30 x 50

Finally have my new canvas and now ready to start painting.  I've been busy starting other work for a group show in January at the First Space Gallery and the images for the blank cards are at the printers for proofing.  This Sunday, September 29,  I will be reading passages from some of Howley's journals at Marlene Creates' Boreal Poetry Garden. She is having an "open mic" afternoon to commemorate 100 Thousand Poets For Change. http://www.100tpc.org/.  It's just a 5 minute spot, not too much pressure!  The garden is a nice venue for some of Howley's writings. Here's a pic of the blank canvas.

Between canvases

I am between canvases right now for the Howley project.  Just waiting for Cansel to get a 30 x 50 ready for me.  I would usually have one ready but I was undecided about the next painting in the series.  Anyway, I couldn't get it out of my head so it's going to be the 2nd of the Change Islands survey; the red and green shale.  I now have two weeks to work on two other smaller paintings and the blank cards and also do preliminary sketches for the big one.  Lot's on the plate!

Just a test.

Just testing something, no updates yet!

The Howley project - the short version

James P. Howley was a prominent geologist in the late 1800’s.  He spent many years traversing the province, looking for coal, assisting with the railway survey, surveying land and looking for economic minerals. I was captivated by his colourful stories of exploration and his love of the Newfoundland wilderness.

I studied all his hand-written field books, journals and official geological reports and found myself wanting to follow in his footsteps and find the amazing rock formations that he described so beautifully.  So I did!  Since 2011 I have found several sites that I visited (thanks to a grant from the NLAC), on the same date that Howley was there.

Last year I took a nine-month deferred salary leave from my full-time job at the Queen Elizabeth II Library to begin work on the project; to date I have five large paintings completed.

I still don’t know why I am so drawn to this man and his work, perhaps it’s his love of adventure or the enthusiasm he had for work in the field.  He was a fine writer, detailing every aspect of his journeys and I felt at times that I was right there along with him, in the canoe paddling in the Bay D’Est waters or trudging along the shores of St. Mary’s Bay or steaming along the western Newfoundland coast and looking at the vermillion layers of rock of Cape Anguille.

Below are some images from my journeys.

Out from under the rock

This is my first post.  I usually like to keep myself under a rock but it is time to crawl out.  Comments or criticisms welcome!  I am currently working on a body of artwork that I call the Howley project, this has been ongoing for a number of years and I will post more about it later.  I am also in the process of creating a set of 4 blank cards that I hope to have available for sale in the Fall.  I will post images later as well.