An Emerging Self Portrait Of An Artist

Saatchi Gallery Online Member Competition

2007-03-06T23:07:00.000-08:00

Hello...

I'm posting this again hoping to get more people to rate my work....

I have entered another online competition where people have to rate your work. Would you consider rating mine? Just click on this addy and it will take you right there:

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/showdown/index.php?showpic=944

The winner wins $1000 pounds but more inportantly they get to show there work at Saatchi, a London based gallery....one of the most influencial galleries today. Showing work there would makes an artists career.

Please consider it. There's no signing up, any visitor can vote/rate.

Liana
xo

whodun?t

2006-10-31T17:18:00.000-08:00

Esther
silver point
5" x 7"

This is my 2006 donation to OCAD's whodun?t mystery auction. It's an image that I took in Italy of Esther during one of my photo shoots for my encaustic work. It's a nice piece and it's good to finally be producing work again. It's feels like a lifetime. I also did a small encaustic but it didn't turn out as well and the photo I took of it turned out even worse.

Erin-belated X-mas present

2006-10-31T17:10:00.000-08:00

Erin
silver point and pastel
16.75" x 12"

Last Christmas in Italy, my room mates and I exchanged names and made a present for the person we picked. I pocked Erin and she ended up pocking me. I did this drawing for her. I had finished it after Christmas but hung in to it to decide about adding colour. Well, here it is with a little dash of red....

Whodun?t

2005-11-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

Today I wrote the school to ask about how the Whodun?t auction went this year. I had Lance send in a piece I had completed last year during my Materials and Process class taught by Professor Michéle White. It's a picture of me done in oils on stained paper. They liked it so much that they put it in the opening night gala, that people pay $125 to get into. During the evening they can bid on the work selected that night and it can go to anything. The rest of the work is sold over the weekend and everything goes for $75. My piece sold for $260 which is thrilling because it is only the size of a postcard and when it was done it was as a study more than anything. The school also asked me if they could use the image in their promotional package that was ogoing out to all the newspapers etc. Of course I said yes and because of this they used my image on Breakfast Television as well as in an article in the Toronto Star. I'm very happy.

New Encaustic

2005-11-16T05:26:00.000-08:00

Well here it is. I started this one at the startof the semester and thought it was time to finish it. I may work a littl more on the very top of the mask but otherwise I'm pretty happy with it. It's the second piece that I've now done of my roomate Linda. Next I am doing pieces on Erin and Lindsay.

New Painting

2005-10-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest painting. Again, it's quite large...at least 8 ft by mayb 3 ft. I took pictures at 3 different sittings so far. It should be done pretty soon. It's great that I can work much more quickly these days. It shows me that I've learned quite a bit about colour mixing and it's becoming second nature to me.

Jessica

2005-08-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

encaustic on canvas
12" x 12"

Scholarships 2004/2005

2005-06-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm very pleased as well as shocked when I read my name on the scholarship postings this year. I not only won one scholarship for my work but I won 3 of them. One goes towards my tuition in Florence, which will obviously help.

Charles Magee Memorial Tuition Scholarship
Donna MacLean Scholarship
Duncan MacPherson Award of Excellence

It's nice to get this sort of recognition. It's very encouraging.

"Vogue"

2005-06-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

6 ft x 3.5 ft
charcoal and soft pastel on mylar

This is the second finished work from the 24 Hour Marathon. It's my favourite.

"Blue Girl In Pilot Hat"

2005-06-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

6 ft x 3.5 ft
charcoal and soft pastel on mylar

The work was drawn for life within the 24 hours. Jane came and posed from 10 pm until 4 am. If I had more time she wouldn't look so blue. I don't really like life drawings because any long pose is never very exciting. It's to hard to hold interesting poses for any length of time. Jane was great, as always, at the opening. She wore the same costume and brought a lot of attention to my work.

Sleep Is For Dead People

2005-05-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is a picture from the 24 Hour Art Marathon held at Whipper Snapper Gallery here in Toronto. This picture was taken at about 8 am, a very exhausting hour in the marathon. I could barely keep my eyes open and I was covered from head to toe in chalk pastel dust. Working in the window area was also extremely hot. I finished two 6 ft x 3.5 ft drawings on mylar during the 24 hours. It's amazing what can be done if you are working under a time limit like this. Both works are for sale at the gallery and the show is on for two weeks.

The picture was taken by: Sam Javanrouh

and more of his work coving the 24 hour show can be found on his
photoblog at: http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/

Cousins

2005-04-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

self portrait

2005-04-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Self Portrait

2005-04-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

This is the second in the series on mylar. It is about
the same size as the one of Jane on mylar. Again I am
using charcoal and soft pastels. I love this medium as
well as working on the mylar. It isn't finished but it
should be early this week. I am going to try to get
this work in a show before I leave in the fall for Florence.

Jane Close Up

2005-04-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

Jane, almost finished

2005-04-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

Here is where I presently am with Jane's painting. I
finally managed to get a decent photo of it. I am only
going to work a little more on it. Everyone who saw
it during the figurative show loved it. I even got a nibble.

Jane Two

2005-03-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

Jane Two

Charcoal and pastel on mylar
7 ft x 3.5 ft

I did this drawing on Wednesday. It is beautiful in person. This close up version shows it against a piece of wood. This one is a bit blurry but it shows the texture of the mylar better. I'll take another picture of it against a white background tomorrow show the colour will show even better. As well I will work on getting some better images from my camera. These ones definitely are not the best. This one will definitely be in the figurative show next week.

Jane

2005-03-11T21:37:00.001-08:00

Oil on wood
8 ft x 4 ft

This is my newest painting. I also think it will be my best yet. At this point it is still in the starting stages. Everything is just blocked in. There are still some adjustments that I need to make. I am showing the full version and a close up one. I hope to get it completed for the figurative show next week.

Jane

2005-03-11T21:37:00.000-08:00

Oil on wood
8 ft x 4 ft

Pin Up Girl

2005-01-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

It's not quite finished. I'm adding a tattoo on her arm and I still need to do some work on her face. This painting looks 100 times better than when I first started it.

Encaustic - Unfinished

2004-12-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

Encaustic on canvas and wood
14 x 32

Hands Holding Egg

2004-12-14T17:14:00.000-08:00

encaustic on canvas
10 x 10

Sophia Egg Tempera

2004-12-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

egg tempera on panel
12 x 8
This is the beginning of painting over the silver point. At first I tried mixing oils in with the egg as we did in class. I wasted two days trying to do this and the egg tempera would lift up when I painted over it. I wasted two painting days. Not good when your time is running out. Jane suggested that I use water colours. That is what I'm doing and it works beautifully.

One Down Four to Go

2004-12-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

So the finger painting is finished. I'm not sure what I think about it. Actually I'm not sure what I think of any of my work this semester. I definitely need to put a little more thought into my pieces next semester. All in all I do feel this semester has been a great one for learning a ton of new stuff. Speaking of that I have to go work on my egg tempera now.

Come Dance With Me

2004-12-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

Oil on Wood
30 x 60

One Week left

2004-12-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the beginning of the last week of school before the Christmas holidays. I'll be going home for about a week and then spend the last bit of time back in Toronto working on some of the work I didn't get finished this semester.

It's been a good semester. I've realized that I actually like working at the school in the studio. It's nice getting the feedback from the other students and it almost became a make shift family in atmospere. A lot of my work has been improved from the input of others.

This last week is critique week. Hopefully everything I've been working on will be completed enough to show. I think so. I feel good about this semester and I'm looking forward to the next one and starting on the drag queens. My proposal did go through.

Anastasia Pin Up Two

2004-12-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

I"m happier with this painting right now. I have a week yet to complete it for class. I'm not sure if it will be completely finished but it should be close. I hated the original background so during my last class in Intermediate painting Jane suggested this lemon yellow. As soon as I bought it and started laying it in I knew it was now working. As well, I reworked her face somewhat and it once again looks a little more like Anastasia.

Pin Up With Boa

2004-12-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

Oil on Wood
30 x 60

This painting is not quite finished. It's my last project in my
intermediate painting class. I have painted it completely using my
fingers absolutely no brushes.

Sophia in Kensington Market

2004-11-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

silverpoint on wood panal

Anastasia Pin Up Two

2004-11-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

oil on wood panel

It's just a start and there are some proprtion adjustments I have to
make yet. It's quite large, 5 ft in height. My last project in class. I
like working on the wood and may give up on canvas all together.

14 Hours of Sleep

2004-11-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

How nutty is that? I came home from school yesterday, I had a lot to do. I decided to lay down for an hour nap and didn't wake up until 7:30 this morning. I have to say I feel great today. I think my body must have needed it. Now feel motivated and pumped to get back to work tonight when I get home. I'm working on a finger painting at home, I'll post a picture of it soon. Right now it's hard to say how it is turning out. I'm optimistic.

Self-Directed Study Proposal

2004-11-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

Here is my final proposal for OCAD's self-study program that I will be handing in today. I'm excited to get started. Michele White gave me some names of artists, contemporary Canadian figurative artists to start looking at. Tonight I will write a little about one of them, Dana Holst. I went to see a show she is having in town yesterday after classes.

P.S. Thank you Ian for always checking my grammar.

Self-Directed Study Proposal
As a third year drawing and painting major I would like to participate in self-directed studies during the winter semester 2005. I would use this opportunity to start working on a series of preliminary pastel drawings as well as large scale paintings of drag queens. During the self-directed stage of this project it is my intention to produce 3 to 5 chalk pastel or conte sketches and paint 3 of these paintings on approximately 8 ft x 4 ft canvas , various sizes. The figures themselves would be more than life size.
In the summer 2003 I completed a class with Francis Broun called Art of The Northern Renaissance. Before studying at OCAD I had very little knowledge in art history so this was my first exposure to the art of that period. It was a lecture style course in which slides showing the Renaissance artists work as the backdrop to enhance the learning process. It was during this class that the idea for this project formed. My personal goal in this project is to explore light, colour and ways to create mood with the illusion of depth using the artists of the Renaissance as my inspiration in developing my own unique style.
Over the last 6 months I have already formed connections within the gay community here in Toronto and have found three people willing to pose for this project. I believe that once I have begun, there will be no problems finding other willing sitters willing to be part of this project. I intend to use lush colours and textures to contribute to the overall depth and atmosphere to the work. The idea of using drag queens as my models comes, in part from my attraction to the theatrical flair they embody as well as my interest in different perceptions in terms of the ideals of beauty.
Aside from the research I have already begun, and finding all the models I will need, I will also be improving my knowledge of the techniques used by the old masters such as light, colour depth of field and atmosphere through viewing slides, books and videos concentrating on how they worked and in addition I will also study works at the AGO. Working on this project will help me develop my personal interests in areas that my liberal studies classes to date have only touched upon but am eager to learn about. This project will also enhance my skills within the studio by working in a larger format than before by developing my skills in manipulating the material I work with, oils as well as pastels and conte. It should improve my skills in creating the illusion of depth on a two dimensional surface. Working on this project outside of a classroom situation will give me the experience of creating a body of work with a connecting theme.
It is my hope that this series will develop into my thesis work and if I am given the opportunity, I believe that I will enter my final year well prepared for its inevitable challenges. As a mature student I am very focused on my work and am happy with where it is leading me. Working on my own seems to be a logical step at this point and I feel I am ready for this.

Anastasia Pin Up

2004-11-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas

A couple more hours and this one will be finished...finally.

Self Portrait

2004-11-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Oil on tinted paper

unfinished pinup

2004-11-07T07:31:00.000-08:00

Here is another picture of the pin up that I was working on for class. It's not finished and I have been having problems with the colour in the background. It was handed in at this point. I am going to try some cerulean blue to cool down the colour. The main problem is not wanting the background to be dark and yet being able to have some depth in the work.

Blue

2004-11-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

Here is the first completed piece for our first materials and process class assignment. The project was tinting 5 different different papers with different colours, at least two per paper. The drawings don't have to be complicated but all should be varied in medium. This one I did with vine charcoal, white conte and red chalk pastel. The white doesn't show up well in the photo. Again the image is taken from a photo of my niece Sophia that was taken while she was playing in my closet. I'm happy with it. It worked with the colours I used to tint, blue and yellow.

Tony Scherman

2004-10-31T20:29:00.000-08:00

I dropped by Gallery Biblianne on my way home from doing my interview for Professional Practice. They were holding the viewing for "Art With Heart 2004". A couple teachers from OCAD had pieces there, Anda Kubis and Cathy Daley. They were also offering this limited edition print called Jocasta, from the series by Tony Scherman called The Seduction o Oedipus. I fell in love with this painting immediately and if I was rich I would want to buy it. Ahhh yes...one day. Even so it is very inspirational too me. Especially this one of the series with the white feather mask. The sort of thing I like. This work was done in encaustic and that makes me even more excited about learning to use this method later this semester in Michele White's class. Actually, I should be ready to post some of the work I have been doing in her class at the end of this week.

For information on this print visit www.artwithheart.ca or email heart@caseyhouse.on.ca

Happy Halloween!

2004-10-31T19:44:00.000-08:00

Walking down Duncan tonight on my way home from work I looked up and saw this. Someone had an unforgettable Halloween party last night.

Reminder

2004-10-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

We teach people how to treat us.

"Anastasia"

2004-10-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Chalk pastel on paper.

Anastasia and Goose

2004-10-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of my main model girl who has become a friend as well as posing for me whenever I need it, Julie aka Anastasia. Of course I can't forget her loving lizard, Goose who usually travels with her. The picture was taken at OCAD's grand opening street festival 2004.

Second Painting : Modern Day Pin Up

2004-10-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

So, here is my the start of my latest painting in class. The first one isn't quite finished but I will post a picture here when it is. I seem to do a juggling act when it comes to my work. Here I am posting the picture that I am working from as well as the first few hours of work on it. Be gentle in your thoughts or comments. The proportions are still way off...large forehead....chest too sunken in and the skin is way too days. This is still the under layer so that I can see what I am working with. It takes time for my work to build up into what I see in my head. Right now the pin up looks a bit old. My intention is to have the skin very pale in colour as well as the right side of the background and hopefully she will sort of blend nicely into it. The lighter part of the< background will eventually be a yellow...I suspect layers. I am thinking of adding a tattoo on this ones arm to update her somewhat. I like the old look with the new. Otherwise this one will look too much like an old pin up.

SUPERDANISH

2004-10-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday October 6th, OCAD hosted an informal panel discussion with four contemporary Danish artists who were participating in the event SUPERDANISH hosted by Harbourfront Centre. The artists presented their work through showing slides and and video. I have never had the opportunity to go to any panel discussions or to see artist guest speakers who have come to OCAD before, usually due to working when these events have been held. So I had no idea what to really expect. I even felt that I would end up slipping out to go upstairs to work on the painting I've been working on for class. To my surprise I really enjoyed this event and I'm very glad I stayed. The four artists worked in varied disciplines. The first artist, Mette Winckelmann a painter who displays painting with fabic sewn together as paintings in installations. She would leave holes with in the fabric pieces that allow you to see through to a painting hanging on the wall. The work was abstract with the fabric works sewn together as an extension of the painted work. The next artist, Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen works with video and computer animation. In most of the work she uses her family as her subject matter but the work she was showing during SUPERDANISH was on observing bikers during a biker festival. The second of the two was a woman biker get together and what Lilibeth was interested in was showing how the women try to mimic the way male bikers act. The third Danish artist, Nikolaj Recke studied painting but now works with sculpture-installation. He likes to work with nature showing us slides of an installation where he filled the gallery floor with clover. The idea was for people to take off their shoes and walk around on the clover and search for good luck through finding four leaf clover. The final Danish artist of the evening, Kirstine Roepstorff makes art through mixed-media focusing on collage. She started by using images from National Geographic, remembering that during childhood she used to look at the beautiful pictures found within it's pages and imagining going to these exotic and wonderful places. So now she uses images like these to try and show the reality of these places in comparison to what we are fed through out media culture. Of the four artists my favourites were Nikolaj Recke and Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen. I am hoping that on Saturday I will get a chance to go by the gallery were they are showing and write a review of the work they showing in the coming weeks. I saw it briefly yesterday but would like to go back when I have a chance and sit to watch the video.

Eaton Centre Mannequins

2004-10-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

Coming home from OCAD tonight I glanced out my window of the street car and caught a glimpse of this atmospheric display in the Eaton Centre's window. I jumped off at the next stop and went back to take some pictures and here they are. In thinking about what my process is as an artist and trying to figure out how I come to the decisions I do on what I want to paint I've realized that most of the time my ideas develop slowly by things I see day to day. I think that's why doing my process diary via the internet makes much more sense to me. If I spent the next 3 months forcing myself to sketch in a book like some artists do I realize that wouldn't be a true picture of how I work. The idea of the pin up has been an interest of mine for a few years now. I am sure that in some way my brother Lance's influence and his interest in that era has somewhat past on down to me. So when I see images like I did from the street car I am immediately drawn to them. It was dark out and lighting within the display was rich and I loved the effect that the feathers and the draping curtains had. As for the mannequins themselves I liked the impression they left on me. I seem to like the theatrical flair...make up, wigs...costumes, feathers, lush backdrops and more and more I am finding I want to paint that. As with pin ups I want the cheeky image from the 30's and 40's with a modern twist. My next painting in class will be heading in this direction.

Sophia Painting in Progress

2004-10-05T06:03:00.000-07:00

Here are the first two photos as I am working on the painting. Taken at
the start of one sitting and then again at the end. I only had about 3
hours of working time on it and mostly concentrated on the face. I'm
planning on only bring out certain areas and hopefully others will fade
out. I'll see how it goes. Its hard for me to leave things if they look
"unfinished" So this may be a test.

Sophia

2004-10-05T05:24:00.000-07:00

This is the photo that I am working from for my first project in
Intermediate Painting. It's a picture of my six year old niece, Sophia,
when she and my brother were here this summer to visit. She spent most
of her time rummaging through my closet playing dress up and having a
wonderful time. She's as adorable as kids can possibly come.

“Collecting Identities”

2004-10-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

The images created by artist Jay Malinowski emerge from a textured and layered mixture of wax, newsprint and dripping paint rendered onto wood panels. Malinowski’s work is figurative, focusing on the face developed through a series that can be viewed as a whole or as individual finished pieces. The mood throughout the exhibition is somber due to the choices Malinowski makes in his varied yet limited palette. However, there is a luminous glow within the work itself bringing to each stage of a series a lifelike essence that is unique and refreshing. Although his roots are in Montreal, Malinowski is now a Toronto based artist who recently graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from Queen’s University in Kingston. This solo exhibition runs from September 29th, 2004 to October 24th, 2004 at Gallery Bibianne at the corner of King and Sherbourne.
“Collecting Identities”, is one of the series of paintings at this exhibition. Numbered from one to nine, each mixed media work is twenty-four by twenty-nine inches in size. They hang in a row along two walls in sequence from which the emergence of a mans face can be tracked. Examining this series as a whole there is a consistency in colour, tone and with the addition of each detail the eye easily flows from one work onto the next until it rests on the final face of the sequence. In this series Malinowski uses a palette consisting of browns, yellows and purple slowly building as the series progresses to bring out the looming facial features. At first glance this series gives the impression of birth through the building of layers to the final image. One gets a sense of completion as one's eyes come to rest on the final, completed face. Upon close inspection of each individual work one begins to see how many layers are found within each painting. So instead of seeing this series as the building blocks of a final and completed face one can begin to look at it as the complicated and intertwining layers that make up each individual. In the first work in this series one can see recent news headlines and photos from newspapers collaged into a backdrop and then partially covered with layers of wax and oil paint, textured, dribbled and scraped
allowing the newsprint to be exposed in some areas and completely obscured in others. Throughout each individual piece in this series the layers of wax and paint begin to build slowing exposing the facial features while obscuring the underlying media influences within the layers until one can no longer see them in the final face. So instead of being left with a sense of birth and renewal Malinowski’s work speaks of the underlying identities intertwined in the layers within.
Malinowski’s work varies from series to series. At times building up the image through multi textured layers and at others it’s as if he is tearing them down. What ever the case may be one walks away with a better understanding of the underlying, hidden complexities within us all.

Written by Liana R.

http://www.gallerybibianne.com

My Process Diary

2004-10-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

This is my first post in my blog. I've been avoiding it thinking that I should say something extremely important here. Reality is....that's not going to happen. So here it is. I am starting this in hopes of handing it in, well at least the web address, as my 'process diary' for my class, Intermediate Painting Studio. I've never been one to be able to sketch and doodle and feel this will be a way for me to work things out where I will be more expressive and creative with. At least that is my hope. As well.....I have wanted to start a blog for a good while now and this gave me the reason to start.

Daniel's Art

2004-10-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

Daniel is a man who lives on the street, making his art and asking for
donations as he works. He told me that he was first inspired by Tom
Thompson and has done similar work in different cities around the world.
Next time I see him I'll try to get a better picture than this one as
well as ask him more about what he does. He's very friendly, maybe a
little on the paranoid side so long conversations about world politics
is not the best idea.

"Clown two"

2004-10-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

nu pastel on paper