An Artist Muses

It was quite by accident that my wife and I stumbled upon what was to become our favorite New York park, Bryant Park. We were making a bus connection on West 42nd street when we were struck by the beauty of this perfectly proportioned gem of a green space.  What's not to love:  the terraces and flowers...the Parisian style tables and chairs...the soaring Plane trees...or the vintage carousel?  And towering over all of it, the 1924 American Radiator building (now the Bryant Park Hotel) with its stunning black-and-gold brick facade.  Bryant Park seems to epitomize that blend of urban and green spaces which NYC does so well.  We made a point of bringing the girls there on our return visit, and spent some time playing chess and other games that are available free to the public.  In winter, Bryant has both a full size skating rink and Christmas market on the terrace behind the New York Public Library. After the first trip in September of 2015 I knew I ha...

In 2017 I was able to add another type of project to my resume.  This time, it was illustrating a children's book.  I've known the author, Thom Barker, for virtually my entire life.  I remember well the first day we met.  It was some 49 years ago, in grade one.  We were halfway through the year when the teacher brought forth Thom, a new student from Saskatchewan.  She asked the class if anyone would like to volunteer and show the new lad around the school.  I thought "I can do that", and raised my hand.  The rest is history.  Thom and I were best friends throughout elementary school.  And he being a creative soul, like myself, meant we collaborated on many artistic projects during that time, most notably drawing comics and later making films.  As adults we went our own separate ways, and lost touch sometimes for years at a time.  But we always managed to reconnect.  So it was that in 2017 Thom approached me about il...

My usual source of inspiration for paintings is old archival pics, but occasionally I'll also find fascinating subjects trapped within the fleeting frames of old motion pictures.  Such was the case with this small 8 x 10 piece, "The Blizzard of '98".  Whilst browsing Youtube one day I happened upon an old film of snowbound New York in 1898.  I was immediately struck by the soft, dreamy beauty of this ancient footage.  But even more so my eye was taken by the lively activities of the people within, as they went about their daily life.  The clip is an incredible blend of men, women, children, police, dogs, wagons, snow-clearing equipment, trams and horses all coping with the snowbound streets around Union Square.  The blizzard seems to have hardly impacted the city's daily bustle.  Some moments of note:  the young boy wiping out at :37.  The wagon full of kegs at :47, possibly transporting warming spirits to a nearby tavern.  And the man...

A common occurance is for me to be contacted by somebody who's come across a painting (either physically or online) that is signed 'Rheaume'.  Usually they are wondering if said artwork is mine or if I might be related to the artist in question.  Most often it's one of my brother Ross' pieces, since we both paint Canadian archival scenes.  More than once the question's been related to Phillipe Rheaume, an Ottawa area painter who had his own gallery and was active in the seventies.  My parents actually bought a couple of his pieces, lured in as they were by the surname on the gallery's marquee. But without a doubt, the strangest one came just a couple of days ago.  I was contacted by a gentleman in Florida who had acquired a painting of a mysterious looking sailor in a boat on stormy seas.  It was signed "David Rheaume '60'" on the front, and had a simple "Dave Rheaume" on the back. Imagine my surprise, since Dave Rheaume is a na...

In 2017 my brother Ross and I curated an art show called "1917 - Canada Comes of Age" which visited five cities in Ontario and Quebec.  The purpose of the exhibition was to reflect on a year that would see enormous challenges and changes for the young nation, then fifty.  The First World War naturally dominated the show, but 1917 was also the year the NHL was born, and so I wanted to paint a piece that portrayed the dawn of the new league. The Toronto Blueshirts (or Arenas, depending on the source) were Hogtown's professional representatives in the five-team league, and they played their games at the old Mutual Street Arena. One of the things I like about history painting is the ability to animate old stories and events for which there may be almost no visual record.  Such was the case with the Toronto Blueshirts and their inaugural home.  There's a paltry photographic record of the arena itself.  And the slow exposure times of contemporary cameras ensured t...

The Black Lady Now that the calendar has turned to October, restraint is no longer required in embracing all that is Hallowe'en...a holiday that, had it lasted a little more than a couple of hours and involved a slightly higher haul of permanent loot...probably would have supplanted Christmas as my favorite time of year. I've always been a fan of all things spooky going back as far as I can remember.  The blame for this I place squarely on my five older siblings, with my brother Gene (the eldest) being the ringleader. Gene is eight years older than me and as such became the guardian of all six of us on summer days when my mom was at work.  To describe the ensuing child-rearing scenario as any sort of productive, positive day-care experience would be laughable.  It was more like a wolf pack...comprised of yapping canines of various sizes...led by an alpha-male with his own obsession with the macabre.  What could possibly go wrong? The family circa 1966.  Gene ...