It's December 2024, so it's almost two years since I posted new works on this blog.  But I HAVE been painting almost every day, so there IS some work to show.  Next month, January and February 2025, I'll have a small solo exhibition in the Cole Harbour, NS library.  Maybe I'll start with a few pieces from that.

Harry Potter at the Deadly Narrows.  These three smokestacks of a power station are a landmark here in Dartmouth NS, right beside the Narrows of Halifax harbour where the largest pre-atomic manmade explosion occurred in 1917.  Over 2000 people were killed when two ships collided.  One of them was loaded with ammunition for battlefields of the First World War.  That's the story behind the title.

Tom Forrestall, CM, ONS, Tom was dear friend and a world famous artist who passed away last month, November 2024.  He worked mostly in egg tempra and watercolour in his style which he called Magic Realism having studied under Alex Colville and Lauren Harris Jr. at Mt. Allison University.  Tom's works hang in major galleries throughout Canada, the USA, Europe and beyond.

Taylor Maid- Taylor Swift's Eras Tour just ended this past weekend in Vancouver, so after the 21-month 'round-the-world jaunt, it's time for some neglected housework to get done at Taylor's pad.   I've given her a new duster to get started.

I Love this Place- One of my small paintings of people enjoying the Cole Harbour Library, where this art show will take place.

Good dear, good.- A mom and child play with colouring materials in the Cole Harbour library.

Lifelong Friends- Some people even get some reading done at the Cole Harbour library.

It's All About the Bus- As you pass the Cole Harbour salt marshes you'll see the Lawrencetown Surf Shop on the road to Lawrencetown, where some of the best surfing on the east coast takes place year round.  The VW bus at the shop is a landmark on the way.

Jane Kelly, English artist-  My summer reading this year included a small volume about famous art forgers.  This woman, as a teenager, was a student and later, life partner of the famous English artist and forger Tom Keating.  The only image I could find of her was a grainy black and white of a TV still photo from one of his shows about imitating famous artists works.  So the colours are only from my imagination.  I'm going to include it in the show with other samples of my portrait work.  Maybe it'll scare up a commission or two(!)

Who Invited HIM?-  Over 140 homes in Colby Village in Cole Harbour erected large inflatable Santas on their front lawns last year.  Then they collected donations from all the drive-through visitors in support of Feed Nova Scotia, the provincial food bank agency.  The title refers to Woody the Talking Christmas Tree from nearby Dartmouth who heard there was a party goin' on.  He's in the foreground.

And the Glory of Love Shone 'Round Them- One of the main streets in Colby Village,  Cole Harbour, where residents participated lighting up Santas for Feed Nova Scotia.  A couple of rooftop visitors smile down on them.

Kenguin - A little imagined piece for my show at the Cole Harbour Library.  The building that houses the library also hosts the hockey rink where Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, NHL stars, played their first organised hockey.  So I borrowed the Barbie Corvette from her movie set without asking Barb and got this lookalike Stanley cup winner to arrive early for practice while there were still plenty of parking spots.  That's the imagined part(!)

Sunset on Angela's Way- Day is just ending on the Cole Harbour Saltmarshes in this dramatic view.  Angela's Way is a little side path off the main trail over the marsh.  There's a cosy bench there to enjoy this scene.  It had to be in the Cole Harbour show!

Breakfast is Served- An early morning great blue heron looks for just the right breakfast nook, far from crows and seagulls! In the background tis he Halifax skyline in the golden hour.  Done during a speedpainting workshop then "tidied up" later.

Pretty as a Princess- A wee study of Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Prince of Wales.  That coat really sets a classic tone for the daughter of a future king. 

After the Swim- and ready to face the world.  At least that's what that face says to me.  I painted this as part of my portrait studies, so I'm going to include it the Cole Harbour show.  Lots of swimmers enjoy their pool.  Maybe she'll go home with one of them.

Queen Claire- Fans of the TV series The Crown will recognise British actress Claire Foy who played the role of Queen Elizabeth.  I'd say the background fairly burls with the name Balmoral.  It's time she saw the sights of Cole Harbour, too.

Vera after Varley- This pastiche of Fred Varley's 1931 painting will also be in the Cole Harbour show.  She's another painting from my portrait studies.  It's about 3/4 the size of Varley's original painting which hangs in the National Gallery in Ottawa.  Critics have called it the best portrait ever done in Canada (HIS not mine!) and it was even honoured by having its own Canadian postage stamp. Vera Weatherbie was an art student of Varley's. He was a member of the Group of Seven and it would appear they shared more strokes than are done by a paintbrush!

Waterfront Walkers- Here's a scene from the other harbour.  The Halifax boardwalk is a busy place any time of the year.  I tried to give this a touch of the surreal, making the people stand out like chessmen on a board. Included in the Cole Harbour show.

Marie at Ravello- This watercolour from the Cole Harbour show is a tribute to two of my favourite Danish artists, Marie Triepke and her husband, P.S. Krøyer.  It's my version of one of his many portraits and figures of her, this one in warm Italian sunshine of 1891.

Drawn to the Light -  This acrylic from the Cole Harbour exhibit  recalls one of the first elements of visual art, the interplay of light and dark.  Colour and action also play a role here.  You can tell by my selection of subjects that people attract my attention in an artwork.  I think I'm not alone.

Black Votes Matter- This was the first time they really did make a difference in the Republic of South Africa as Nelson Mandela cast his ballot. 1994 April, 26.  It's very tiny (4"x5") as it was created for a special art show of paintings that exact size.  Since the Cole Harbour Library serves such a diverse community, I wanted to remind everyone of this honourary Canadian's accomplishments and desires.

Cathy at Cow Bay, NS.  Here's my dear wife, Cathy, out birdwatching down by the shore at Hartlen Point, NS alongside Cow Bay.  She's still talking to me after I gave her purple hair.  What a woman!

Scary Self-portrait- I did the portrait of Cathy as a project during an observational portraiture course last spring at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University.  Here's another one from that time.  I've done a few self portraits over the years, but haven't acquired Rembrandt's ability to change facial expressions and keep working(!)

The End of an Era- As the Eras Tour was ending, an earlier version of the Taylor Maid painting led to a commission to do another painting of the star performer.  It was for a granddaughter of the lady who commissioned it, to I gave the granddaughter's favourite pendant a spot on Taylor's necklace.

Lean into It- The beautiful Cole Harbour saltmarshes are a treat any time of the day or year.  I was out there early one morning snapping a few photos, one of which led to this sunrise painting.  Of course I'm going to brag that it won the People's Choice award at this year's Dartmouth Visual Arts Society show and sale and sold at the opening night of the show.

McGill University, Montreal - The Canadian Pediatric Endocrine Nurses' Association had their annual conference in Halifax this year.  One of the keynote speakers is an endocrinologist and alumna of the McGill University Faculty of Medicine, so they commissioned me to paint this view of her Alma Mater as an expression of their thanks.

Halifax Town Clock-  The other keynote speaker at the CPEN conference was on their first visit to Halifax, so this familiar sunset view of The Old Town Clock on the side of Citadel Hill in Halifax was commissioned as a thank you gift from them. That's the Nova Scotia flag on the box kite and the CPEN logo on the smaller one.

Every year numerous Maritime provinces' artists support the Canadian Mental Health Association by painting and donating small (6"x6") painting which are sold on line or by auction as part of the Mosaic for Mental Health.  Here are some of the pieces I donated this year.

Lunenburg Blue House- A classic Cape Cod home on Nova Scotia's South Shore.  For Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)

Le Roi "C" Moi (Babar) To paraphrase another French king. Done for CMHA

Wayne and Garth (Wayne's World) Arrive at Stan Makita's - A scene from the very funy movie starring Candian Mike Myers.  Painted for CMHA

Taylor Swift (again!) "Coronation" A young person receiving a hat from Taylor Swift was a feature of many concerts on the Eras tour.  Painted for CMHA

La Vie en Hose- Edith Piaf fans will get this pun.  Painted for CMHA

Quizard- Jeopardy fans will recognise Toronto-based Nova Scotian Mattea Roach who won 23 straight games on the US TV show, more than any other Canadian in its forty-year history. Painted and donated for  CMHA

Erin- One of the dedicated nurses at the children's hospital in Halifax.  Painted and donated for CMHA

Each in Her Turn- Irish dancers of the Dartmouth-based Greene school of Irish Dance.  Painted and donated for CMHA

Skyline Trail- A popular spot in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  This painting for the CMHA Mosaic sale was chosen as the cover for their 2025 fundraising calendar.  It

also shows up as the picture for August.  Over 1400 paintings were donated to the annual Mosaic for Mental Health this year, so I was thrilled to have a painting picked for their calendar.

Hedgehog Frolic-  This was a large, fun piece for me, a commission for the Frolic 'n Folk pub in the Iona Heights Inn in gorgeous Iona, Victoria County, Cape Breton.  Timing was great as this month Sonic the Hedgehog released his latest full length movie- Sonic 3.  That's the Inn, of course, in the background.

Zorgi- I had fun with this one, too.  The news that the Princess of Wales had been editing home photos, like many of us, prompted me to imagine what would the queen have done?  Maybe continue her Corgi crossbreeding experiments on one of her visits to the African "colonies" as they used to be known.  This one sold last summer at the Craig Gallery show.

Theresa- A more realistic portrait here of my wife's cousin hosting us to a cup of tea in her New Waterford kitchen.  One of her sons now has the painting in his Ottawa home.

Lileag- Portraits of beautiful women are my weakness.  What can I say??  This is a dear Cape Breton friend, as were/are her parents- all Gaelic speakers and great singers.  Here she is singing during the Celtic Colours International Festival in Cape Breton.

Blueberry Time at the Murphys'- I can't resist a bargain, either.  I found a set of paint markers on sale at a local art supply store so I used them in a couple of pix including this one of some neighbours gathering blueberries in our backyard.  They got the pick AND the pic.

Snow on the Citadel- This was my first try with those paint markers.  A nighttime snowfall on the Halifax Citadel.  They're fun to use, if a bit loose.

Joel Plaskett-  Joel is a well known, well-loved independent musician, composer, producer, entrepreneur, you name it.  This picture also ended up in the Frolic 'n Folk pub in the Iona Heights Inn where he's always a welcome visitor to their stage.  A stiff. formal portrait wouldn't suit Joel so I tried this style.

Bennett and Rowe go Barefoot-  This brother and sister team feature in a number of my portraits.  Here their image ended up on a birchwood panel.  Another experiment for all of us.  That couch looks too cosy.  

Tintin au Japon- Cool cars from my childhood always turn my head when one of them goes by.  Who remembers the Citroën "Deux Cheveaux", so called because of its two horsepower engine? This one is also a tribute to the famous Japanese woodcut print The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai.  It was donated to the Mental Health Mosaic art sale.

Now to Pack that Trunk!- Another little car we loved to see was the Nash Metropolitan.  This candidate for the Mad Men TV show and her car were painted for the Mental Health art show last year.

Britbox- The Admiral-  You still see a few of these Land Rover Defenders on the roads.  The owners call this one The Admiral.    Hence the Nelson's Column in the background.  No surprise they last, with their aluminum body, they stand a better chance of surviving Nova Scotia winters.  This pic sold at yet another show in the Craig Gallery.

Car...Son- The man who bought the Land Rover painting commissioned this one.  His mother had taken a picture of him sitting on his old Renault 4.  He's from Northern Ireland so I moved him and the Renault to Stormont, the parliament of the six counties where stands the statue of James Carson.  So "car" plus "son" equals "car..son"  I know, I'm really reaching for these titles

Cathy in Grade Seven- I found this school picture of my wife and had to do a small acrylic of the image. 

Cathy at School- I often do a "value" sketch before doing a portrait.  This one is in charcoal.  It's idea is to help define the dark and light areas and how they match up with each other on a scale of darkness called a value scale.  This was done before the painting over top of it.

A.E. and P.- This commissioned portrait was for a dear friend and fellow choir camp regular.

I wondered why he had that razor clam in his shirt pocket, but he had chosen this picture of himself and his late wife.  He was happy with the result and has it hanging in his summer home, but asked, "What's that in my pocket?"

Drs. VH and SW- Two more treasured friends who each had a significant birthday last year which called for a portrait to hang in their home in County Carlow, Ireland.

MS Conducts the Choir- I may have posted this on my last post, if so, such is life.  MS is an always animated and animating composer, arranger and choral director.  Here he is directing a performance of Carly Simon's "Let the River Run"

Maybe a few charcoal portraits now.  Those are always fun to do and a great chance to work on values of light and dark.

Dr. Fran F.- This talented composer, arranger and Choral Director is also a performer and school teacher where she instructs and produces fabulous stagings of popular musicals.

RM- This lady is a choral director who performs a wonderful public service by her choral work.  She directs the Halifax Newcomers Choir which gives new Canadians a chance to participate in a community while celebrating their love of music.

Dr. HJA- You guessed it, another Choral Director and even a teacher of Choral Directors.  Hilary is a retired professor having taught at Universities including Toronto, Wisconsin (Madison) and The Ohio State University.  Retired, but still much in demand as a clinician, judge, administrator, author, editor and anything to do with choral music.  This was an ink drawing in my sketch book, so I splashed some colour on it.  The real challenge was getting a picture of her when she wasn't happily at work.

Stefan- With all of these choral Directors, somebody's got do the singing.  Stefan is a Bass in the Dartmouth Choral Society.

Hibiscus- Our daughter is an elementary teacher and many other wonderful things.  One of her great passions is raising flowers and green plants.  Here's one of her hibiscus which was blooming behind my easel.  It's hanging in her classroom now.

Sydney- I had never taken an interest in painting animals other than birds, but then there was Sydney.  His master, Alan, was a good friend of mine and when Master passed away, Sydney came to live with my Alan's daughter, my goddaughter, Bhreagh.  When Sydney went to be with his master, Bhreagh's partner asked me to paint Sydney and to show him as if he was "somewhere in Cape Breton".  So I put him, Cape Breton tartan collar and all, sitting on the hill at Bhreagha's grandmother's home in Big Beach overlooking the Bras d'Or Lakes.  Thanks to Auntie Agnes for climbing up what was then a snowy hill to take the background photo.

That's it for now.  Lots more art was done over the past two years, but this is a good sampling.  If you're near Cole Harbour or Dartmouth in January or February 2025, drop by the Cole Harbour Branch of the library and have a gander at some of my artworks.  Thanks for checking out these ones.