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Whatever Happened to Christmas?

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  If you had asked me, when I was a child, what my favourite time of year was, "Christmas" would be the immediate answer.  The name itself was imbued with magic.  The slightest mention of Christmas would have me and my sibs literally jumping for joy.   It would have been absolutely inconceivable to me at that time that society in a few short decades would virtually banish the very name of this most beloved holiday from the public square.   But fifty years later, this is exactly where we are.   Before I launch this rant...and it'll be a doozy, trust me...this isn't coming from a place of religiosity.  As most everyone who knows me knows, I'm an avowed non-believer.  So it's not a lamentation about a "War on Christmas" from a religious perspective because indeed, much of Christmas is secular, even pagan in nature.  My Christian neighbours are even more ticked than I, with good reason.  Nor is this a trivial issue.  It's embl...
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Visions and Dreams

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  "Next Stop Oblivion" my father's symbolic final ride Nine times out of ten, the subjects of my paintings are drawn from direct references, typically historical ones.  What I've discovered at many art shows over the years is that people seem to connect with paintings that reflect actual places at actual points in time.   Thus, "That's Yonge Steet circa 1925" is a more satisfying response for most enquirers than "Oh that's just a made up place". "Carnival Night" 1984 But from time to time a certain vision for a piece just pops into my head, and I find myself compelled to devote some valuable painting time to it.  It's an itch that needs to be scratched...even if the resulting work runs the risk of being relevant to nobody but me.  "The Haida's Lament" one of my earliest paintings I think it's important for art to connect on a human level with someone else.  Even if the meaning of the work isn't self-evide...
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The Dreaded Outdoor Art Show

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There are a few things in life that I consider to be high stakes gambles.  When I worked in television, it was that off-cited thing to avoid...usage of kids and animals in a production.  If it succeeded you were going to have gold.  But if it failed, and they refused to cooperate, you could have a nightmare on your hands.  Much of the same all-or-nothing dynamic applies to the outdoor art show. It sounds great in theory.  Beautiful summer day, nice stroll in the park, customers get to browse your latest offerings...all good. I get the appeal.  But these shows, for all the quaint charm they bring to the local park, are a bitch to put on for the artists and organizers.  And then there's that game changer.  The elephant...nay... woolly mammoth in the room...the weather.  Success or disaster is literally in the hands of the gods.  And you can't simply opt out last minute if the weather turns foul.  Most outdoor art shows insi...
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