Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Murano Glass Decanter on a Windowsill

Acrylic on gessoed aluminium panel mounted on birch cradle panel
16 x 12", painting #268, 2018

This past September, my wife Suzanne and I flew to Winnipeg, rented a car and embarked on a two-week road trip of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. These were the last two remaining provinces we had yet to visit of our amazing country. We did a ginormous 2465 km loop stopping in Portage-la-Prairie, Brandon, Whitewood, Regina, Moose Jaw, the Great Sand Hills, Leader, Saskatoon, Manitou Beach, Riding Mountain National Park, Wasagaming and our last four days were spent in Winnipeg. The flat terrain of the prairies with sight lines at the horizon that seems endless creates the sensation of vastness, wide-open spaces and big sky country. Almost all of the fields had been cut and harvested. All that remained were the odd bails of hay. While driving, my eyes were always scanning the landscape in a state of awe and wonderment. We did a lot of walking and sightseeing and got to see some amazing art from prominent prairie artists such as Leo Mol, William Kurelek, Joe Fafard, Victor Cicansky, Wilf Perreault, Dorothy Knowles, Ivan Eyre, Marsha Kennedy, Belinda Kriek and Andrew Valko. The only artist that eluded us was Karel Funk. 

In Saskatoon we visited the Remai Modern, a new public art museum on the Canadian landscape that opened in 2017. In a New York Times travel feature it was listed at #18 of the "52 Places to Go in the World in 2018". The museum replaced the Mendel Art Gallery that closed in 2015 and now houses the Mendel's art collection. Main patron, Ellen Remai has gifted the museum with an extensive collection of Picasso wood-cut prints evaluated at 20 million dollars. 



bottom- myself, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The photographic studies for this painting was taken in the gift shop of the Remai Modern. It was a technically complex imagery to undertake. I had to make several adjustments, edit and improvise many sections in order to achieve a composition to my liking. The art glass is a Gage Murano glass decanter. Also on display from this collection were drinking glasses and an open face bowl. 

Part of a group exhibition at the Fog Forest Gallery
THE WORLD IN SOLEMN STILLNESS LAY
NOVEMBER 20, 2018 – DECEMBER 31, 2018

To acquire this painting please contact:
14 Bridge Street, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5
Phone (506) 536-9000