Stranger in the Woods

 I loved the book, Stranger in the Woods, by Michael Finkel. This piece takes inspiration (and some background text) from this book.

Stranger in the Woods, mixed media on panel, 30 cm x 23 cm x 5 cm, 2022, AVAILABLE

Working on some new painting and just applied to the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

I took some time this holiday break to work on some pieces. I also applied to the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair that will take place at City Hall in mid-July.

Here's one of the new pieces. The text in the background is from the song of the same name by Gordon Lightfoot.

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, acrylic and graphite on panel, 30 cm x 23 cm x 5 cm, 2021, AVAILABLE

Brazil

I just finished this piece that I named Brazil after Chico Mendes. He was a rubber tapper and environmentalist who, sadly, was assassinated in the late 1980s. He had some very inspiring quotes about the environment and the Amazon. The palette references water, which is a huge part of the Amazon. Recently I read that rain clouds that form over the Amazon come from the moisture from the jungle. Previously the thought was that the rain clouds came solely from westerly winds blowing over the Andes.

Brazil, mixed media on panel, 36" x 48", 2021, M. Brown

 

Brazil, mixed media on panel, 36" x 48", 2021, SOLD

Reading Richard Wright

Reading Richard Wright, mixed media on panel, 12” x 9” x 1.5”, 2020, $240, SOLD through Canvas Gallery.

I was reading Black Boy, by Richard Wright, when I painted this piece. I found the book very moving. He was born in 1908 (the same year as my grandparents), but fought tremendous racism as a black boy/youth growing up in Mississippi in the 1920s and 30s. The text running in the background of this piece is from a quote of his based on the state of things in the US in the first half of the 20th C. 

Cortez - Newest mixed media painting

 Cortez, mixed media on panel, 36” x 48” x 2”, 2020. SOLD through Canvas Gallery.

This is the latest in a series of text-based paintings. The  numbers are drawn at random. The text underneath is taken from a speech from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Off the road - New mixed media painting

This piece I started last fall but had to put it on hold when we were in Costa Rica over the winter. I just recently completed it in a home that we are renting in the High Park neighbourhood. The trees and amount of wildlife (especially birds) is inspiring. SOLD through Canvas Gallery.

                                  Off the road, oil and acrylic on panel, 90 cm x 120 cm, 2020

3 small pieces at Propeller Art Gallery

I am pleased to announce that I will have 3 pieces on display at Propeller Art Gallery until July 28th (30 Abell Street, in the Queen and Gladstone neighbourhood).

Bayview and Eglinton, Mixed media on panel, 6" x 6" x 2", 2018-2019, SOLD

Uxmal 1998 available through ArtBomb

This latest piece was made by reminiscing about my visit to the mayan archaeological site, Uxmal. I am very much inspired by the layout of this site, the shape of the buildings and the numerous geometric patterns that are visible in the architecture. I have had the opportunity over the past 25 years to visit quite a few of these sites. Uxmal is a very special location that often takes a back seat to the more popular, Chichen Itza.

Uxmal, 1998, mixed media on panel, 10" x 8" x 2", SOLD