It has been 9 months since my brother, Aaron, and I spent the week collecting pigment/rock samples from old mines in Nova Scotia and the verdict is in as to which of these samples are usable. While I am excited about these colours, not all of them were what I expected (as you will read). … Read more
Today I cleaned up my presence at the Homer Watson Gallery in Kitchener. Last March I was named Artist in Residence for this public gallery and over the past year I have had opportunity to demonstrate, lecture and paint. Over the summer I painted in the little cabin on the grounds that was used for … Read more
Today I visited a desert. While the experience wasn’t what you might think (especially because January and February are the cold and rainy) seeing the rock formations was wonderful. I had always thought that the rock formations within the iconographic tradition was especially stylized, but after seeing these rocks firsthand I realized that this was … Read more
Today we visited the nuns at St Barbara’s Monastery. It was a wonderful visit in a beautiful area. Highlights included: A wonderful meal and conversation; watching the nuns feed the goats (and keeping them back by putting a long stick across their own heads to intimidate the goats with their long “horns”); listening to a … Read more
Thanks to the generosity of Morgan and Lindsey of California, I was able to visit the Icon Exhibit currently on at the Getty. If you’re interested in seeing more about the exhibition you can go to: http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/icons_sinai/ Today I spent the whole day at the Getty. Going into the exhibition space I had a idea … Read more
While the gross work of pounding the pigment into colour was done, there still remained the work of finely grinding them. This work was done during a demonstration at the Homer Watson Gallery. When grinding with a glass muller, one can’t help but notice that some rocks grind up with ease, but others require a … Read more
For the past three years I have been growing a few plants of Rubia tinctorum, commonly known as the Madder plant. Madder is one of the most permanent pigment producing plants. Its use goes back a thousand years in Europe and much further in the East. In the West (until the rise of Indigo, … Read more
The site of the old Dunbrack Mine caught our interest because the minerals found at the site included two rarities of particular interest: Azurite and Malachite. A local man who we met at the Nova Scotia Gem & Mineral Show, Doug, was kind enough to give us some details of what to look for … Read more
Today, our search for pigment led us out to Paint Brook, in Elmsvale. The information we had raved about the quality of the gold ochre and burnt sienna pigments found at this source. After speaking with a local man (who told us to, “go fill your boots!”) we headed up the brook. The brook … Read more
The man who we met on the trail laughed when we ask him where the mine was in Glencoe. “There has never been a mine here”, he stated. I didn’t notice the playful gleam in his eye and began to protest when he cut in with a laugh, “It was just a pit!” When I … Read more