​ The past few weeks have been a little crazy. I am really excited to show the first piece, Relationship, in a series that I’ve been working on.  I’m so excited that it was chosen for the Leighton Art Centre’s Annual Juried Show. It runs from May 7th to June 14th, 2016.
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 In this series, I’m revisiting stacks of highly detailed china plates. Anyone who has followed my painting evolution will know that I seem to enjoy going cross eyed as I unravel complex patterns. There is something about becoming familiar with the repetition that I find almost relaxing. 

​This time around, these paintings are different on a few levels. Originally, I had worked on deeply textured canvas, placing the image over the grooved surface and creating depth with washes of thin paint. This time, I’ve chosen to paint on the smooth surface but add a push/pull in the colour with the application of fluid acrylic against heavy body acrylic. This results in strange layers of colour that aren’t apparent on the first glance. Hansa Yellow, Phthalo Green and hits of Quinacridone Magenta are a departure from my usual palette. The photograph doesn’t do it justice.

​ Another thing that has kept me busy is that I took a trip to Chilliwack to compete in Art Battle 383. It was an awesome event and very well organized. I was really pleased with my final round painting this time. Something I am trying to get better at is having enough creative energy to paint in a second time in battle - it is really hard to maintain momentum. It was well worth the journey because I won! This qualifies me to compete in the Art Battle Provincials for British Colombia in June. 

 In the middle of all this I also found time to work on my upcoming Intersection Art Project painting (that post is coming soon), pull some prints to take to the Leighton Art Centre as well as complete a large landscape commission to take with me on my trip to British Colombia. Like I said, it’s been a busy month! 

I've been finding my paintings for Encompass Partnerships to be very interesting to paint. For my personal body of work, I tend to make myself follow all sorts of rules, trying to reach some ideal in my head that can only be obtained a certain way. Conditioning from childhood, I suspect. With the Intersection Art Project however, I am forced out of those confines to visually explain the work of each of the non profits I've been teamed up with. My paintings are a true collaboration in the sense that I am translating to canvas words and ideas of other people - this has been very good for me as an artist. 

The organization that I painted this for, SIM (Serving in Mission) has been around since 1893. However, they are relatively new to the city of Calgary. The work they do here revolves around helping local churches (usually in urban settings) find ways to offer tangible, practical services to the people who live in within the area. This requires congregations to consult with residents and see what the community needs truly are. This could range from having public garden plots to ESL classes. Their aim is to get churches to open their doors to their neighbourhood and offer assistance and resources (like their building space) in relevant ways, regardless of whether or not locals attend that church.