Thought I would put up one of the two commissions I had this summer. I dont usually do them, but in this case they were friends of mine who asked and I had a lot of freedom with the work. The tentative title for this work is 2 boats and some hope, oil and enamel on board 4x3'. I am missing the easy access to great artwork one had in southern Ontario. The great variety of artists found right in Guelph and the close proximity of Toronto. There was always something to take some time with.
So, I went back to the Galway Arts centre to spend some more time with the photo show they have on. I new it needed some more perusing. The main floor work was still a little weak in my opinion but the second
floor work came out stronger on the second visit. The photo show was by Ruby Wallis Titled: Other Madonnas,
( www.rubywallis.com ) An exploration into domestic relationships specifically the mother and her daughter. I found some works to reveal an unforced strength of character, while others seemed desolate and lost and one piece a little too staged. Wallis states an influence of Dutch genre painting. One sees that when you look at how she lighted the subjects. I suspect my previous visit was probably rushed, as the more I looked at these images the more I was drawn into them. The photos are quite beautiful.

On my way to the centre I had to navigate Galway's unique
sidewalks. Some are quite wide and accommodating others well actually most of them are very narrow. What I have also noticed is the relationship between Galway drivers and pedestrians. One of those relationships is sidewalk usage. When one needs to park, sidewalks will do in a pinch.



Its hard enough getting by these guys, but I thought what if you were in a wheel chair? Yep the city is definitely geared towards the auto. Some additions to alleviate the average pedestrians plight might be cross-walks....that work. Fines for those creative parkers. Larger sidewalks? Just some thoughts.
Anyway, as you can see from the car pics we are having an incredibly sunny day today. We had lunch outside and I believe Fish and chips on a patio has been suggested for this evening.
Still looking for a studio space over here. I just mailed off an application to a govt. funded Artspace ( http://www.artspacegalway.com/ ) for a studio. I spoke with them before. It looked great, so we'll cross our fingers.
Thats it for now.
cheers.