Sunday, January 29, 2017

Old Prison Grounds






 
Old Prison Grounds, Millbrook, Ontario....on location...
...the prettiest 100 acres in Millbrook, Ontario. All evidence of the old maximum security prison has been removed...a good place to walk. Made on location from the front seat of my car. Acrylic on cradled birch panel 8 x 10 x 1 inches, wired at back and ready to hang. (Sold)

 ...still a few degrees above freezing...a quiet overcast day. People pull into this space at the entrance to the old prison grounds, and walk far up the hills with their dogs. The 'no trespassing' sign is still there, but the gate is open and many people walk these grounds...
 

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Buckhorn Fine Art Festival



I will be taking part in the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival, in Buckhorn, Ontario, August 19th, and 20th of this year. I'll be showing a wide selection of my small works. Some will be framed, and many will also be unframed, in plastic sleeves, and can be looked through.

Years ago, this series of small landscapes began with the approximate size of the 2 pieces above...5.5 x 8 inches. These 2 are  new and were completed today and yesterday. I'm going to go back to this size for a little while....it feels like I'm making secret messages when I work this small....an interesting and enchanting feeling. I started making work this size while I was a teacher....I needed to  keep making work, but time was short, so I would make a piece this size when I got home from school in the evenings. I was always tired, but making one of these would rejuvenate me.

Visit me here:
paintbox.etsy.com
www.harrystooshinoff.com   

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

How to be Prolific

Isaac Asimov's Advice on Being Prolific

...a good little article written by Charles Chu. The thoughts in here make good sense. Don't aim for perfection, but strive to do good work, every day.  Don't obsess over mistakes. Enjoy your own production. If you take some of the advice in this article, you will be less prone to creative block, and you won't fear creative block.

Visit me here:
paintbox.etsy.com
www.harrystooshinoff.com  

Sunday, January 15, 2017

2 in 1 Sitting....








 
Although at first glance, there may be a lot of consistency from work to work, in order to keep the process always fresh and unexpected, I mess with procedure. Although they are all small, the slight variations in size are very important and have a huge influence on the work. I change the methodology and working procedures in various ways. Here, the size is a bit smaller than usual, and 2 are done in one sitting, one right after the other. Seen here are 2 consecutive days.....2 works from one day, 2 from the next.
 
www.paintbox.etsy.com

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Framing Small Artwork


 
Many thanks to the wonderful artist Mary Jo O'Gara  (click on the link to see her beautiful pieces) who sent along these photos of my artwork in her house. I love seeing how people frame and place the work in their homes...it`s just so exciting to see! And I think Mary Jo did an outstanding job of framing this piece. Framing can be a difficult thing, and it takes a lot of looking and comparing of results.
 

 
 
I also like how Patti Blumenthal framed one of my small collage paintings on gessoed birch panel, and I really appreciate getting a chance to see these photos of both works in their new environments!
 
 
 
 
Here's one of my drawings in a simple museum frame. The matte is 4 inches, top and sides, 4.5 inches on bottom, and the white is a warm off-white. If in doubt about any of your framing choices, this method will work very well for all my works on paper. Where the edge is part of the work, it should be shown, and not covered up by the matte.
 
paintbox.etsy.com