Road rage one minute and later you feel like crying when someone says, "Can you do me a favor?" Cursing people for not getting back to your emails in the same hour as you wrote to them? Feel like you need a really long vacation from the daily grind?

Sure a vacation would help, but you need to learn how to destress and live happily on a day-to-day basis.  This is not advice. I am just sharing how I see things on this subject.

Some people think they need to plan better. They are just not organized like other 'successful' people.  Really, is one more gadget in your life going to improve things? That reminds me of the food processor I bought to make my life so easy in the kitchen. It has been used twice. Now I spend time thinking about how to get rid of it :-)

You don't need to learn how to stay on track, you need to GET OFF THE TRACK! Clear the decks for some spontaneous time in your daily or at least, weekly life.  Pure unplanned, non-results oriented, no expectations - SPONTANEOUS TIME. People go through great lengths to have spontaneous time. Like the couple who took a kayak down the Amazon river to see what would happen.  Yes, it took a plan to get there but they had no idea how each day was going to  unfold.

Spontaneity doesn't take an Amazon River trip - but it does require an element of the 'unknown'.  I will talk more about this in the upcoming B&B ezines. (marketing guru told me not to call them 'newsletters').

Point Zero Painting is one of my places where spontaneous expression happens.  Don't be fooled by the dark images, I have a lot of fun.

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1. Lay out all the paintings to wear resin.
2. Place paper underneath each peice.
3. Make sure there is no debris on the paintings and the paintings are dry.
4. Make sure you have enough resin to completely cover each painting with a good thick layer.
5. Have a heat gun near by for the bubbles.
6. Wear gloves and have some paint stir sticks around.

 This is me in my messy studio.  Applying resin is a lot of work. To complete 3 paintings it takes me about 2.5 hours to layout the resin, spread it evenly and make sure all the bubbles are blown out.

The resin brings the paint back out of the wood and provides great protection to all the mixed media in the artwork.

2. Scottsman Hill and the Stampede Grounds

These two paintings are created on 20" x 36" birch canvases.

Each drawing was done on site, the ink and painting was completed in my studio.

The sketch takes me a one to three hours on site.

A complicated scene can flow quickly and a simple scene can sometimes require more adjustments, but I don't really know until I start drawing.

Next step is done in the studio with a caligraphy pen and ink. I go over the pencil marks making minor adjustments as I go along.

After the ink is dry I start with the first layer of acrylic inks.

This paint is applied in a spontaneous fashion using water to disperse the colours.

I layout colour as to tone and composition rather than to paint the particular images.

This is what the first layer of paint looks like on my other painting: Scottsman Hill and Stampede Grounds.

I decided to make the stampede grounds lively and colourful to represent the many different events that happen on this site. It is unfortunate that the rest of the time it is a grey ashphalt frontier.

This is how it looks after a few more layers of paint.

Each layer getting more and more detailed.

The acrylic inks are transparent and how each layer affects the next application is an important consideration for my work.

This layer includes some collage of the buildings that are being torn down and a few of the residents.

Here are some photos of the homes being torn down and a resident who agreed to have his photo taken for my project. In fact I took a few photos of residents and they were quiet happy that someone was paying attention to their lovely little patch of land in Calgary.

The Scottsman hill painting required me to take a picture of someone wearing a Calgary Flames jersey. 

I went to the Saddledome and decided to search around the area - some jersey clad people were bound to show up. Here is the wife of the equipment manager! She is a good sport.

Here are some close-ups of the Scottsman Hill and Stampede Grounds painting.

I like adding photography to paintings to express a certain 'vintage' feel.  A moment captured in time that is then incorporated into my work.  This is not the same as just wanting to add a flavour of realism.  It is more about wanting the impact and message that can only be said with a photo.  When this is desired I make sure to use images that either I have taken myself or I have physically collected on site of what is being painted.  Most of the time, it is photos that I have taken and printed off on my home printer.  

This is a close-up of "Kiosks line the sidewalk of New York City China Town".  Or something like that - I can't remember the full stories that make up each of my painting titles.  Stories often change every time you tell them, so that's ok.

Back to the subject - this is a close up of some collage.  I combined the use of Chinatown newspaper collected on site along with a photo I took of people walking on the streets while in Chinatown.  The combination of the two help give the painting more depth.   The photo and collected memorabilia from site help to tell the story and give the viewer more to examine.  

It is important to layer collage with the painting and drawing.  The photos or other collaged pieces should not stick out like a black beetle in white rice.  Feathering, painting over edges, extending the lines in photos with drawing, overlaping collaged elements and overall compositional placement, are all techniques that should be used to incorporate collage into paintings. 

I only use collage with water based painting mediums becuase of the gels and other glues available in acrylic lines.  I have not figured out a way to incoporate collage with oil based paints.  Maybe someone out there has some tips on this practice for us.  I will stick to waterbased to play it safe.  Golden Acrylic Gel medium in 'gloss' is the strongest of all fixatives.  It will glue on all types of objects with varying surfaces and if applied without too much excess, it will dry clear.  Dry gel is flexible within reason, but make sure your painting does not get too cold or the gel will crack when moved.

When I am just gluing on newspaper or regular weight papers I use Modpodge, a cheap colloge glue from craft stores.  It glues extremely well and does not add weight, texture or bubbling in the papers.  You can get this glue on top of the image and it won't seal the fibres, allowing paint to be applied.  When you use gel, the fibers on top of the image are often sealed and it is then difficult to layer paint on top.  Deside which medium to use depending on your desired result.

Almost anything can be collaged into paintings - this is just one small area and technique - more are to come.  sign-up for an RSS feed to catch it all.  Post your comments if you dare.

The next line is an important one.  He talks about when his work becomes actualized for him and I share this view about my paintings. "From then on, I am no longer the man lost in the storm: I find myself through my readers, i understand what I wrote when I see that others understand it too, but never before."  

When people come into my gallery and talk to me about my work or make a comment on this website, "...and then I understand that my soul is not alone."  We are all looking for a little soul connection - artist just seek (connection) out more often and with more ferocity.

Channeling is much like reaching 'flow' - for you sports buffs out there.  I did study something about sports and leisure in University and here is a quote from an interesting guy:

According to psychologist and best-selling author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD, (pronounced 'cheeks sent me high') such people are most likely experiencing 'flow,' a state of deep focus that occurs when people engage in challenging tasks that demand intense concentration and commitment. Flow occurs when a person's skill level is perfectly balanced to the challenge level of a task that has clear goals and provides immediate feedback.

Almost any activity can produce flow if these elements are present, says Csikszentmihalyi, and making them a constant part of your life can enhance your work, personal relationships and leisure time.

 Maybe this scientific equation makes you feel better, but it isn't entirely accurate.  It is more like CHANNELLING.  There is a time when your mind talks to the divine and this conversation cannot be put into words or even conscious thought; it can only be expressed through action and the production of something authentic and true.  

So how does one achieve the experience of CHANELLING?  I don't know what will with work for you, but I can describe what works for me.  It is actually very simple.  Here it is in point form.

   1. I make sure to have alone time where I will not be disturbed for at least 5 hours.
   2. I am fully prepared and know what I want to accomplish during this time - with room for change.
   3. I forget about all expectations.
   4. I stop thinking.  This comes with practice.  It feels as if you truly don’t care about anything.
   5. Then I get to work on a step-by-step basis.
   6. This means I decide to do a painting and I simply proceed with each step as it comes up.
   7. I pick a project or a subject with which, I have a lot of previous experience.
   8. I have all my supplies ready and at hand.
   9. I am relaxed, hydrated and fed.  I do not consume any alcohol or drugs.
  10. I am dressed comfortably and suitably for the medium I am working in.
  11. I do what comes natural and I don't second-guess any of my actions.
  12. I listen to some great music.
  13. I just enjoy being alive and doing what I love to do, regardless of what comes tomorrow.

 When I do all these things then I can get into a space that is all mine.   A space that allows me to get creative and produce my art.  When all things align and I have the time to CHANEL then I create work I am happy with.  All other creations pale in comparison.

Try it for yourself.  It works every time.

The larger Art Boards purchased from Mona Lisa do not seem to be a good painting surface.  The spraying and protecting did not prevent the board from warping.  They were kind enough to take give me a credit for two of them.  The third one I refused to being in becuase it is covered in oil paint and will take a while to dry.

I love working on wood panels for the following reasons:

Most surviving paintings from the 13th to the early 16th century are painted on wooden panels. The wood most widely used in Italy was poplar, but in the Netherlands, France and England oak panels were most common. Lime, beech, chestnut and cherry as well as oak were used in Germany and Austria. Walnut and pine, and sometimes cherry and other fruit woods, were also used in Italy for panels .

Your choice of painting surface can have a profound effect on the success of your art, creating as much impact as paint or technique. Most cracked paint seen in completed paintings results from some type of movement in the painting support.

Art Board s™ art panels protect your artwork from damage , caused by the flexing and cracking of paint films, and the solid structure prevents the surface from being accidentally dented, torn or damaged by mishandling.

Wood art panels are more permanent than flexible fabric. A properly prepared Art Board painting panel will have a longer life than stretched canvas or other thin flexible supports.

Painting on wood art panels far surpasses painting on canvas. Art Boards smooth reflective surface refracts light differently than canvas, making colors more brilliant and vibrant. The firm consistent surface is perfect for smooth blending of colors, fine brushwork, and minute detail.

Natural Maple Artist Panels:

Natural Maple’s top surface is made of hand selected Maple hardwood veneer with a painting surface that has a consistent tight wood grain. Great care is taken to ensure that this surface is free of knots, seams or voids. The Panel’s durability and strength come from the100% Aspen hardwood center core and cross bands. The 5 layer construction prevents movement, waterproof glue keeps each layer from expanding and contracting. The rigid painting surface and structural integrity make this panel ideal for any painting medium or application. All art panels are meticulously sanded and ready for Art Boards Panel Gesso.

Every art panel is cut perfectly square and to exact dimensions, with edges that are clean and crisp. Art Boards are engineered to securely mount flush to the wall. They securely hang without picture wire, or picture frames. They easily hang on a single screw or nail in our dovetail hanging slot or from the art panels cradle back. The rigid surface is perfect for all painting mediums, including plein air, collage, oils, acrylics, egg tempera, encaustic, watercolor, pastels, icon painting, frescoes panels, miniature painting, pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, pastels, gouache, airbrush, mounting of prints and works on paper, and as a backboard for mosaics.

So I am going to try them again, becuase if I can get them to work for me here - it will be fantastic.  I am going to try and order from this website ART BOARDS and see what happens.  I promise to change the next topic though.  Have a great holiday full of all kinds of fun and creativity.