The Artist Project 2017 Chapter 4 - NASA's Announcement.

 Interacting with thousands of art appreciators over the course of a few days can be daunting. Fortunately, we had much to talk about regarding Trappist-1 and the "first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single star."
 NASA's announcement of the discovery of these rocky worlds could not have come at a better time, and it was on the lips of a majority of people who visited my booth. The Belgian operated Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (Trappist) and the Spitzer Space Telescope with the assistance of ground-based telescopes have given us the intriguing data and the average art-lover is definitely on board. Most of the comments I heard were well informed; 'Three of the seven planets are in the habitable zone' was a constant and welcome refrain. Quite a few folks expressed eager anticipation regarding the James Webb Space Telescope, to be launched in 2018.
 It's never been easier for me to engage in fascinating conversations with so many total strangers, and to connect my art practice with something so huge. "The subject matter is practically infinite", I joked.

 Sometimes the subject of these chats would morph into philosophical topics like the illusory nature of perception and / or cybernetics and the theory of knowledge. Unlike (or perhaps very much like) the data, collected through sophisticated equipment, which we then look at in symbolic form on a screen, all that we can ever directly know of our immediate surroundings, is actually a reorganization of our own flesh. When the exhibition is over, and all the people have left the building, does any of it exist? I'd say, "No. The particles, waves and atoms continue to exist as before, Heisenberg's famous principle notwithstanding, but without the organizing organs of perception, their forms as we perceive them, do not."
 Interesting concepts. I wish I could have leveraged them so as to reduce the exorbitant cost of art shipping!

The Artist Project 2017 Chapter 3 - The Gala.

Thursday, February 23, 2017. 3:30 p.m. I arrive back at The Better Living Centre on the grounds of the 'CNE' (Canadian National Exhibition). There's a quick artists reception with pizza and pleasant pep-talk from the event organizers. It also provides the opportunity to socialize with other creators, some of whom I hadn't seen in a while, such as Adi Zur, Lori Mirabelli, and my new aquaintance, Anne Marie Giroux. After that, most of us conducted a quick check to make sure our booths were ship shape, then scurried into the washrooms to change clothes etc for the opening festivities.

As usual, I'm wearing the same colours as my paintings. :)
Enough about me. This was an evening to people-watch. While they were strolling around, wine in hand, looking at the wonderful artwork, I was enjoying the steady stream of incredibly good-looking and well-dressed Torontonians.

There were also some *small* snacks and gourmet samples to try; I had a paper cup containing 3 tortilla chips with a fiery hot sauce and an organic cookie the size of an overcoat button. Fortunately, some more generous folks walked by and gave me three bottles of spring water, and my pals Clara and Laurie brought me a really yummy twelve-dollar burrito. Très cher, n'est pas? I also had a refreshing glass of good ol' Steam Whistle. The name alone evokes shades of my former life, before I became what I like to call an 'urban ex-pat'.


It was a fun, festive night with lots of inspiring art and art lovers.


Next Post: The visitors.

The Artist Project 2017 Chapter 2 - The Setup.

A very small portion of the
showroom floor.

Temporary
construction zone.

After a very pleasant train ride into Toronto, I met my friends Clara and Piera for a lovely dinner at Piera's restaurant, Vesuvio in The Junction.

The following day, I went down to The Better Living Centre to hang my paintings in my booth. About 5 hours later, I had a pretty sweet-looking arrangement of planetary artwork.

My booth at the head of a very long
line of artists.

The setup process went quite smoothly, which was a relief because I didn't have an assistant this time. Also, I was lucky to be given a coveted corner booth, where I could show off, 'Explosion Time!', one of my largest paintings, (4 x 5 ft). The walls were 11 ft high and the inside of the booth is 5 x 10 ft.

I'm tired, but happy.

This is where I was to spend 5 hours on Thursday night, 11 hours on Friday, 9 hours on Saturday, and finally, 7 hours on Sunday, not including the few hours of pack up on Sunday night. It's a bit like being a specimen in a zoo. People walk by, look, and ask questions. I literally spoke with several thousand people!



Next Post:  The Artist Project 2017 Chapter 3 - Opening Night Gala

The Artist Project 2017 Chapter 1

My paintings are all packed up and ready for passage from Almonte (Near Ottawa, Ontario) to Toronto, aka my hometown, aka T-Dot, aka The Big Smoke, aka Hogtown.
I'm currently en route "via" Via Rail.
Class d'affaires, bien sûr. J'adore voyager par le train. Every time I switch between English and French, the responses of the staff change accordingly. :) J'aime ça!

posted from Bloggeroid

Recent Art Sales

'Beautiful Campfire Night'
10 x 20 acrylic on wood

'The Age of Information'
12 x 12 acrylic on wood

'Peculiar Velcocity'
12 x 12 acrylic on wood

As a full-time artist, making a sale is one of the most important and desirable events I can experience. It's up there with awards, praise and admiration. These are the pillars and foundation of my whole practice.

Selling art affords me the means with which to continue to create, so I was very happy to find out that another abstract / scenic piece sold today on www.artbombdaily.com

'Once'
36 x 48 acrylic on wood

'Big Sky'
10 x 10 acrylic on wood

Thank-you so much Karine Wolf Guyon and ArtBomb! Thank-you also to every other art gallery and patron who has supported me and those who continue to do so. You are greatly appreciated!

Alex Janvier at the National Gallery in Ottawa

I was completely transfixed by the vast array of colour and form. Then, slowly, the ideas of images, the intent to begin to think about animals, people and objects began to coalesce before my eyes! Rapturous and beautiful!

Sold on ArtBomb Daily last week

SOLD! Congratulation Marina Malvada...after auction sale. http://www.artbombdaily.com/archive/artwork/available

ArtBomb is a really great platform for both artists and people who love art. When go sign up, you receive just one email per day with a few photos of paintings, sculptures, photos or other forms of fine art.
It let's you take a virtual visit to an art gallery, at the click of a mouse. What a beautiful way to take a coffee break! There's never any pressure or other emails. Should you ever wish to purchase something, the bidding process is initiated entirely by you.
www.artbombdaily.com