My iPad as my Preprod Tool

I've started using my iPad for some preproduction sketches and idea development. It's really useful when I'm taking a break, I find myself doing stuff... working, planning and researching. I know some apps are lame but there are some that work good as sketchbooks. Sketchbook Pro by Autodesk is a good drawing and paint program. Combined with a Targus stylus it's like drawing with charcoal or a paintbrush.

It really is helping to centralize and organize my work.


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Finishing my First Large Canvas

Really, it's my second large canvas, my first was a 2d design assignment for a foundation study class at OCAD. It's taken me the 4-5 months of actual painting on canvas and just over a year of prep work.

The prep work felt like a lifetime to complete, I know this pre-reconstruction time was for many canvases and has spawned many ideas for future paintings. It's hard to judge how much time future paintings will take.

During this preprocess I talked to different people about my ideas on abiotic oil, protein diets and I became to frustrated when discussing these topics. I knew their point of view was from the mass media and orthodox. Things started to click after one heated discussion about abiotic oil. I knew I had had my first subject matter.

My recent research seems to point to the fact most people believe in antidotes and throw away facts. Maybe I can use this knowledge in my art career.

Around the time I started painting five months ago I began teaching a couple of life drawing classes at Cambrian College. I became aware of the immediacy of the students work, this helped me with my own painting causing me to concentrate on idea and putting technique in the back seat.

The goal became getting the painting done. Don't hesitate, just work. The painting was done mostly in longer sittings and a few days of touching up.

The final touchup happened Easter weekend, and took about two hours. I sat down and was shocked after it was finished. Could I take it further? Maybe. Will it add anything to the idea? I doubt it. Anyways the enhancements would all be technique. This is something I know will happen naturally in future paintings.

Next...

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How to Take your Own Advice

About 20 years ago, I was taking to an old friend about her writing aspirations and goal of being a novel writer. She’d get together with her writing friend and go over short storey ideas on how to progress with their careers. She could write better and beyond anybody I had ever met.

Our conversation started with her lamenting on how she was going to be a novelist one day and everything was going to fall into place. Although I had the attention span of a gnat and couldn’t give this person’s writing the attention it deserved (I’m a visual artist, not a writer), I could see clearly the leap she had to take.

“Why don’t you just write a novel” I suggested.

Her initial reply as I remember it was one of shock and… “It isn’t that easy”

As the conversation went on I told her some ideas like that her first novels might be short, suck and be painful to write… but after she wrote them, she would be a novelist (being published is another concept). With a furry I’d never seen in her, she wrote a seventy pager, then another longer and another with the third with a page count well over a hundred and thirty. She told me her writing on the third book was far better and stronger. That’s about the time we parted ways and I hadn’t heard from her in years.

We reconnected online a few years ago and I saw she had published a few novels and congratulated her. She had surpassed anything most artists achieve in their aspirations.

I told this story many times since then as inspiration for friends, students and especially myself. I often wondered if she remembered the conversation we’d had twenty years ago?

As it turned out a few months ago she dropped me a note and thanked me for that little conversation we had. I’m sure she would have realized this on her own.

Why is this an “important anything”? Stroking my own ego? No.

I think about this idea as I do my own art. I tell myself… “Finish this first big piece, then another and another.

Update

The Continuing saga of getting this art thing done

My entries are few and far between lately. But I have been working. Over the last year I have:

1. found a direction (the biggie)
2. found a size / format to work in.
3. got ideas for many pieces
4. started my first large canvas and completed and underpainting

My New Studio

I moved into my new studio on April 1st. It’s s more than 15x24… 360sq ft…wow! I’m planning on some large canvases so the space will get used.

I have started reading an old painting book from 1924. It’s funny to see the artist’s perception of modern art. Most believe most realists today would find his views quaint and naïve. The book is called “Oil Painting Techniques and Materials” by Harold Speed.

I think I am starting to get a grip on the alla prima technique. I think it is not explained well enough in most books. The key seems to be the modeling of large, simple shapes and planes. Most artists with enough experience to draw details will have difficulty with this. I am avoiding all details in my future reproductions. I know this discipline is the key.

Oh yeah, I am currently reproducing a series of works by masters. The first attempt shows a lot of raw brushstrokes, the second is more refined. My third and last attempt is still a line drawing… the first five drawings were crap so I am happy to be at this point. I usually don’t have a problem with my drawings but drawing with a thin brush is like drawing with a graphite pencil, something I’ve abandoned years ago.

My Old New Studio, My New Old Painting Style

For the last month I setup a studio in the basement of our new house. My mother says I’d be happy in a 6 x 6 room, she was wrong… my space was about 5x5. The first day after I got my studio setup I found out about some space that became available downtown. I had to start painting again before I moved my studio as a good omen for the future. I managed to get a painting done and a start of a second one.

Working in a completely new style tends to take longer and you usually give up something until you master it. For me it’s the deterioration of my drawing. This is due to drawing with a thin paintbrush like some artists draw with a pencil. If I hold my brush more like a spyglass, the drawing should come back.

Story of the Falling Cadaver

I’ve decided to post my wall to wall from facebook about an event in my anatomy class at OCAD.

Fabian Hynes wrote
at 9:57pm on August 21st, 2007

Do you remember drawing the torso, you were my drawing partner and you ran out? It was the week after we watched the "fresh kill video"

Eva McDonald (Centennial College) wrote
at 8:54am on August 22nd, 2007

LOL! The thing was, up until then, I was not at all squeamish. My dad managed the lab at Sudbury General, so when we were kids visiting him at work, we used to marvel at all the specimens preserved in formaldehyde, and check out the latest thing he was slicing into slides ("This is a placenta - look how big!"). But when the breast thing happened, I suddenly realized - this inanimate piece of meat was once actually human: someone's daughter, wife, mother. I shoved the thought into the back of my mind quickly, so I could get down to business. I remember the weight of the thing - when I felt the sliminess through the gloves, I was suddenly repulsed all over again (you know the rest!). Huh, after all these years I remember that sliminess. Gee, thanks for the memories. Good times, good times.

Eva McDonald (Centennial College) wrote
at 11:10am on August 22nd, 2007

I'd love to hear your take on the torso-sliding episode. What do you remember from that course/corpse?

Fabian Hynes wrote
at 1:46pm on August 22nd, 2007
part 1

What I remember from Richard Nevitt’s (after 15 years I finally remembered his name this morning) class…hmmm. He was the most monotone instructor I had at OCA. He was a great guy and interesting but when he lectured it was like an eraser that deleted whole hours of my life.

I remember the video from the previous week where the video’s instructor was lifting the major muscle sections of the back. It was disturbing because the cadaver was fresh (red) with the fatty tissue cleaned away.

Fabian Hynes wrote
at 1:46pm on August 22nd, 2007
part 2

The week with the actual cadaver is burned in my memory. It all happened very quickly. Richard told us to choose a drawing partner and you came up to me and asked me to be yours. We selected one of the black plastic cadaver bags and started removing the body…. our cadaver torso had no limbs, head and a pelvic area. The pelvis was in very bad shape. As we were removing the body (you were on the pelvic/open bag/receiving end) you said something and left quickly.

I don’t remember telling you the rest of the story before (I must have!), but after scuttling out of the room, the body kept sliding out of the bag. Trying to hold the bag had the effect of squeezing the body out. This wouldn’t of been bad except for the missing/bad pelvic area, which had it been in place, the organs would of not fell on the floor. Some of our classmates were scrambling to help me stop the body from sliding and falling and other students were trying to collect parts that were on the floor.

Hynes wrote
at 1:47pm on August 22nd, 2007
part 3

The torso itself was in such bad condition the back muscles couldn’t be drawn. I drew another cadaver with two other students.

I’m sure looking back on it, some UofT med students must have setup the cadaver to fall apart. I remember you did tell me how the video the week before had affected you.

Ah, to be young again.

Eva McDonald (Centennial College) wrote
at 2:09pm on August 22nd, 2007

I remember you telling me the story, and me, feeling bad about "scuttling out" but at the same time going, "LALALALALALA" in my head so I wouldn't have to hear it. And to think that my dad wanted me to be a doctor - I'd have bailed after the first cadaver. Nevitt - what a memory you have! BTW, I'm going to repost your story on your Wall so your Friends can read it, because it's a great story, and I love the eraser comment.

New non-iPhone

I thought for sure I’d be getting an iPhone when they came out but it seems the cost for what it offered was really high. It’s not out of my price range but promises more than it could deliver. The features that are available seem cutting edge but who wants to be using a touch screen for input!!! It reminds me of the Atari 400 computer with membrane keyboard from the early 80’s… sad that people go gaga over old tech. I think the crackberry is a better solution with its Qwerty Keyboard but alas, again with the high cost.

Then along came the LG (Lucky Goldstar) Rumour.. with qwerty keypad!!! Not quite a smartphone but who cares! Unlimited mobile internet, email and MSN for $13/month. I’m at work on my computer for eight hours a day, my home has three computers so I don’t need to surf the net while I’m waiting in line at Tim Hortons in the morning. I’ve also picked up an 4 gig microSD card and can have a 1000 songs handy.

Recently on a trip to Toronto I had to check the weather, message someone on Facebook for lunch and send an email… the phone was indispensable. I wish they’d activate the GPS in Canada…. Damn them!!

This is my 4th cell phone and so far my favorite.

Trailers Galore

A few weeks ago I decided to buy an old 1972 camper trailer for traveling. A week prior to this I had missed out on enclosed utility trailer that I had wanted to convert.

I picked up the trailer on a Saturday but could only pull it a few miles to my mother’s house because my hitch installers had used the wrong cable and failed to test it. I wasn’t going to pull the trailer 19km back to Sudbury without any tail lights.

Since it’s primarily for traveling it didn’t have to be big… and it isn’t! I plan to redo the interior but I haven’t had time to look at it since picking it up two weeks ago… so it still sits at my mother’s house.

I think primarily a hotel setup with a bed and bathroom would be nice. Maybe a microwave, bar fridge and water cooler would be covenant. There are so many places to get food when you travel, why would need to keep so much food with you?

I do want to make it look nice on the inside and not the hack job that it currently is. I’m thinking a futon to sleep on or maybe a built in double bed. Setting up the bathroom might be problematic but I’ll have the winter to figure it out.

My Jeep can pull 5000 lbs so a tiny trailer (@ 1500 lbs) won’t make it sweat hard.

My New Office View

My new office space is overlooking the west Sudbury, which has a better vista. Our office is on the sixth floor at Elm and Paris… basically the crossroads of the old city. I can see clearly the windows I use to daydream out of at Sudbury Secondary during math class. I’d often wonder where I would be at thirty-five or forty… so it’s quite ironic that now my office is facing “the past”.

I didn’t think I’d be in Sudbury Ontario! I guess going to the Ontario College of Art for four years in Toronto woke me up to the reality of what Northern Ontario has going for it.

Cars and More Cars

Recently I joined the masses by moving to an SUV. My old car was awesome and had low mileage but I wanted something more specialized rather than a sedan like my ’98 Mazda 626. At first I considered some of my dream cars like a Miata or Mustang, but they lacked the utility of a 4x4 to go off road.

I liked the Jeep Liberty and decided that over the summer I’d keep my eyes open for a pre-2008 as this year’s model is all new and pretty ugly. It had to HAVE A SUNROOF, something I missed since my ‘98 Civic.

As luck would have it I came across one a week later and it was at a local dealer. It was a Limited model with chrome alloy rims... really too pretty for the woods of northern Ontario. I looked at some comparables but most seemed too abused.

I’ve been driving it for the past two weeks and it’s quickly become my favourite vehicle over my Civic. I can’t wait to go out in the woods in the fall. If you check out Youtube you’ll see what the liberty is capable of… not quite a mountain goat as a Wrangler but Liberty is Trail Rated and built to go off road, unlike most cuteutes.

The gas mileage is not that much worse than my old 626 believe it or not. I live a kilometre from downtown so 90% of my driving is stop and go, I get a hard 15 mpg which sucks but it seems to be the nature of living so close to downtown. I noticed this effect with my Civic and I thought it was because it was an SI VTEC.

On the plus side I live 2 kilometres from downtown which means I don`t have to travel far to get to work. I should get off my ass and walk… sigh!

I’ve added a trailer hitch on it and moved my Sony head unit over from my Mazda. Aftermarket stereos are so cheap now, to replace an OEM unit would cost much more! I was reading in a forum that the 6.75" factory speakers had amazing bass… I was wowed by this fact when I had a listen myself! On the down side, the midrange response is slow and not as clear as I'm used too. I have to find some aftermarket speakers with the same base!!!

As for the utility... I took some spring cleaning… 7 large bags, and 3 buckets of crap to the dump this morning and I still had half of the space available in the back. The rear seats take up much space but after you put the seats down, cargo capacity increases to match other vehicles in it`s class.

The major features of the Jeep are..

tire pressure monitor
sun roof
17" chrome rims
upgraded interior with AU trim
cargo organizer
body colour fenders

“Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl” ~ My New Job

I haven't written in my Blog lately because of my hectic schedule. Since my last post I have taken a new job and left my company CyberSudbury which I was a partner in since 1995. I have also been busy renovating the house and started teaching a full class of 12 people at the Art Gallery of Sudbury on Tuesday nights.

My new job at Osprey Media is very cool, I still do web graphics but it's more specialized and I work with twelve other people. Our office is on the 6^th floor overlooking Elm street downtown. Other changes in my work day include getting up at 7:00 to get to work for 8:30.... along with more interaction with more staff.

The house is a mosh pit of renovating, planning trying to figure out how it's going to fit into the future. I'm hoping the whole thing is resolved before Christmas.

I've included photos the view outside of our offices on the 6^th floor.

Artist - Part 27 - My Filberts Came in Today

My 15 new filberts came in today.. 2x #12, 2x #10, 3x #8, 3x #6, 3x #4, 2x #2. I emailed for three no. 2 but received only 2. At least I wasn't charged for the mistake.

The madness of ordering new brushes was due to the lack of filberts in my painter's arsenal. In the workshop I took last month the brushwork required the use of the this bastard son of the flat and round. In theory I should be able to avoid using my old brushes... this is exciting, almost like flying on a trapeze without a net.

I find most breakthroughs with my artwork happens this way, and I see this in my students when they are learning. I believe the difference is; as an artist I push and push until I achieve what I set out to do.

Now the only thing left to do is wait for some time so I can apply this knowledge. I have new subjects I want to paint but that is after I practice on some still life.

Artist - Part 26 - My Workshop with Andrew Morrow

On the weekend of the 21st of July as my vacation started, I took a two day oil painting workshop with Andrew Morrow at the Art Gallery of Sudbury. This was the first art class I’ve taken since finishing at OCAD in ’90 and I was excited because the style he was teaching was the direct method. I was hoping to add to my knowledge of the technique and fill in some of the blanks.

I was not disappointed and it was well worth the $100.

The first day I learned that my brushes were wrong for this technique; I should have been using filberts, a typical oversight on my part. I also got some pointers on blending.

When I first met Andrew at his gallery opening, he gave me some pointers on how to approach my painting without over-blending, so I wasn’t surprised when I picked up so many new skills at the workshop.

Day two I learned a lot more! Brush stroke skill, medium and paint requirements, working with thicker paint… plus a lot of subtle ideas and skills that were contrary to the way I currently work.

At one point someone asked, why I wanted to change from my current technique. My answer was that I like the precision that the direct method requires…. making an exact brushstroke with the right colour/temperature, shape, direction while taking into account composition and other variables,… it’s like being a virtuoso musician.

I find that when you take away the guesswork… technical aspects become second nature, more doors open and you start concentrating on subject and ideas. With more knowledge, you’re less frustrated with your art.

Women are Smarter than Men!

When I was in grades 7 and 8, I noticed a strange thing happening…a majority of girls were excelling faster then boys and getting higher grades. This seemed to be happening in other classes and schools (I attended 2 schools during those years 79-81).

Was I far off base… no.

The next time I blatantly noticed this phenomenon was through teaching art classes at the gallery. There was a great thirst for knowledge in my mostly women crowded classes. The few men that did attend seemed to be dear stuck in the headlights.

More recently enrolment is starting to surpass men in universities in the areas of medicine and law.

If you do a search in the interweb, “woman smarter than men” you’ll see hard stats to back this growing trend up.

I believe that men have been in control of our society in the past through physical strength. Now that we are in the age of machines and computers, brute strength can be controlled by computer; the mind will be the great equalizer. Not to say women will control 100%, but the majority will be women…. Ready or not.

Lost in July

July has been a write off for me in the painting department. I'm starting to realized that if i put off painting... it all becomes lost. So when I get back from vacation, my life becomes artcentric again.

Speaking of vacation, I will only bring my palmpilot and sketchbook with me and do NOTHING but sleep get some sun, draw and swim...

I really should think the "direction" my artwork is taking while hanging around the cottage. But then again I should not think, i need to do nothing.

Paintings by the Juggling Fool

Lately I’ve been trying to juggle all the things that have to get done, and time is getting shorter before going on vacation this month. The house needs the bathroom finished off (minor trim and relocation of the water closet supply line), a couple of paintings have to be done along with the usual nasty loose ends.

I can’t seem to get enough done. I am doing a lot of this work, so in the future I will have more time to dedicate to my panting.

A few weeks ago I was talking to a visiting artist and I told him the problems I was having with my painting… he helped me out pretty fast and I am now eager to start painting again. I’m taking a workshop with him that will be cutting into my vacation time because I’m really hoping to get more knowledge from him. Anyways, I feel the final pieces of the painting puzzle are falling into their milieu.

ahhh... I can hunt this year.

I did my hunting safety and gun training courses last weekend, a total of 20 hours! I am excited to get into the woods this fall. I figure I'll get out at least 2 - 3 times minimum this year but I'm hoping for a lot more. I'm planning to take my camera with me to get some photos that I might use as reference for painting.

I'd like to get a GPS and a new shotgun. My father gave away my Baikal 12 gauge single shot in the mid '90s when I stopped hunting. I believe I'd paid 95.00 for it in the late '80s... a fact by itself isn't significant until I tell you it was made in the USSR by the "worker" before the fall of communism. The gun could not be bought and brought in/into the United States.

Hunting VS Golf

While eating lunch last weekend with my family at a Chinese restaurant the conversation turned to the topic of me getting my gun and hunting license. I had these before in the ‘80s and loved hunting, my nephew was also interested and I was telling him about the upcoming course at the community college.

As a lark I asked another brother if he wanted to join us. He thought it was a waste of time and money and was cheaper to go golfing.

This is where my brain started swimming in its Cerebrospinal fluid. I couldn’t see any comparison… besides both being recreational.

Now people might not get this idea, but I don’t go out to kill animals or rack up a kill ratio. I have killed rabbits and grouse in the past, but not as my main goal. I would not kill a large mammal like a deer or moose.

The main reason to go out is to connect with nature. In the fall, the northern woods are spectacular. The air has a slight chill and the bugs are all gone. In Northern Ontario the terrain and landscape are breath taking. When I think of nature… I picture strolling through the woods in my hunting gear.

The golf courses I’ve been to reek of the same terraformed green grass perfection I despise. How can something so organic be so inorganic?... with the magic touch of man.

When I want to relax I don’t want to wait for tee time, I want to walk through the woods and smell the breathing air.

Pretending to Learn

When I see people learning I always see two types of students. The first student is learning but is insecure due to the lack of mastery and the second is the student who pretends to learn.

In the first instance the student is going through the motions of following the instructor blindly. In our modern society this is thought of a bad thing, conventional thinking is that there is problem if someone doesn’t “get it right away”. Mastery on any skill is acquired with time and practice, eventually the understanding falls into place.

“Getting it right away” is the point that stops most artists. I know when a student is nodding and agreeing just to not be singled out of a class. I get comments all the time about charcoal on my face when I’m drawing, I DON’T CARE! I care about what the drawing is doing, where my progress is going to lead me. You have to be able to make mistakes, know your own mistakes and correct your own mistakes… and to hell with what people think.

I went through parts of my life “not getting it”, now, as I get older, I make it a point to understand it, no matter how foolish I look.

Artist – Part 25 – Painting.... again

Wow, what a title! I’ve just completed a painting and I still have some minor retouching to do. I would like to start a new piece by holiday Monday.

In this painting the effort seemed more natural. I really want to get another studio canvas done before I go outside to paint.

Also, this weekend I’ll be finishing the bathroom by adding a new tub. If I can get the tub in fast, then all I have to do are the tiles. I’ve worked on this part of the bathroom ten years ago, so there shouldn’t be any major surprises. While waiting for the tiles to set, I should be able to start painting.

I’ve been mucking on facebook

I’ve been mucking on facebook since Steve and Ann sent me a request on the same night a few weeks ago. I just got a new scanner from a friend and hopefully will get some of our family photos scanned before the colours get too shitty.

For now i've put some photos up that I've grabbed off the shelf.

Last night I didn’t start painting until 10:20 after House MD and some piano playing. I was tired but manage to paint for an hour and a half. It seems that lately I paint better when I’m tired, but if I’m too tired I become a washout. I feel my work is becoming more fluid but I can also see where I can go back and emphasize edges and colour. I should get more painting done tonight and after this one is done I’ll set up one more still life before going outside to paint. Oh yeah, I almost forgot… besides painting I also have to get some renovations done this week.

I have included a picture of a paint box that my brother Glenn got for me when I was in grade ten. I believe he got this box, books and an easel for 10 bucks, thought his mother-in-law who got them at a yard sale. I used this paint box all through my four years at OCAD and might use it for painting outside soon.

They say it's your Birthday.. it's my Birthday too!

Today is my Birthday... yesterday was the one year anniversary of my dad's diagnosis. I've decided to celebrate my birthday for the first time in years, usually I ignore it and pretend it isn't.

I was up at 7am, went to Tony's house at 9:30 and we fixed my car stereo setup, it sounds too cool for school now. We then went to the valley to see my mother and her yard sale. After that I came home and cleaned out the car until I went to teach my private student at 2:30. I really want to paint tonight but it looks like I won't be a able to! Damn!

I must reload my ipod, too much of the music is old school AM.

Artist – Part 24 - What it takes

I was reflecting on what it takes to be a classical observational painter/artist. I tell students its patience and perseverance. No more, no less.

I never had the patience until I moved to Toronto for school. There I waited in line for everything. Classes, food, busses etc..

Perseverance is what an instructor at school told us about. A student asked him one day… “what made him an artist”. He replied… “When I was 20, here at college, all my friends were artists. When I was 30, half were still artists and the other half left the field. When I reached 40, very few friends were still painting, most had other passions and families that became the centre of their lives.”

Basically, an artist is the last one standing, who doesn’t give up on the dream and passion.

Wow… 99% less Stagnation

Like a bat out of hell last night I painted. I’ve come to the conclusion that if I keep painting I’ll achieve the look I want. The mechanics behind the technique seem to be sound, and I noticed last night that if I think less after I choose my colour, my drawing ability kicks in and the results are better. I just have to do the time in front of the canvas.

I am very happy my painting is turning out (so far). It’s really energizing and a rush.

Wow… Stagnant

My painting hasn’t been touched in four days and my work project is taking forever. I believe this is a good sign because it’s usually a tipping point where I start going like a bat out of hell.

I’m in a funky state today where my bones want to jump out of my skin; I’ve cut out caffeine so it must be a natural high.

I am also finding it hard to progress lately because I have no one locally to talk to about my painting, well… that isn’t true because it’s the narrow focus of my particular technique that is isolating me.

Learning the Piano - Part 15 – Those Damn Notes!

This week I decided to take my sticky notes off my piano. I’d already taken off the middle C to G stickers 6 months ago. They were on there good so I only managed to get off only the seven bass notes (thank god I didn’t do all the keys). So now I only have stickers on the 5^th octave. I used vegetable oil and a credit card to soak and then remove those little bastards.

I’ve since been playing and changing the octave on some of my bass chords. It’s harder to place my fingers but it’s becoming a richer experience. I’ll pickup my speed with time.

Oh yeah, I’ve been playing with the velocity sensitivity on and my playing is getting more even.

40, being forever young like Bodhi and Johnny Utah

I sometimes call my friend Tony, “Bodhi” (Patrick Swayzie) and he calls me “Johnny Utah” (Keanu Reeves), names taken from the movie “Point Break”. This works well when we pretend and talk like cool surfers. Our group is the last of the rock and roll generation… the end of the boomers.

This week I turn 40, but in my mind I’m still 18 or 22. I love driving in my car and singing to the blaring music. I still love making art like I did when I was five. Excitement for me is still going to a gallery and getting new art supplies.

I remember my first year at collage like it was yesterday and thinking.. “four years is a long time to be in school”. I loved it then and still miss it.

Maybe 40 is the new 20.... or in the case of the Rolling Stones, 130 is the new 20!

New Car Speakers and Silly Nuns

While looking for some 5” speakers to replace the front factory installed ones in my car, I found out I needed special 6x8 made for mazda/fords. I scoured the net for some but they were $$$. Then an hour later I remembered to check thesourcecc.ca… bingo! $99 on clearance for $19. They sound awesome!

Now my rear 6x9 Alpines from My Civic are great sounding but need a serious amp to run them (there’s very little bass). So, today I bought another pair of the 6x8s and will make an adaptor to put them in. I’m so crafty.

The silly nuns speak for themselves.

Insomnia and Painting

Lately I’ve had insomnia. So when I paint, I don’t feel anything, which is bad because I’m just going through the motions. When I’m excited and well rested good things start to happen with my work. I am excited with this new painting and hope to get it finished in the next two sittings.

Yesterday while painting, I put on some WKRP episodes that I recorded four or five of years ago. I was surprised they still made me laugh, I love laughing but find so little amusing lately. Not that I'm depressed, I just find everything so homogenized.

Lies, all lies.

Recently i caught a friend in a lie. What surprised me the most wasn't the lie, but the person believing i wouldn't suspect or excuse it. This is really sad. The other people involved within the lie are really corrupt and really have nothing tangible to offer.

I know a few people that are compulsive liars, do they realize most people see through them? I guess not. When forced to listen to these people my eyes glaze over and for some reason i stop blinking.

I have now a bitter taste in my mouth and my trust level goes down yet again.

Artist – Part 23 - Kicking ass and taking names

I know that’s dramatic sounding for an artist sitting in front of his canvas and easel and painting, but that’s how I felt last night painting. It all started Monday night when I had an epiphany… I have to quote Marlon Brando here…

“And then I realized... like I was shot... like I was shot with a diamond... a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought: My God... the genius of that.”

It’s an urge I haven’t had in a long time, to throw down the gauntlet and put my total devotion into my work.

Enough of waiting for my weak mind to overcome the weak body, I have to do this with only will. My body is always tired and lazy and if left to its own nature, would fall asleep and die of blood clots caused by bed sores. My mind is the leader of the less-than-dynamic duo, it will watch TV, renovate the house, worry about irrelevant world news and events…. and god knows whatever else it can dream up to avoid painting.

So sometime Monday night I decided, “I will paint one painting a week in the new style”. Besides some minor home repairs it seems a bit of a challenge but there’s no reason I can’t do it. I’ve done a lot more in less time. The key is the will.

Last Night Painting
It took me a good hour and a half to realize I had been painting without any TV or movie on.

I started also comparing my paintings to my favorite artwork from other artists. I know where my work is lacking, but how to fix it…hmmm.

My list grew fast, I now had about ten points on my list of how to improve my work. Not general fixes but exact brush strokes and techniques. I MUST CONTINUE TONIGHT.

Blogging and Water

Since I stopped drinking diet cola a couple of weeks ago I've started drinking water, lots of it. I've always hated the taste of water and I still can't get used to it.

Over the last week the water has started tasting like milk. Well, watered down milk.

Also... last week I was looking over some old Posts and realized I haven't been putting up my thoughts and should do more even if I didn't feel like it. I didn't have much to say.

Wow, this week my thoughts are in free fall.

I really want to finish my still life paintings so I can go outside and paint some scapes!

Artist - Part 22 - Something Good

Something good is happening in my art world, i don't know if it's because I've laid off for so long, or... I'm continuing from where i left off on my last paining a month ago. I seem to be on the right track.

I've included a picture of my start... a wash in the background and the two objects that seem to be turning out as i see them in my mind's eye.

I've done a ruff block in of the objects for placement on the canvas. I have always drawn with a brush and oil which is faster and easier than charcoal on canvas.

Next time I paint i'll plug in my easel light. It's been blown for six months... last week i finally found the right size bulb.

Learning the Piano – Part 14 – I Begin Again

I stopped playing for four months; it was just too weird at home. It only make sense that since my painting wasn’t getting done, my piano massacre would progress even less.

Over the last few weeks I started up again, but I decided to change the fingering of my chords so that three note chords would transition easier to four note chords. I’ve retreated to one song… “Both Sides Now” but I’m going to add others soon, now that my fingering is better. ;)

Artist - Part 21.1 - Repressed Artists... yeah, more thoughts My brief manifesto

Now, to give equally time to how positive I feel about art and life… here is my brief manifesto.

The most important things in life are learning and passion.

Simple… no?

When I draw and paint it is a constant play of drama between learning new techniques and the passion of being in the zone laying down media.

Artist - Part 21 - Repressed Artists

I find most “creative people” repressed. Although they brag about how free they are, most are fraidy cats that are scared to put themselves on the line and truly learn new things and techniques. Most are just afraid to go for anything that puts them out of their comfort zone for fear of being labeled frauds or rejected.

The only time I get scared is when something stops me from creating art. I am uninhibited as long as it keeps the paint flowing.

Go for it in life. Take your chances. Knowledge is good. No inhibition.

Chocolate Causes Acne!

I scoured the net for information last year on this topic but could only find fluff pieces and articles on how chocolate doesn’t cause acne... all without any kind of heavy duty evidence. I was suspicious because I noticed that my acne was staying with me throughout my adult life.

Chocolate, along with coffee and red wine have triggered migraines all my life. So last fall I decided to test my theory after I broke out after a chocolate binge. I cut out the brown demon and 2 weeks later I was almost acne free. I then decided to try some chocolate, bam… breakout.

I guess that old wife’s tale is based on some kind of reality. It makes sense.

I told my mother this story and she reminded me the chocolate used to make me breakout in hives when I was a boy. Gee, I totally forgot about that.

Since then I have read articles that it’s milk... etc. that causes acne, but the fact remains… chocolate is the only thing that makes me breakout.

Artist - Part 20 - The End is Near….

Well the beginning of the end is near… I hope.

I see something in my mind’s eye that I’ve never noticed before… something that should add some needed oomph to my painting.

… that’s the easy part, seeing something new for the first time, that I could have overlooked all my life.

… the hard part is being able to physically put the oil paint on the canvas the way I see it in my mind’s eye.

Some of the artist’s I like make every inch of the canvas interesting…well, I don’t. I want to.

To put it another way, whenever I did photography or video I could make an image interesting. I watch any film by Robert Zemeckis and I am amazed by his attention to detail and how EVERY SHOT IS IMPORTANT, detailed and the utmost care is taken to get it right. This first hit home to me when I read Zemeckis was on the set of Speilberg’s ET and suggested the that ET should be in the closet with the stuffed animals and overlooked by the mother as the camera pans across the stuffed toys. Brilliant, every shot and scene should be brilliant… like a painting.

I’ve done a basic line drawing and last night did a wash for some of the background, it’s taken me a week to get the nerve to start. I hope to get a block of time Wednesday evening to do some real damage on the canvas.

Father Ted, the funniest show ever on tv...

I ended up buying the three seasons of "Fahter Ted" a couple of years ago. The show follows the exploits of three Roman Catholic priests who preside over a parish on Craggy Island off the Irish coast. Father Ted Crilly (on the island for embezzlement), Father Dougal McGuire(on the island for being an idiot) and the retired Father Jack Hackett (on the island for being an old perverted drunkard who screams "drink, feck, women") live together in Craggy Island's parochial house, along with their housekeeper Mrs Doyle.

Favourite quote:

Ted: 'Dougal if you had one wish what would it be?'
Dougal: 'Ah no Ted I'm fine'
Ted: 'You wouldn't say want to have a big car?'
Dougal: 'Oh my God yes that would be great?'
Ted: 'And if you had a second wish?'
Dougal: 'Ah no I'd be fine with a big car thanks.'
Ted: 'You wouldn't say want to be a rockstar like Elvis?'
Dougal: 'Wow that would be great if I was a big rockstar like Elvis and I had a big car.'
Ted: 'And if you had a third wish?'
Dougal: 'Ah no I'd be fine with a big car and if I were a big rockstar like Elvis thanks.'
Ted: 'Dougal, you wouldn't say..want this cup?'
Dougal: 'Wow, oh my god if I had a big car, and was Elvis and had that cup it'd be great.'
Ted: 'You've never had much of an imagination have you Dougal..'

Artist - Part 19 - Painting Stuff

I started a new painting last week; my previous two attempts were not to my liking. I am going to use more walnut oil to keep the oil wet.

In my last painting I painted a still life with three sets of shoes. I achieved what I wanted technically in the last two hours of the painting. That leaves the majority of the painting in just OKsville. I know working wet into wet is the only way to achieve my goal.

My next strategy is to work section by section as to keep the paint wet as i move along the canvas.

Do I have Parkinson’s? no, it seems Aspartame is causing my Shaking!

A month before Christmas I started getting tremors and muscle spasms, they were like nothing that I had ever felt in my life and occurred when my muscles were at rest. It all started with a muscle, deep in my back twitching uncontrollably for about 5 minutes. Weeks latter my left arm vibrated for a 5 days. I thought I had Parkinson’s.

I went to see my doctor before Christmas; he couldn’t find anything wrong in my blood work or neurologically. I took his valued opinion to heart and decided it had to be something I was doing or wasn’t doing to myself that was causing these unnerving symptoms.

The first thing I gave up caffeine, then ibuprofen and that seemed to help for awhile but over the last month it started coming back with a vengeance. Hmmmm.

Last week someone suggested I stop drinking diet coke with aspartame. I hear something “is bad for you”, a few times a day so I took the suggestion with a grain of salt. But I didn’t reject it totally… I started doing some research….

WOW… aspartame is very bad… skull and bones bad. It’s been a week and my tremors and spasms are all but gone and the majority of symptoms disappeared after the first day. I’ll give it time, maybe a month or two to draw complete conclusions. But so far this seems to be working.

Lawnboy / Lawnbastard

Last summer as I was getting ready to go on vacation, I remembered that my lawn needed to be cut. So that Saturday morning with the car packed and my dog eager to get on the road, I took out the “Lawn Bastard”.

This fine piece of machinery was at least 20 years old and I got it from my father. My father rarely bought new, he was trained as a mechanic.

The grass was getting long, even by my standard. I took out the old lawn mower, pulled the cord… and nothing. I pulled and pulled… for half an hour…arrrrg! I had to give up, got the dog in the car and away I went to Golden Lake.

While away relaxing at camp, I had decided to get a new cheap lawn mower. Fast forward a week and there I was at home depot looking at the summer leftovers. The last piece of yard equipment I bought was a snowblower by Mauray… it blew. I’ve had a lot of problems with it and realized in hindsight I should of paid a bit of more money and got a better blower.

So I took the leap and bought a Deluxe Lawnboy. I’m not the type of person to buy deluxe all the time but with this mower, it was worth it. This blurb came about this weekend when I was taking out the lawn mower, I had to get a snapshot as a record of ten years of mowage.

"the last art class you'll ever need to take"

... ok not really, just over-hyping my next class in April

The Art Gallery of Sudbury
251 John Street, Sudbury

ADULT SPRING MINI-SESSION
Drawing with Fabian Hynes

Tuesday April 17 to May 22 (6 weeks), 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
$75.00 plus gst.
Learn to translate what you see into drawings. A materials list will be provided upon registration.

http://www.artsudbury.org

Artist - Part 18 - Wow, I’ve finished another painting.

It took me only 2 hours to finally complete it last night. I might do some retouching tonight, the brick background seems kind of orange to me. I was learning Autocad while doing this painting and near the end, the act of painting became easier than the Autocad program! It’s a feeing I hope will only get better.

I finished priming two canvases on the weekend and put a first coat on another two, it’s quite the process. I have to start painting outside soon and get more work done.

I might just gesso some canvases for when I want to practice, I don’t know where my stretchers all go, I might have to get some more soon.

Also, on a geeky note, my router died today so I’m going to have to replace that tonight.

The pic is of an old mouse pad that must be over 10 years old, I haven’t needed it since I got an LED mouse years ago. The pad is now in the trash.

My computers

Here is a list of the computers I've owned, my computing needs change from year to year. When I started out it was a need for graphic programs, but since '95 my graphics are done at my business. Primarily I use my computer to serf, email, burn, and learn Autocad. I’ve used AMD since the mid ‘90s because of their great price performance ratio. I’m not partial to any particular computer, Mac, Intel, AMD… I just don’t like to overpay for technology that becomes obsolete a year after you buy it.
1990
Amiga 500
3" .740mb micro floppy drive
1 mb of ram
27" sony tv used as monitor
1991
ALR 386DX 33 mhz with external cache
40 mb hd / 80 added later
5 mb of ram
14' seiko monitor -trinitron tube
1994
beige box 486DX 100 amd
500 mb hd
8 mb of ram
15" fst monitor
1996 - upgrade
beige box pentium 150
500 mb hd / 2 gig
8 mb of ram
15" fst monitor
1998
beige box amd 400 k6
13 gig 7200 rpm hd
16 mb of ram
2001?
aopen case - amd socket A 1000
20 gig 7200 rpm hd
64 mb of ram
2002
amd socket A 2400
128 mb of ram
2004
Antec case - amd socket 754 3000 (free motherboard!)
160 gig 7200 rpm hd
512 mb of ram
19" Viewsonic
2006 - upgrade
80 gig 7200 rpm hd sata (free harddrive)
1 gig of ram