Art Latest: “We’ll Run Riot…” Riot Of Colour in the Distillery District

After a break for Summer the blog is back! New photographs, in particular new Photoartistry, new art on which I have been working very hard. I have some new work in my brand new artstore which I invite you to visit and check out. More about the artstore in a bit.
Now we are into Fall/Autum with the nights evening drawing in and it ‘s getting dark earlier and it’s still dark in the morning…it’s the perfect time to brighten the world with some rich colours and what better way to do that than with vibrant art. Art has a beautiful way of lifting our spirits and I while I do my best not to dwell too much on what the media throws at us each day it’s impossible to entirely avoid it, unless you live under a rock. One of the ways I like to counteract the negativity is to create and share my photo art to inspire us all that, despite what it may seem like, we live in a beautiful world. Sometimes we have to slow down, look around and deliberately find that beauty, however it’s there… never too far away. It can be found in a smile, in music, in humour and especially in connection – with who we are and with others. In fact, I’d say art (and artists) are needed more than ever, not to withdraw from into ourselves but to remind ourselves and our fellow humans about what really matters.
“We’ll Run Riot…” as well as being the words of a song that is always running through my head, is a celebration of energy and colour and… bright! It’s a composition made from several of my photographs. This one it was round about five photographs along with many different layers of textures, overlays, paint, splatters, coffee stains, drips, typeface, grunge, brushwork and much more. Each element is on its own layer, from the textures to a blob of paint, to a scribble and chosen to interact quite differently with the other layers. Each layer may invoke or represent a feeling. And that feeling can be anything you want it to be, joy, exuberance, energy…whatever you want. Each time you view it there will be something new to look at, something to notice for the first time or to ponder. And while we ponder art, we give it our entire attention. Try it.
Whether it’s music or gazing at at art, it grabs our attention until we fully experience it. I think for just a little while (or a long while) as we ponder, we forget the crappy stuff, the media, the endless negativity, the fears we are trying to fight and simply shut it all out to embrace the art and the moment. We are so fortunate to be able to to this. It’s precious and we should do it, go to that place every chance we get.
So, Toronto’s Distillery District is historic and great, and full of sharp angles. I changed some of that in my composition. I warped and distorted the angles, painted a watercolour, and even blurred things to make them softer even as they play their part in this riot of colour and energy. I deliberately created a glorious stir of patterns and grunge. Life isn’t neat and tidy, sometimes it’s messed up, crazy and perfect and imperfect all at the same time. Nothing is ever quite what it seems. But then, you never know quite what you’ll find either.
As I write this I am thrilled to announce that my 12 x 12 Facemount to Acrylic art print arrived from my new printers! It is so gorgeous and vibrant, with so much lovely detail, I nearly swooned. I regularly print and sell my work, however this thing of beauty has to be one of the most beautiful things to behold. It’s another reminder that while we artists show and share our work on-line, and it looks wonderful, the actual physical pieces are 100x more beautiful… and so much more real. Like hearing a musician through earphones then experiencing them when you see them live in concert. Something like that anyway.
New Art Store!
Earlier I mentioned my new Artstore. I’ve been building it all summer and it’s finally open and ready for business. You can order fine art prints from the gallery – and even see what they’ll look like on any wall in your home or business with the Wall Viewer. Neat! A variety of finishes on heavy fine art paper, a very cool metal finish, facemount to acrylic (which is simply stunning, that’s what I’m holding below) and several other options makes shopping for cool art as easy as it gets. Please visit the store and check it out, order some wonderful art – it’s quick and easy to use and I think you will like it.
My Print arrived! And it’s gorgeous!
