Portraits
My interest in portraits is to see what kinds of bases I can work on. Sometimes a collaged background, sometimes on pages from a book, sometimes on mylar (a wonderful, translucent plastic paper).
It's a bit of a sidebar but something that bubbles up regularly.
It's a bit of a sidebar but something that bubbles up regularly.
Waiting, walking and thinking
In 2018, I was at a bus stop within a subway station and saw this man with a gesture I found intriguing. Is he happy, sad? What is he thinking about? I like the open-ended nature of his expression and way he is standing/walking.
This is one of the largest paintings I have undertaken - five feet by 21 inches, so it took some time to feel comfortable working at that scale and getting everything to come together. Acrylic paint on mylar paper.
In 2018, I was at a bus stop within a subway station and saw this man with a gesture I found intriguing. Is he happy, sad? What is he thinking about? I like the open-ended nature of his expression and way he is standing/walking.
This is one of the largest paintings I have undertaken - five feet by 21 inches, so it took some time to feel comfortable working at that scale and getting everything to come together. Acrylic paint on mylar paper.
Thoughtful Girl
A photo came to me quite a few years ago of a girl walking with her family in the forest. Northern Ontario, bright sunlight reflecting off the snow remaining on the ground. Her look of quite thoughtfulness stayed with me. Through many starts and stops I eventually brought it to conclusion in 2025. It transmîts a peaceful vibe of slowing down in a world that is rushing all the time.
Acrylic paint on mylar paper.
A photo came to me quite a few years ago of a girl walking with her family in the forest. Northern Ontario, bright sunlight reflecting off the snow remaining on the ground. Her look of quite thoughtfulness stayed with me. Through many starts and stops I eventually brought it to conclusion in 2025. It transmîts a peaceful vibe of slowing down in a world that is rushing all the time.
Acrylic paint on mylar paper.
Uncle Fred
Portrait of my great uncle Fred Walker of Bobcaygeon, Ontario. As a child, we used to stay in Bobcaygeon visiting him and my great aunt Mae. I was very young so never really knew him as a person. But two things that were handed down ended up in this painting. His portrait is on a collaged background of 1940 invoices from the general store he ran there. Below is a model of a Muskoka boat that apparently he used to build such boats. It was a unique exercise to paint someone I knew, but really did not know.
Size: 24 by 37 inches. Collage and acrylic paint mounted on plywood.
Portrait of my great uncle Fred Walker of Bobcaygeon, Ontario. As a child, we used to stay in Bobcaygeon visiting him and my great aunt Mae. I was very young so never really knew him as a person. But two things that were handed down ended up in this painting. His portrait is on a collaged background of 1940 invoices from the general store he ran there. Below is a model of a Muskoka boat that apparently he used to build such boats. It was a unique exercise to paint someone I knew, but really did not know.
Size: 24 by 37 inches. Collage and acrylic paint mounted on plywood.