Highlights of 2018
I will state emphatically that this has been a very busy year which has been filled with many late surprises. A year-end review of the most important pieces seems to be in order. The year provided many opportunities for me to stretch as an artist through commissions, both in Canada and abroad. I was able to connect through abstracts, Giardini and Icons. Three particular commissions, all involving the Giardini series made me realise the special place these works hold in the hearts of their owners. Seeing the expression on their faces after placing the pieces never gets old. It is a gentle reminder as to why I paint.
Pensiero Bello 54” x 54” Acrylic on canvas
"Per Lei" is the title of a 36x72 brilliantly-coloured Giardini that found a home in Pittsburgh. A west-end Montreal home is the site of another 36x72 "Nuova Gloria". A softer, more subtle 54x54 Giardini (Pensiero Bello) adorns a wall in a beautiful east-end Toronto home. These pieces were all painted and placed in the autumn of 2018, and seemingly came all at once, out of the blue. What is interesting is that they all wrote to me to express the happiness and joy they derive from the work.
I cannot begin to tell you how humbling it is. And how heartwarming.
I was called upon to participate in a "Soiree" as one of the "headliners" for a quartz company called Han Stone. Little did I know that November 22, 2018 would turn out be a magical date in my career as an artist. I had to pull out all the stops to fulfil the obligation. The venue was superb, the music cool and the food and drink top notch. The art had to spectacular.
The abstract pieces named for two new quartzes in the Han Stone product line had to reflect the elegance and sophistication inherent in polished stone. I chose two 48x48 canvases and a monochromatic palette. These pieces possibly point in the future direction of my freestyle abstraction.
Portofino 48” x 48” Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
The circular piece, painted especially for Han Stone hangs on a concrete wall in the central showroom. In it, my entire experience for the strange but wonderful year that 2018 was is expressed. New Atlantis summoned my work to new heights, new aspirations. In a sense, the globus suggests all that is possible, and nothing impossible.
When I dare to allow myself to ponder where my work is on this planet- I feel the tremendous weight of the rare opportunity afforded me.
The year ahead looks busy and promising beginning with Hazelton Gallery in London, England and possible shows in Collingwood (Bright's), New York, and Miami.....I'll keep you posted.
I would like to thank all of the people who support my work throughout the world. My gallerists and reps are second to none.
I would like to thank J.M.Centeno, curator and special assistant.
I especially would like to thank my family as they are my greatest inspiration.
May 2019 shine brightly as a year which sees the world moving toward peace.
New Atlantis 72” dia Circle Acrylic and mixed media on panel.