lake Professional Artists Workshop in 2009. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo2NLN0NFDakN4E-hKhL8zNVmeDTgAUHpMV5HemMu_K7HvIZ23VjY-sjzQUMbRdWrLel7b3fFCrhVgqpzB49de7u8-ree_Ii1QRmF3Wl0gubggU_jXZpyVhTp042aJYoTUFaK7E-OJHc/s1600/Tree+Trunk+2+30x24+09+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo2NLN0NFDakN4E-hKhL8zNVmeDTgAUHpMV5HemMu_K7HvIZ23VjY-sjzQUMbRdWrLel7b3fFCrhVgqpzB49de7u8-ree_Ii1QRmF3Wl0gubggU_jXZpyVhTp042aJYoTUFaK7E-OJHc/s320/Tree+Trunk+2+30x24+09+copy.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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'Tree Trunk 2' 30x24" 2009 </div>
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'Tree Trunk 10 (Birch)' 30x24" 2011</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JjC_qa3YM86dDXKq2kPNQ5zqvEzUJGe5ke4X_UZXlIy2upuLTn47EPDhux8hD8_sNj4EuxbJcqlWQDZN2OZSBD94AaGtySE70YTCvADLcj903fP5LeMBwDyLbIvWt1dFsgFMs-3LD-8/s1600/Tree+Trunk+9+%2528Velvet%2529+30x24+10+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JjC_qa3YM86dDXKq2kPNQ5zqvEzUJGe5ke4X_UZXlIy2upuLTn47EPDhux8hD8_sNj4EuxbJcqlWQDZN2OZSBD94AaGtySE70YTCvADLcj903fP5LeMBwDyLbIvWt1dFsgFMs-3LD-8/s320/Tree+Trunk+9+%2528Velvet%2529+30x24+10+copy.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
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'Tree Trunk 9 (Velvet) 30x24" 2010</div>
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'Tree Trunk 5' 3-x24" 2009</div>
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This is me having fun painting them:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OryMFz46iuOYF1q6H6wUeIg_MpO2RYb0pDMnKEnfNdLZ1zOk2bHv0_SuwIfyPiJ5KeWoOWUEkRIfrxp54kMUBE4uuQPv36WjjK2x5gyT8sW6oOTnbiIXYxqS38jXkzzQEwgtWmuMJl4/s1600/Emma+Lake+2009+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OryMFz46iuOYF1q6H6wUeIg_MpO2RYb0pDMnKEnfNdLZ1zOk2bHv0_SuwIfyPiJ5KeWoOWUEkRIfrxp54kMUBE4uuQPv36WjjK2x5gyT8sW6oOTnbiIXYxqS38jXkzzQEwgtWmuMJl4/s400/Emma+Lake+2009+1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-49876007577326332592017-01-11T19:34:00.000-08:002017-01-11T19:34:13.697-08:00Voices from the PastOccasionally I will receive a message from someone who has owned a painting of mine for a very long time and they tell me how much they love it. Twice in the last month I have had such a pick-me-up.<br />
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This is one:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNF84v0fKuon4MXY71gm0TFnT1bv2ZqH7mtAGaLUZwpmEaWG9yYbkiGQP1pBbomHXLTpk9ymMbL_wRH4GXPQbOFoTbjQOiNrFqBMby9SyMtkA2tM2BmRjgBoiZ8haPp8lZkQm1tb1SP1I/s1600/1989+Switchback+View+46x66.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNF84v0fKuon4MXY71gm0TFnT1bv2ZqH7mtAGaLUZwpmEaWG9yYbkiGQP1pBbomHXLTpk9ymMbL_wRH4GXPQbOFoTbjQOiNrFqBMby9SyMtkA2tM2BmRjgBoiZ8haPp8lZkQm1tb1SP1I/s640/1989+Switchback+View+46x66.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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"Switchback View", 46 x 66 inches, acrylic, 1989.</div>
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Here is the other:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TvSELB-LfL1ICIuLIbVQfrcMqFFnrrKRmPQd7EhTDbzu4Fe6fmgN8W1rCd9J_VxZkGXG5n-xQ1nA6XheyUVmBHcLfVu4p7BgpO8OQLbMTHJT0MwORTewxnGESBap9zaXMPv7MSMctws/s1600/1986.+Winter+Pass.++36x48%2522+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TvSELB-LfL1ICIuLIbVQfrcMqFFnrrKRmPQd7EhTDbzu4Fe6fmgN8W1rCd9J_VxZkGXG5n-xQ1nA6XheyUVmBHcLfVu4p7BgpO8OQLbMTHJT0MwORTewxnGESBap9zaXMPv7MSMctws/s640/1986.+Winter+Pass.++36x48%2522+copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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"Winter Pass", 36 x 48 inches, acrylic, 1986.</div>
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It is extremely rewarding when that happens.</div>
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<br />Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-42488534336198824082016-07-05T11:39:00.000-07:002016-07-05T11:39:09.881-07:00Trees turning into PaintingsI am just packing to drive up to Edmonton for my exhibition there, "Totems", opening July 9, this Saturday at the Scott Gallery. There will be lots to see on the way, some of my favourite scenery and sources of inspiration.<br />
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To elaborate on how 'trees' can become paintings, here is an example of what can happen.<br />
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This:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FfWhmwSqTmOXcxLpOkYXUL0q8EttVvFeI0vvvPqFswoKCnLQKm-R_m1_6OND5CoI9FupyoG4EplOkyajUlgXXkh0P71DAyOU16bXjMG4FX9YCCr9AZXz0aLRIEdgAfL5t5IFSymJLF0/s1600/IMG_1603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FfWhmwSqTmOXcxLpOkYXUL0q8EttVvFeI0vvvPqFswoKCnLQKm-R_m1_6OND5CoI9FupyoG4EplOkyajUlgXXkh0P71DAyOU16bXjMG4FX9YCCr9AZXz0aLRIEdgAfL5t5IFSymJLF0/s320/IMG_1603.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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can become this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtzx6I03kNQNm-Mo3-98dBRawxDLOmr54AK3phfA4rEy4rBe-0ZuuOVeo-nSlVhANWgrP7U9Yp-clEBs8xbVOLYs2invjSjzDfGAKgO3aHRRgjpTKtPWkJoYlN6zfNuGysCDIW2wgsTI/s1600/2.+Sentinel+50x30in+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtzx6I03kNQNm-Mo3-98dBRawxDLOmr54AK3phfA4rEy4rBe-0ZuuOVeo-nSlVhANWgrP7U9Yp-clEBs8xbVOLYs2invjSjzDfGAKgO3aHRRgjpTKtPWkJoYlN6zfNuGysCDIW2wgsTI/s320/2.+Sentinel+50x30in+2012.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
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Or this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyYLUqxgxGlc1Z551NvGnKD_SJsZCl5Nb5X4MqM18eF20RpmRNZpnLIeFzWHt_fHv47-SuiIexKkSNbU7-MuTRagIRE6q_C-kDL2wl38smxsyIi8KYAZ_KofGiMxxk6Njz0heyUD2jJ8/s1600/IMG_1247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyYLUqxgxGlc1Z551NvGnKD_SJsZCl5Nb5X4MqM18eF20RpmRNZpnLIeFzWHt_fHv47-SuiIexKkSNbU7-MuTRagIRE6q_C-kDL2wl38smxsyIi8KYAZ_KofGiMxxk6Njz0heyUD2jJ8/s320/IMG_1247.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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could become this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFoQE9Q0-fCG789uD6haqiA7I6AZmAkVE0J1yUtU_ka0xWpgMJ9U3pbfTzvTW051msiKmS8b8eGFoB2HM9w3GdXti-GWDqsEfgflQheylchu42OlqYQBKaQtejsPsXKASgJsHI8e-gIY/s1600/8.+Guest+50x30%2522+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFoQE9Q0-fCG789uD6haqiA7I6AZmAkVE0J1yUtU_ka0xWpgMJ9U3pbfTzvTW051msiKmS8b8eGFoB2HM9w3GdXti-GWDqsEfgflQheylchu42OlqYQBKaQtejsPsXKASgJsHI8e-gIY/s400/8.+Guest+50x30%2522+2012.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-89248578524611992952016-06-27T21:24:00.001-07:002016-06-27T21:24:39.694-07:00InfluencesRecently someone asked me who were the artists I looked back on; which were the ones who had influenced me. There are so many that I can't even begin to say this one or that one was crucial to the course I took in my work. Here are a few who are presently tacked to my studio wall:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpB8ySm-eQl2SwNJqCSYAjKmVOIji1Zv-2ibaLTXoElwSqIMuSzK8jN01IHNTBdgs6dQAW3TFHH6KqdllQfmq2TwtcnLsuZD4LP0A_w-rbhIA8PQLyqHhu5H2Hw4BzTCzOea4Q3hyIxM/s1600/IMG_3691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpB8ySm-eQl2SwNJqCSYAjKmVOIji1Zv-2ibaLTXoElwSqIMuSzK8jN01IHNTBdgs6dQAW3TFHH6KqdllQfmq2TwtcnLsuZD4LP0A_w-rbhIA8PQLyqHhu5H2Hw4BzTCzOea4Q3hyIxM/s640/IMG_3691.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Agnes Martin; Georges Braque; Paul Cezanne; and Paul Flandrin. You can what they have taught me, whether it be in the trees I have painted, the road trips, the lakes, or anything else. Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-39817642892266568152016-06-04T12:39:00.001-07:002016-06-06T09:06:33.902-07:00Solo Exhibition at Nikola Rukaj Gallery in TorontoSeveral years ago I met Nikola Rukaj at
the retrospective for William Perehudoff’s paintings in Saskatoon. Later on when I met him at the Toronto Art Fair, Nikola asked if I would like to show
some paintings in his gallery in Toronto. Miriam Shiell started showing my paintings in Toronto in the 1980's, and Gallery One under Goldie Konopny and Sharon Fischtein carried on with that until 2008. This seemed like a wonderful opportunity, especially to show with a gallery that appreciated the work of a great artist like William Perehudoff.<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Now I am pleased to announce the opening of a solo exhibition of my paintings at the Nikola Rukaj Gallery:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrub3FWam0xi0OlfhMMq_6XaFY7AHKpFTHan2h3FIQta7xYXK6Kbm38i6FGqyA8fIvVeRky1c1cssRrYeAQTHQG3WzhXPaKDhnCtUvAu9WVSZkZqKWX4wKWDq1pEujjsj8DMT_iff34uA/s1600/Nikola+Rukaj+June+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrub3FWam0xi0OlfhMMq_6XaFY7AHKpFTHan2h3FIQta7xYXK6Kbm38i6FGqyA8fIvVeRky1c1cssRrYeAQTHQG3WzhXPaKDhnCtUvAu9WVSZkZqKWX4wKWDq1pEujjsj8DMT_iff34uA/s640/Nikola+Rukaj+June+16.jpg" width="568" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">You can see the paintings at this link: <a href="https://www.artsy.net/show/nikola-rukaj-gallery-pat-service-abstract-landscapes">PAT SERVICE ABSTRACT LANDSCAPES</a></span></div>
Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-6957029280656763512016-05-03T09:19:00.000-07:002016-05-03T09:19:48.837-07:00"Less & More", exhibition of new paintings, opening May 21st, 2016<br />
This is one of the paintings in my coming exhibition, 'Less & More", at The Gallery/art placement inc., in Saskatoon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJMHoxRUjNt0Yax2LW9MgM330b2PA34Bm_CAeCJeSpYxoAyOTFyG_EhRbSMF4llJ7B_2Qfm39ev3XJL8TWwQbT42SyY1wz7USU1rRWHlsLfo1oqG1bUdTJvlsFpHy_GCJV4YSGzUPniE/s1600/Turn+Around+42x42%2522+15.10.B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJMHoxRUjNt0Yax2LW9MgM330b2PA34Bm_CAeCJeSpYxoAyOTFyG_EhRbSMF4llJ7B_2Qfm39ev3XJL8TWwQbT42SyY1wz7USU1rRWHlsLfo1oqG1bUdTJvlsFpHy_GCJV4YSGzUPniE/s400/Turn+Around+42x42%2522+15.10.B.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>
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"Turnaround", 2015, 42 x 42 inches. acrylic on canvas<br />
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Levi Nicholat, one of the new owners of the gallery, has written an essay about the paintings, showing an understanding of where I started from in my painting, how I have progressed over the years, and where I am now. The whole essay is available on their <a href="http://www.artplacement.com/gallery/exhibitions_images.php?ex_id=193">website</a>, but I quote from it here:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">"Interestingly, while Service has spent more than a decade exploring a simplified aesthetic, her very recent paintings demonstrate a swing of the pendulum back towards a more lushly impressionistic approach. Features in the landscape are once again more detailed, space is more complex, and there is generally more going on; however, these elements are now contrasted against areas of flat colour and crisp, graphic lines--the signatures of her reduced works. Rather than a return to a previous style, these paintings are actually a complex synthesis of stylistic idioms in the continuing evolution of Service's artistic practice."</span><br />
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<br />Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-6378364818870972962016-04-25T09:48:00.001-07:002016-04-25T09:49:35.049-07:00BaaaThe owner just sent me a photo of this painting in his office. What a nice surprise it was to see it after all these years! The sheep looks very comfortable in that setting.<br />
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In the mid-80's I had a lot of fun using animals as subject matter for my paintings.Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-51697466466470199652016-03-21T09:59:00.000-07:002016-03-22T21:50:45.950-07:00Going Somewhere?<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Although we haven't been in each others' studio for many years, it is curious that my friend Loraine Stephanson and I are both putting roads in our paintings. Roads are something I used to ignore because they seemed hard to integrate into the composition and also because they are man-made, uninteresting. Now roads are almost central to the painting. Here are two small paintings from a few years ago, while the two bigger ones that you can't see properly are from this year. Sorry that they are upside down and partially out of the picture.</span><br />
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Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-31067148776749063562016-02-25T08:21:00.000-08:002016-02-25T11:03:57.765-08:00MemoriesYesterday there was a memorial gathering at the Art Gallery of Alberta for the artist Douglas Haynes, who passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago. I wish I could have been there to join the others in remembering the many ways in which Doug was a part of our lives. He gave me so very much encouragement when I first met him at Emma Lake in 1980, and in subsequent years. Even today when I am working on a painting, I wonder, what would Doug think of this?<br />
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In those days we used to have great studio visits. This is Doug, myself, and Scott Plear on Thormanby Island studying some watercolours painted that day. The photo is a bit fuzzy, but it was 35 years ago!<br />
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<br />Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-71637123361772313492016-01-12T17:56:00.002-08:002016-01-12T21:09:06.814-08:00Paintings Hanging at the University of Saskatchewan President's ResidenceIt was a nice surprise recently to learn that two of my paintings are hanging in the renovated residence for the president on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon. This is a link to the article in the Star/Phoenix newspaper:<br />
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<a href="http://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/local-arts/collecting-saskatchewan-u-of-s-presidents-residence-showcases-best-in-prairie-artwork">http://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/local-arts/collecting-saskatchewan-u-of-s-presidents-residence-showcases-best-in-prairie-artwork</a> <br />
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The big landscape "Whereas", 55 x 80", was painted in 1994. At that time I was starting my canvases in acrylic paint and finishing them with oil paint. I liked to get a big start with the acrylic, but could achieve more subtlety with the colour by finishing with oil. (Technically, you cannot start with oil and finish with acrylic because the paint would not hold very well. But as long as you gesso the canvas first, the reverse is fine.) Here is my photo of it:<br />
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When you scroll through the video, you will catch a glimpse of another painting I donated to the university, my "Far Out Chickens". I don't have a proper photo of it, so here is a photo from the video:<br />
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This acrylic is 42 x 56 inches and was painted in 1986. For a few years I had a lot of fun using animals as subject matter. </div>
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<br />Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-87774724930958563262015-12-19T12:09:00.000-08:002015-12-19T12:09:01.996-08:00Cheap BrushesThese are the cheap brushes that I use for mixing my colours. I put some paint into a container and use a plastic spoon or a little whisk to get started, but in the end I grab a brush like this because it does the job so well. Recently I realized I could actually apply the paint to the canvas with them also. However, there is no pleasure in the application; it is quite scratchy and rough. A good brush with good bristles slides over the canvas in a luscious way. <br />
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Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-52781376648475096622015-09-22T21:32:00.000-07:002015-09-22T21:38:01.099-07:00Happy FriendsJane Crow took this photo at the opening of my exhibition in Calgary on Saturday. I met both these two good friends many years ago at Emma Lake, the professional artists workshop in northern Saskatchewan. Barbara Ballachey, when she is not voyaging around the world, lives and paints in Calgary; she and I have travelled many times together to attend exhibitions in New York and London. Michael Matthews hales originally from Calgary, but he and his partner Jane, also a painter, do their creating part of the year in Harrogate, B. C. and the other part in Syracuse, New York. They both also travel extensively, and took the time to join us last fall to see the Matisse Cut-Outs Show at the Museum of Modern Art.<br />
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<br />Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-12426529390408056482015-09-17T13:31:00.000-07:002015-09-23T17:33:54.782-07:00'Round About Midnight' ExhibitionI am off to Calgary for the opening of my show there on Saturday (September 19, 2015) at Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art. The paintings are not of any particular place; they are more about memories of different occasions and moments. However, it is hard for me to believe when I first visited this particular lake in Northern Saskatchewan what it would be the start of:<br />
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Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718011786606566712.post-11633741289541693152015-07-21T11:29:00.000-07:002015-09-23T17:35:07.879-07:00Slim Aarons, Legendary American PhotographerIn the Globe and Mail recently, the daughter of a famous American photographer shared stories about working and travelling with her father, Slim Aarons. He photographed famous Americans enjoying the good life in luxurious settings such as Beverly Hills, New York, and Palm Springs. <br />
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Here is a photo he once took of me enjoying 'the good life', at The Triangle workshop in Upstate New York:<br />
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P.S. The painting isn't finished yet and I look exhausted!</div>
Pat Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483970796454632702noreply@blogger.com