life as a northern artist...bruce p cull

july 3, heat

2011-07-03T19:37:00.002-04:00

A wonderful hot day, a lazy day but nevertheless a creative day full of ideas, thoughts, the well slowly replenishing itself, I wish I had learnt this lesson when I was young. Three little birds sat in the heat and to a large extent they were dependent upon our graceful acceptance and benign neglect. The particular ecosystem that is our property, our home is the nurturing environment that allowed these lives to exist......or not.... our choice, we choose to nurture, to co-habitate.

July start

2011-07-02T13:58:00.002-04:00

Time passes so quickly, but so is the ebb and flow of life, one has to go with it, and my work often dictates the rhythms of time, the space between is as important as the thing. An artist constantly empties out and fills in. The Kennedy show in North Bay is over now, a fine show, a delightful experience, and so now onward to the next shows, Agora in New York, The Gibson Art Centre, T.A.G. in Temiskaming Shores .....
So now I observe, read, question, doubt, cringe, paint, throw ideas into space, and question further, and observe constantly, here the robins nest, there the wind , I close my eyes to have images spring into being .....

cullioure north studio, june 29, 2010

2010-06-29T20:59:00.003-04:00

An unbelievable day in the north, it feels more like fall than summer. Last week I saw garter snakes, black bears, heard the loons sing, even endured the constant droning of mosquitoes, now all there is is rain and wind.
My studio these days is cool and tough to work in, but I persist. Claire and I set up my work at the train station in Temagami, in the box cars there, unique and interesting.
Tonight I am posting an image of a painting I am using to advertise my show in Temamgami.
A cold and damp northern artist
bruce

Cullioure North, June 16, 2010, Bay Lake

2010-06-16T19:42:00.004-04:00

Such a wet cool day in Northern Ontario. I refuse to put the heat on, so I worked all day in the studio with 3 layers on to stay warm. Working on 9 pieces of different sizes. The pieces are coming along well, except for a couple, that demand me to be true to myself, they are kicking back, crying out "hypocrite". Here is a piece that I have been contemplating for awhile, and I will want to do more with the image in the future.
A soggy northern artist
Bruce

2010-06-16T19:41:00.003-04:00

2010-06-16T19:41:00.001-04:00

Cullioure North Tues. June 8, 2010

2010-06-08T20:35:00.003-04:00

A fine cool morning full of brilliant warming sunlight. The studio has no heat in it, so it too is very cool, I work in it with a jacket on.
My pieces based on "Black Sound" all coming along nicely, encouraging and full of potential.
It is so interesting to see pieces that I have done over time, to see that some hold up so well, with this essence, perhaps a truth that continues to reverberate, like an echo that continues over distant hills.
The piece is called Spirit of the Nort.
A northern Artist
Bruce

Cullioure North June 1, 2010

2010-06-01T20:07:00.003-04:00

Another month begins, sun washed warm, gentle, filled with bird song. But the nature of life is multi-faceted, the yin-yang, and so we also mourn the passing of a great artist, Louise Bourgeois. She has passed away at the age of 98, and normally one would rejoice that someone had such a long life, but this is a very mixed feeling, because she was such a great artist, and she will no longer produce other great works, and this is a great loss for us all. On another level, all of us artists can look to her for inspiration and motivation. I am so thankful that she lived in our tme for so long.
And so to work again, for the love of what I do, for as long as I can do it.
Merci Louise
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure north May 20, 2010

2010-05-20T12:38:00.002-04:00

A typical May morning, a bit cool, a few bugs. set up my Temiskaming Art Gallery Show on Tuesday and Wednesday. The show looks great! I have the official opening tonight at 7:30pm
Exciting times
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, May 11, 2010

2010-05-11T19:39:00.003-04:00

I haven't been blogging very diligently of late.
Usual excuse.....very busy
I have a lot of work to show for it.
My solo show at the Temiskaming Art Gallery is opening Thursday, May 20 at 7:30 pm. It will be a great show, exciting stuff going into it, can't wait to see it all in place. Also I have a "Diver and Loon" accepted into the summer juried show in Orillia. The opening for the Orillia show is on the same day as the opening in Ville Marie, The Bam show.
The work is moving forward the persistence has value.
A northern Artist

Cullioure North April 23, 2010

2010-04-23T09:58:00.002-04:00

Just a fine morning, cool but brilliant sunlight, the lake is calm, glassy, the bird song is clear, loud and warming. A great day to be alive.
I have been working steadily on this career stuff for a long time now. Hit and miss at times, but now I have been able to remain consistent. Slowly, ever so slowly progress is being made. This is a tough tough business, but the love of what I do puts fuel in my life. There are nights when I don't want to stop working, feel like I didn't get enough done. I have a show coming up May 20th, so much to do!
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North April 22, 2010

2010-04-23T09:44:00.002-04:00

Wow it has been busy times. I've been juggling a lot of projects, and a bit of fatigue has crept in.
Snow on the ground this morning. But the ice has long gone now, but I have yet to paddle my red canoe, I mean to do so soon. I'm in the last stages of 2 30" x 36" portraits. Also bringing along some small 8" x 8" oils. The ying and yang.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Monday April 12, 2010

2010-04-12T19:42:00.002-04:00

A cool frosty start to this day. The lake is gorgeous in the brilliant morning light. Each day should begin this way. Afterwards, beginning at 8:00am, my view was of 2 canvases that I am presently working on.. Incredible how the time flies by, 71/2 hours later I called it quits. Now I am back in my studio. I like to put in an hour after supper. The work is progressing nicely.
a northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North April5, 2010

2010-04-05T20:24:00.002-04:00

Ice is on the move!
The snow is gone!
The robins are here!
Where are the loons?
I have an India Ink on rice paper
that expresses the exuberance of spring.
A northern artist
Bruce

CullioureNorth Studio, March 30, 2010

2010-03-31T09:33:00.002-04:00

Spring ever so slowly has revealed the dark earth beneath the thick white blanket. The ice on the lake has begun to loose its cold grip on the water beneath, here and there some of the dark ochre water has managed to make it to the surface.
My work continues to make advances, the pace some times feels glacial. I have entered several competitions, as well as the exhibition now on, my next exhibition begins in several weeks, and other exhibitions are set in the future. The train is on the tracks and gathering steam.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, March 25, 2010

2010-03-25T19:52:00.003-04:00

What about this bloging thing? Who are we bloging to and for?
Well, worked hard again today, many opportunities beginniing to take shape, so much work to do and so little time.
Today I post the beginning of an idea. Enjoy.
A northern artist
bruce

Collioure North, March 22, 2010

2010-03-22T20:05:00.003-04:00

Detail of "March 2010", oil on canvas, 18" x 24"
Somemore beautiful spring like days, so conducive to doing work, getting out, recharging, refocusing. Working on several pieces simultaneously.
A northern artist.
bruce

Cullioure North Studio March 16, 2010

2010-03-17T08:59:00.002-04:00

Each day here for awhile now is awash in sunshine, each day patches of dark earth emerge through icy snow, each day the new warm energy invigorates all that it touches.
Each day patches of light and dark, puddles and ice it is such a tangled convoluted mess, it's all really fine.
I've been busy a bit, but that's good.
This painting is a reflection of all that.
A northern artist
bruce

2010-03-06T08:48:00.002-05:00

Cullioure North Studio, March 5, 2010

2010-03-05T19:23:00.000-05:00

Spring is in the air, the air which smells fresh, and wet. Unlike winter air, or April air which smells of earth unseen for months here in the north. Rhythm is very important for me, the creative rhythm of my work; the continuous, sinuous, tenuous stream of intuitive, conceptual imaginative thought. Rhythm is everything! But then the rhythm must be disrupted, interrupted, how else to get somewhere else, to be reflective. A beautiful rhythm is a fine thing, imagine a red canoe on water as smooth as glass, the canoe rolled radically to one side, and you are holding a dark paddle, a paddle given to you by a true friend, you are paddling forward effortlessly, silently, stroke after powerful stroke, along a dark green shore line, and suddenly something beautiful catches your attention, you reach out , draw your canoe rapidly to that shore, to an unexpected stop, so that you can observe this place, you can contemplate, rejoice, question, enter the well of your memories, sore to new heights. A break in rhythm. Enjoy! A northern artist Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, March 4, 2010

2010-03-04T19:32:00.000-05:00

Missing a day from time to time doing necessary other activities. Such is life.

Meanwhile I have taken this time as an opportunity to explore ideas, for example the drawing of March 1st that Greg so articulately commented on. At this time I have 5 pieces on easels staring at me, each one a bit different. One might argue they are very different. perhaps! But I am exploring ideas that come to mind. 3 are portraits, one is a landscape, another a still life. The centre piece, which is a portrait, involves reflections on gravity, gesture, viscosity, aand colour. It is very different than the 30" x 36" "Vlog Portrait", exploring different creative concerns, not least of which is that the Vlog is intentionaly flat, and the Drip Drop Splatter and Smear piece, 30" x 40", was created in multiple dimensions, and expresses those dimensions. All are unfinished.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, March 1, 2010

2010-03-01T19:57:00.000-05:00

6:30pm It was a fine winter day, only -4c, but it continues to be grey, and a slight breeze kept it uncomfortably cool. Didn't do a lot of creative work today. This morning we set up a show of my work at the Classic Theatre in Cobalt. It is always so good to see some of my work up in a particular space, hung properly, with good lighting. Also a bit disturbing because we never know how the work will be received or perhaps it will be ignored. Some of my pieces are a bit difficult to be appreciated. It's hard not to be cynical at times. The work will be up for March and April. So the optimist in me hopes for the best. So is the life of an artist. Got to draw this evening, ah!
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Feb. 26, 2010 1:00pm

2010-02-26T20:05:00.000-05:00

Another snowy winter Friday, another week has come and gone and with that regretable passage of time one piece has grown, another has been given life. Two different expressions of a creative soul reach out to be seen, understood, perhaps, hopefully make a difference. This artist sits here surrounded by the work, the offspring of imagination, reflective, perhaps confused, certainly critical. That blue, does it ring true, that shape of the ring, repetitive, is it too subtle, that tone too egocentric, will it speak to another, will it have universal appeal. Doubt, constant irritating doubt!
These pictures, they are meant to be drunk, to be eaten, to be consumed. I intend them to be a hearty meal, a bold wine, and a fine read. There is a common language here, I assure you. This visual communication, these paintings can speak to you, metaphorically, intuitively, viscerally, certainly emotionally.
Try to not stop looking, do not use the fleeting glance, slow your adrenalin enraged pulse, draw in a deep breath of cold clean winter air, then look, really look, and imagine!
A northern artist
bruce

Cullioure North Studio. Thurs. February 25, 2010

2010-02-25T19:53:00.000-05:00

8:00am
Cooler now, -16C with snow. Busy times.
Multi tasking furiously. I prefer the idea of the canoe, simplicity, perfection of form and function.
My "Portrait" piece slowly nearing completion. Meanwhile other ideas percolating constantly in my mind. Language is such a difficult, complex idea. It must always go through the filter of each individual. "Mad" means one thing to me, and something very different to another. If people do not make the effort to learn more about whatever they see or read, then it is possible that they do not understand what I am doing what so ever. Imagination, open mindedness, and forever learning are vital. I like the idea of tough ideas, and imagery. Now what does "tough" mean.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio February 24, 2010

2010-02-24T20:43:00.000-05:00

Beautiful morning in the north, minus 14 and brilliant sunshine creating deep blue shadows on the snow. I have missed a few days on my blog, life became busy, my painting took a break, which can be beneficial. I was offered a show last week, with very short notice, I have to set up next Monday. In this business you learn to expect the unexpected, you learn to juggle many things at once. Meanwhile my 30" x 36" Portrait takes on life. But it is so challenging to push my work forward and as I do so to increase the isolation that I live in, on the other hand I have to believe that in time new contacts and supporters will come along.
A northern Artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Feb. 16, 2010

2010-02-16T19:11:00.000-05:00

Back to work, into my studio at 8:00am.
Considering where to go now with the "Portrait", also considering another box painting. It's going to be mild outside also which should give me an opportunity to do some construction of pieces and framing.
I had time also to do a small 8" x 10" mixed media on board. It came together effortlessly, now that's fun. A few new ideas entered into imagination today.
That's fun also.

A northern artist
Bruce

cullioureNorth Studio, Feb. 12, 2010

2010-02-12T19:24:00.000-05:00

Easy start this morn, into the studio at 9:00am.
A fine winter day, so I took some time to play, or experiment, the 2 pieces you see are the result of imagination wanderings.
John Keats wrote "I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the hearts affections and the truth of imagination"
This week began poorly and ends just fine. Off to enjoy the Olympics!
Have a great weekend.

A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Feb, 11, 2010

2010-02-11T19:33:00.000-05:00

At work 8:00am in my fine studio, these 4 walls of contemplation. My "Portrait" is finding her voice. She can be mournful, or joyous, perhaps complex or all too simple. As I work, sorting out with reason each shape, each colour relationship, every stroke of paint,I find myself discovering her as I define her.
You can look at her dismissively, having perhaps seen such a face a million times before, or you can look in wonderment, searchingly, never having seen this stranger before today. Perhaps we will only get to know her when she is gone. A dialogue with the divine can only reside in wonderment and in that interaction there are moments both fine and bewildering.

A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Feb. 10, 2010

2010-02-10T19:25:00.000-05:00

8:00 am It's a bit more wintry this morning, minus 14C with a breeze, snow is blo wing about, white and icy. When I entered my studio, warm and welcoming as usual, I saw my "Portrait" and cringed. It isn't working!
There are those dark non productive days, paint on, scrape it off, paint on, try again. Sometimes we search and find, sometimes we just search. At times we just have to scrap it.
I'm not there yet.
6:00 pm. Well after a rough few days solutions might have been arrived at. The "Portrait" 30 " x 36" I think is on the right track now.It's a tough inner struggle that only the artist can resolve. It's a wrestling match between reason and spirit and one should not overpower the other. Tonight I give you a detail of the whole.

A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Feb. 9, 2010

2010-02-09T20:49:00.000-05:00

Into my studio at 8:00 am. I continue work on my portrait. Now this is a struggle. I'm looking for its soul so that it isn't just paint and canvas.
6:50pm My studio reeks of paint and mineral spirits. At times everything comes together more or less easily, and other times it is agonizing. Just now it is the latter.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio Feb. 8, 2010

2010-02-08T20:05:00.000-05:00

7:00 pm Another day spent in the studio. This is one of those days when I wonder why? So many of us, artists, be it visual, or dramatic, or musical, or whatever arts, struggle every day, to bring something enriching to our cultural fabric. We work hard every day to do really good work with little to no support. Galleries themselves, who are in the business of culture can't even bother to be courteous enough to respond to the very same artist they constantly ask to volunteer time or artwork to sustain them. Perhaps it is time we, the lowly artists decided to withdraw our "worthless" wares from society.
well, here is my "Vlog Portrait" in progress, but then so what.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North, Feb. 5, 2010

2010-02-05T19:13:00.000-05:00

8:30 am, - Continues to be wintry, -18C, brilliant blue sky. Back to the "fragments" piece as well as working on the 30" x 36" "portrait". One nourishes the other, the fragments, for all its difficulty and complexity inspires me, literally and metaphorically all the pieces are coming together.

Imagine a place where you stood once and then you moved, where the waterfall meets the river, in the morning, in the afternoon, the evening, imagine this place without you, when the trickle roars in the wind, the surface, the surface never seen before, remember the time yesterday, last spring. Fragments. Remember something so precious that it will foreever reside within you.

A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Feb. 4, 2010

2010-02-04T19:40:00.000-05:00

8:30 am -Shift back to the "Portrait" so as to give the "fragments" pieces time to sit, for time to contemplate and reflect.
Look at the work of Julian Schnabel, "The Sea" or anything by Anselm Kiefer, or Richard Serra's "Santa Fe Depot" 2004, wow! Where to go? The conversation is marching on, the cultural dialogue more complex. The brilliant question is more powerful than the redundant statement. It's about searching...isn't it?

The 30" x 36" "Portrait" moving ahead, the black work is almost done. Is it strong enough, will it inhabit and dominate a space, will it cause the viewer to stop, to think. I have seen spectators spend all of 30 seconds in front of a deKooning. well, it's their 30 seconds to spend as they wish. I am trying to get more.
A northern artist
Bruce

Culliour North Studio Feb. 3, 2010

2010-02-03T20:08:00.000-05:00

11:30 am A fine mild, snowy winter day, full immersion in white
My "fragments" piece has captured my full interest, the train is coming into the station, and now it gets difficult. I'm trying to find the balance between the idea expressed in a complex intuitive language and visual attraction. Is it too busy... is nature too busy...I have seen a small fragile creek trickle its way into the larger waters that is so full of life, colour, form, line, light...that it is bewildering, awesome, holding my attention endlessly, scanning slowly to the right, then left, then being drawn back to where my eyes started. The word "busy" is the problem, in its negative connotations in relation to artwork, perhaps we should use the word complex.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North studio, Frb. 2, 2010

2010-02-02T18:57:00.000-05:00

8:45 am -24C This time of year is tough, the cold at times seems like an oppressive weight. I believe it is normal to like warmth, bright light, long days, bird song carried in the breezes, tree bending, swaying, laden with green leaves, waves rolling, rushing, crashing agaisnt rocky shorelines, and the gentle symphony of a rain storm. Mostly by now I miss the variety of colours, my eyes search for it, wish and dream of it. Perhaps this is why I put strong bright colour in my work. Gao Xingjian has said, "An idea is a prompt, a starting point at best;" this is apparent in my work. The pieces that I am presently doing attest to this. To work!

Anorthern Artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio Feb. 1, 2010

2010-02-01T20:02:00.000-05:00

8:15am: and -18C back in my studio. Continuing work on the 30" x 36" oil on canvas, which I think I will title "I'm Looking". I have exhibitions upcoming, the first of which is at the Temiskaming Art Gallery, May 21 to June 25; I plan on putting this piece in the TAG show. To work.

3:00pm So it would seem a bit of progress achieved on "I'm Looking" portrait and also on the fragment piece. The fragments piece is approx 24" x 36" mixed media on board. It has changed, and changed again, forcing myself to adhere to this rigorous process that involves non linear within a linear structure, using verticals, horizontals and obliques. The 2 pieces I'm developing side by side, the portrait and the fragment piece. Working on these 2 feels a bit like being in a canoe, on the brink of rapids, excited and fearfull, full of anticipation, but not sure if you should bail out now.

7:00 pm: Took an hour and a half break for supper and then back to the studio. Another full day coming to an end. The days seem to go by so quickly. Tonight as I sleep I will visualize and perhaps gain more ground.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Friday Jan, 29, 2010

2010-01-29T15:27:00.000-05:00

January ending with a frigid cracking, bone chilling -24C.
Here in my studio I am warm and I work on. The very exacting work on the portrait keeps me entranced. But every now and then I spin around and go to some other pieces where I push and pull paint, scrape and layer, it's like shaking yourself loose, relaxing the muscles, but in this case, it's relaxing my imaginative mind. Did I mention I love my work. Yes I do run into a brick wall after brick wall, but in the end what else can I do but persist. After all who gets to do what they love every day.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio Jan 28, 2010

2010-01-29T12:28:00.000-05:00

6:00pm. Time to call it a day, fatique setting in again on this cold windswept day.
Began the 30" x 36" Vlog Portrait, incorporating some text and playing with the form. By tomorrow I hope to have made more progress on it.
Lots of prepertory work had to be done today, as well again I did some paperwork and house cleaning. Did some experiments on small format, very loose intuitive landscapes.
A northern artist Bruce

Culliour North Studio Jan. 27, 2010

2010-01-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

2:00 pm What a strange life that of an artist, or perhaps specifically a northern artist. Not that I'm complaining. I love what I do. But part of what I do is to push the work into a creative imaginative place that few inhabit. So by it's every nature, my work isolates. Now I am exploring a piece with lights and a piece with bits and pieces. I could make it bland, easy to consume, but no, I don't want to do that. I am also going to start a piece 30" x 36" on canvas, what I call a "vlog", of a portrait that is also on my cube portrait. I need to work out the colour relationships.
As to my "Cube Portrait", my goal is to do it as large as a 7'h x 8'w x 8'd, but the artist dilema comes into play. How to fund it? Going from concept to the finished piece is a difficult process.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Jan 26, 2010

2010-01-26T19:17:00.000-05:00

8:10 am Awoke to the sound of hard snow blowing against the window. But so far it is only 0C. Winter carries on, it must have been nice for Matisse or Picasso to work in the south of France at this time of the year. Off to work on new pieces, exploring the materials and the concepts, mining my imagination.

3:00 pm The small piece(14" x 11") that I worked on today is a fun exploration of colour, line, form and light. Something I have been curious to explore for some months now. The other piece looks into the idea of abstract content within an architectual structure. I find them both intriquing, they also act as counter point to both the Vlog and Earth pieces. The challenge and the questions can only lead to something good.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Jan 25, 2010

2010-01-25T18:12:00.000-05:00

Today has turned mild, imagine +1C and raining. There are times when one has to reorganize, re-group and this mild day triggered just such a day. Placing, organizing , both in my studio and in my head, The mild weather also allows a northern artist a chance to do outside work, like cutting a frame, or plywood for another piece I have in mind.
The piece I have posted today for your pleasure is a 32" x 40" oil on canvas done earlier in 2009. It is one of the last of another style of painting which I did for several years. It was about rapture, the joy of being in nature, of trying to absorb it viscerally. Some observers comment on the influence of First Nations Art, there was no such influence, it's me and my reaction to my space. I love those pieces, but it was time to move on.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio Jan 22, Fri. 2010

2010-01-23T19:16:00.000-05:00

11:00am
Whew, I missed me entry last night, life and all of its needs took over. Keeping the balance. But I did work yesterday. I believe I finished "Joy to be", an oil on 18" x 24" canvas. It is part of my "vlog" style.
Vlog being a play on blog, which simply for me is a visual log. The idea has morphed since its conception, but it has resulted in this style. The "vlog" style has a lot to do with an idiosyncratic use of language, but it can also be universally understood. Paper work and deadlines playing on my mind, I find it isn't a creative activity.
Meanwhile, everyday, Haiti is on my mind.
A northern artist.
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Wed. Jan 20, 2010

2010-01-20T20:23:00.000-05:00

Cooler, -10C this morning at 7:00 am, but here comes the sunshine.
Into my studio at 8:00am, and I began to work on my Scroll Triptych. As things were drying I moved to my canvas, the landscape. Pieces are coming to completion. Long days spent on imaginative creative work, and so little or no time for the marketing side of things. These are many days when I pause and wonder why I persist.
So it is 7:30pm now, and I believe the "Scroll" piece is finished. This isn't an easy piece, it is challenging, but give it a chance, give it time, give it space and let it grow.
A northern artist, Bruce

Cullioure Studio North January 19, 2010

2010-01-19T19:13:00.000-05:00

8:45am. This snowy morn -7C. So I drove my love into work, great chance to chat together.
I began work therefore a bit later, but well worth the delay. I am working out the location of the windows on the last side of the "Cube Portrait". I still need to shoot the photos and the video. And the colour? So far I am pleased with the idea and the result to date. It will be awhile before I am finished. I have spent the better part of 3 weeks on the piece to date. No doubt weeks remain, and changes will occur, but I remain excited about the piece.
Now as well I am continuing work on a large landscape, handled in my loosely painted manner, and then continuing work on "joy to be".
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Jan 18, 2010

2010-01-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

8:10am, and only -2C in January!
A bit rested now and back to work after a weekend of winter outdoor activities.

4:00pm Shifted focus today, worked on my triptych, explored the language. Then I worked on the 2 final scrolls and a bit more on each panel. getting close to being finished on that piece. Tomorrow I intend to go back to my "Cube Portrait" I have been thinking about the DPF shots I want and the video I need to project inside the "Cube". Today I have a small expression of place to show you. It is done quickly and loosely, a way to stretch, to way to search for the other self.
And fun.
A northern artist
Bruce

Cullioure North Studio, Jan. 15/2010

2010-01-17T08:23:00.000-05:00

10:58 Wow, continues to be -1 C.
Slow start today, other things demand my time. But the big effort this week has created progress. I will have to work a bit this weekend, but that isn't a problem. As well as work on my "Cube" portrait, I also began work on a triptytch. My thought there is based on language and image, language as image, the power and ambiguity of both. Very conscious of being post-ironic. In many ways the triptytch is connected to my "Cube" portrait.
Well the exploration continues, there really is no point in repetition, change is good.
A northern artist

Cullioure North Studio Jan. 14, 2010

2010-01-14T19:04:00.000-05:00

9:00 Into my studio at 9:00 this morning . Had to remove ice and snow from my roof this morning. Only -1 C. Where did the sun go?
4:38pm Ah progress, the "Cube" takes form, problems are resolving, I saw something in my mind aand now I see it before my eyes. Next step is to put into a DPF 57 portraits. How to define a portrait, what will constitute a portrait. Is it a feeling, or a movement, a smell, or a particular line? How much of ourselves do we import into our understanding of a portrait? What of time? We don't remain the same. I am working hard to hold the entirety together, so that within the concept there is cohesion.
6:15pm time to quit, another good day, and tired.
A northern artist

Cullioure North Studio Jan 13/2010/-7C at 7:00am

2010-01-13T19:44:00.000-05:00

8:15am Into my studio at 8:05. I worked until 8:00pm last night. I'm busy also organizing the Tagalong children's workshop series beginning at the end of February. Decided to enter the juried show at the WKP Kennedy Gallery, entry deadline February 4th. On Friday I will be bringing 2 pieces to the BAM!, the International Biennal of Miniature Art, in Ville Marie, Quebec. My "Cube is taking shape.
Haiti hit so hard by an earthquake, how can we express our heart felt sorrow.
In the morn below the sun.
Imagine!
I saw a flake white descend.
Wonder!
Somewhere else nature is a trembling gun
Terror!
2:22pm I've been working non-stop, the second face is coming into existence. My back and neck is getting stiff, time for a coffee.
5:56 Supper is over and back into my studio for a bit of more work. Worked until 8:00pm last night, it seems I will do so again tonight. I have paperwork to do, and then painting continues on the 2nd portrait.
A northern artist

Tues. Jan 12/2010/Cullioure North Studio/Bay Lake

2010-01-12T19:55:00.000-05:00

3:11pm: fairly mild at -10°C,and a bit of sun
Into my work by 8:10. I'm working hard, stopping only for coffee or lunch. Any interruptions can be irritating. I love my work.
Tadaa! Put my first portrait on the "Cube". Up close, it reads as an abstract array of negatives and positive spaces. Depending on your focus, the white spaces can read as either negative or positive. Given some distance the portrait clearly jumps at you. When I'm painting it I am of course only inches or centimeters away, and I have a lot of fun with the individual shapes. Then I step back, and like a revelation. There she is!
Next, the other portrait to go all the opposite side of the "Cube" to this one. As well, my mind has to begin to find the color. Even in sleep, I search my Cube Portrait for color.
Also, throughout the day I moved a very different piece forward. I think I will call it "The Waters, Montreal River".
It has a digital picture frame integrated into it, photos scrol by approximately every 6 seconds, so that at pictorial relationships are in constant flux. I see it as an internal dialogue.
A good day!
A northern artist.

January 11, 2010, Cullioure North studio, Bay Lake

2010-01-11T19:05:00.000-05:00

8:10 a.m. I'm back after a great weekend in the north. Very mild on Sunday, we went to Kirkland Lake for the official opening of the Juried Show at the Sir Harry Oakes Museum and Gallery. Very pleased to be named second in show. Perry Kong of Kirkland named first in show, and my friend Anne Denise Mejaki named third! To work!

3:15 p.m. I've been working hard all day, most of it spent in the torturous process of reassessing both portraits. Now I have reworked both and I feel they are stronger. The process demands time, reworking and reassessment. At some point, I rely on an intuitive understanding. Artists will often say, "it's working".This means what? I understand what it means, but it's really hard for me to write it down. There is a certain rawness to them now. Same person, very different expressions in each portrait. I'm ready to move on now to the next step.
A northern artist

january 8, 2010, Bay Lake Frozen Day

2010-01-08T19:23:00.000-05:00

So many small things eat up my precious time, I'm only getting half a day to do my work. Regularity book ended with spontanaiety is what I need. As well input, lots of creative imput, diverse views and challeging ideas. Worked in the morning on the first portrait, looking for the expressiveness I want, then shifted to the second portrait, same person. All the while I keep in mind my overall goal, or vision for the "Cube Portrait". Also moving 3 other pieces forward in my mind, waiting for the right moment to strike.

A Northern Artist

Jan 7, 2010, Bay Lake

2010-01-07T19:44:00.000-05:00

- 11degrees C, gorgeous morning.

Well I was able to get into my studio at 8:15 am. I spent a long day at work. I had many things to do, organizing various activities, writing proposals, re-organizing my cluttered studio space, and also worked on another drawing of a portrait for my "Cube Portrait". Very happy with this portrait so far because it has excellent use of the positive and negative spaces and I love the expresive quality of the portrait. Winter for a northern artist isn't easy, it demands energy and time, days are too short, and it does not help when your furnace breaks down. It has been out of commission since December 22, and wood burning demands time. Something I'm sure Gaugin didn't bother much with. Each day has its ebb and flow, so although I wish I had achieved more today, I did make progress.

A Northern Artist.

Jan 6, 2010 Bay Lake

2010-01-06T20:12:00.000-05:00

Late start today, in the studio at 9:30 am. -14 degrees C and grey. So now some steps of the "Cube Portrait" have been achieved. The cube has been constructed, sanded, and primed. I have shot a number of photos to comtemplate. Then I worked on the drawing and transferred it to the 4" x 6" lino tile. At the same time I am experimenting with works on 14" x 20" glass, as well I am developing a concept for a layered piece, probably on a 24" x 36" board. I could easily work 16 hours a day, but I struggle to keep the balance. The work of Louise Bourgeois invades my imagination, here in this white frozen land, but then I push it back, I go outside and suck in the cold clean air staying focused. I pulled the first prints of the portraits. Pleased but there is work to do on it. Of course I am never fully satisfied with the quality. Perhaps I am to self critical?

A Northern Artist

Beginnings

2010-01-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

In my studio at 8:30 am. Only -11 C and a bit of snow. Immediately on entering my work space my imagination fires up. I have several works at different stages, and each bit of paint, or scrape of a palette knife, or stroke of a paint loaded brush initiates an idea and murtures curiosity.

I am working on a new idea. A cube, this is a prototype for a larger piece and on it I intend to paint two portraits in my style on 2 sides and on another side mount a digital picture frame loaded with photo portraits. In it I will project a video on an inside wall opposite to 2 windows from which the observer can watch the video unfold. The external and internal person. The idea has been developing for months. It has a long wonderful process. I have built the cube and shot some photo portraits.

northern artist

first post for this northern artist

2010-01-04T20:21:00.000-05:00

So here I begin, and from here I reach out to, hopefully like minded souls, kindred spirits, and those with optimism, knowledge and critical thinking. As an artist I want to be prodded to do better, to push myself, to be able to interest you. I will share with any who care to read and observe, the weird and unique way this northern artist works. So today I worked on some new pieces which tommorow I will elaborate on.
So adieu for now, have terrific creative dreams.
Northern Artist