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Solo Shows
My Victoria Day Weekend Art Show was a resounding and surprising success. Surprising, because cold temperatures, constant rain and gale-force winds did not discourage my guests from making the trip north from Toronto or south from Parry Sound. Surprising, because each day started with an unexpected visitor, continued with a steady flow of enthusiastic friends and neighbours, and ended with more red dots than I could ever have imagined. For three days my studio was “bursting,” not just with “colour” but with genuine enthusiasm for my paintings, especially my flowers. Soaring in the delight of it all, I wondered if I would ever come down to earth. Not to worry. A week of weeding, of down-on-my knees attention to my garden has completely grounded me. I watch as each day brings the poppy pods closer to their dramatic explosion. My canvas is ready and I am anxious to cover it with their particular vibrancy.
The flower, as subject, is, like a person, endlessly mysterious. As with a portrait, I search out the singular personality: the brazen demeanor of a sunflower, with its vast, veiny leaves challenges me to capture its irrepressible energy; the splayed tulips with their amazing blue/black eyes are harlots, voluptuous and sated.
People and flowers. As the weekend proved, they make a great combination. As I am discovering, they have a lot in common. I look forward to a summer of painting both.
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