As I post blogs about early works, I only have access to paintings in my collection, which are mainly ones I was practicing or that didn't work out. In fact I was selling paintings almost from the get go, thanks to my Mom who was kind of an agent of sorts, and some friends and family with interest in art. I suppose I sold about 50 or so paintings over the years including a few through galleries in London Ontario. A lot of my best efforts from the early days are out there hanging on walls.
This was a gift I gave to my sister, it was based on a photo from Queen's University in Kingston Ontario. This seemed to be a popular building, it may have a pub in the basement hence its popularity. It is still hanging in their house in Carp Ontario. I didn't have raw umber back then (I just got it this year), but that dark brown colour is exactly raw umber. I probably made it up using alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, and aureolin yellow. The shadows were with ultramarine blue and rose madder genuine. Now a days I would use phthalo blue red shade and quinacridone purple to make the shadows, and of course, raw umber for the browns. 10 x 12"? cold press, watercolour, 2001?
Not many people will recognize this, it is a house that belonged to the late Bob Tomalin, who was a good friend of my Grandfather Tom. They used to drive around town delivering meals to elderly people (Meals on wheels) and became good friends. Bob asked me to paint a picture of his house (using a photo) which he put in a frame and hung in the apartment. I remember he thought it was nice, but the driveway looked like water! If I could go back and give myself some advice, I would say, go to the location, don't work from photographs. At least the result was okay. Bob continued to write me letters for awhile, and I would reply, and I visited once to see the painting hanging on the wall. 12 x 15? cold press, watercolour, 2001?
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