'Tree Trunk' Paintings Sent to Nikola Rukaj

Recently 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.

'Tree Trunk 2'  30x24" 2009 

'Tree Trunk 10 (Birch)'  30x24"  2011

'Tree Trunk 9 (Velvet)  30x24"  2010

'Tree Trunk 5'  3-x24"  2009

This is me having fun painting them:

Paintings Hanging at the University of Saskatchewan President's Residence

It 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:

http://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/local-arts/collecting-saskatchewan-u-of-s-presidents-residence-showcases-best-in-prairie-artwork 

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:

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:

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.