Thursday, May 28, 2009

Before the Flood























Hi Folks,

Here is a 40'' x 20'' x 1/2'' on stretched canvas.
It is a rolling, imaginative view of a housing development of some kind {:~DD
Birds and forest and inner and outer movement, hidden symbols and lots of gold and pearl and sparkly paint on this piece. The photos do not fully reveal its many dimensions. I is delightfully wild.
As is the case with many paintings. The view changes with the intensity or brightness of the light. I like to have a lighting system that is connected to a rheostat switch so I can control the light on a painting.
This one is now listed on eBay. You can scroll down to froggy below, click and hop to my online store with direct links to eBay.
ciao,
john redmond
in Ottawa, Canada





Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Disaster Brewing






















Hi All,

I bet I hooked you in with the headline.
Did you ever notice that the bad news sells best.
No major headlines saying, "300 Smiling People March On Parliament"

Yesterday I had a brewing disaster. I was letting the latest layer on a painting dry while I bottled my second batch of home brew. I the newbie-brewmeister had made a batch of Irish dark beer - Guinness style. Bottling beer seems to be mostly about washing the bottles, disinfecting them and then rinsing. Lots of water is involved. To have an assistant is wise. Assistantless on this fateful day all was going wet and well until something slipped.

Note to self; keep more dry cloths handy during bottling process.

I had washed and racked the bottles and lay them out carefully for filling. My friendly brew store had informed me that I need not feel neurotic about sucking on the tube to get the syphoning started. I thought it might contaminate the beer. No problem. Brewing is forgiving if you clean things well. At the bottling stage the alcohol content helps to kill germs - so I was told. All was smooth until I began to lift the big 23 litre bottle onto my kitchen counter to commence syphoning delight into the bottles. Disaster struck when the bottle slipped out of my hands and began its direct descent to the unforgiving floor.

Babies may bounce but glass bottles break.

I watched in dismay as 60 unbottled bottles of beer made their downward way in ever so slow motion. It is amazing how many thoughts the brain can produce in an instant. Fate was only toying with me. The bottle did not smash when it hit the floor. This baby bounced and slid. The beer SPLASHED and my latest crop of Irish brew began to gurgle and gush out. OH NO!!!! Newbie-brewmeister disaster daze.

No tears over spilt beer. Accidents will happen. I grabbed the bottle as Noah's favourite flood of stout flowed over my kitchen floor. Uprighting the bottle I turned to grab my floor mop imaging a beer soaked floor forever sticky and fragrant as happy yeast. The beer froth in the fermentation bottle was now two big beer bottles high.

Mopping completed I did not mope over my fate. I began bottling and once that was completed I took stock of my losses. Perhaps fifteen bottles of beer had been stripped of their joyful potential and had gone down with the flush.

Oh well brew and learn.
It is an art.

I have posted a miniature abtract painting today. It is 5' x 3'' x 1/2 on stretched canvas. I love making small paintings. The miniature paintings is a tiny little world. I used both black and white undercoating on this canvas. Although small the textured surface of paint is quite thick.
This one is for sale now on eBay. Scroll down to froggy below and click to hop to my online store which links directly to eBay. If you would like to view an enlargement of this painting click on a photo and the supersized photo will appear.
ciao
john redmond in Ottawa, Canada

Sunday, May 24, 2009

My Solo Show At Irene's













































Good weekend to you All,

While my recent solo show at Irene's Pub in Ottawa was up I took some photos. I am posting some of them for you today. I really enjoyed showing my paintings at Irene's. It has a nice community pub feel.

When I hang a show I usually make some choose some paintings ahead of time plus I also bring extra at the time of hanging. I attempt to paint the venue with my paintings. Visually I take in the whole scene, colours etc and try to make it all fit well.

Hanging a show usually takes me about four hours. It feels like a creative act in itself.

I have had a few moments of angst while wrestling with my current triptych painting. One of the three panels was wrinkling. I had not encountered this problem before. Yesterday I took it with me to Rancho Del Greely and discussed the situation with artisto friend Brenda. She suggested spraying the back of the canvas with water. 'O.K.," said I. I went downstairs to find a spray mister but passed the laundry sink and said to myself, 'what the heck, just put the painting under the tap." I did exactly that. I let the water run for a few seconds, moved the painting around so the back of the painted canvas was wet and let the water drain. Instantly the canvas was tight as a drum. I took the painting back upstairs marveling at this occurrence. I leaned it against a wall to dry. What would happen? Would the wrinkles return and leave me with a diptych?

In the morning I noticed that some small wrinkling remained and so I decided to repeat the water soaking. This time I turbo dried the canvas by leaning it against a table on the back patio in the sunshine. This worked. The second soaking and drying returned the canvas to its intended flat look. Whew! My triptych enthusiasm was back too. Miracle of miracles.

ciao
john r
p.s. click on a photo to view it enlarged.
Scroll down to the froggy below and click to hop to my online store and see more paintings with links to eBay.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Art Can Be Dangerous



























Hi To Y'All,

Art can be dangerous. This morning I had a prickly awakening reminder of this truth. The alarm clock sounded. I rolled and crawled out of bed to turn it off. Generally it is a good idea to keep the alarm clock out of easy reach. As I was doing this I put my knee on a pin cushion full of sewing needles. They went into my flesh. I hope you are not eating as you read this {:~DDD. It was a prickly rude awakening...OOCH, OUCH!

I pulled at least one out but there remained a self threading sewing needle stuck in my knee like a porcupine quill stuck in a dog's nose. It was the blunt end that pierced the skin. The self threading needles have barbs on them to keep the thread from coming off the needle. Under a magnifying glass they look very nasty. I tried to determine if I could remove it myself with some needle nosed pliers but one slight pull revealed that to be a painful prospect. The walk in medical clinic was my option. It is located around the corner from my apartment. I would have to roam about with the sewing needle dangling out of my knee flesh until they opened at 8 a.m.

My tale of woe continues. Having arrived at the walk in clinic just before 8 o'clock I was signed in and asked to sit and wait. Unknown to me the receptionist seems not to have had enough morning coffee. She did not put me in the line up. A longish wait is not abnormal at the walkin clinic so I was not surprised by my wait until I realised everyone was seeing the doctor before me. Hey folks. Wazup? "OOps, sorry," she said. It was an hour and a half from the time of my arrival before I was finally called to see the doctor. The kind doc fumbled around in his cupboards searching for his tools. (did ya have morning coffee sir?) He froze my knee with a needle injection and used his sterile doctor pliers to pull the quill from my abused joint. Hopefully it will not be too sore when the freezing agent wears off. The doctor admitted that he had to give a good strong yank to remove the 'foreign body'. 'Removal of foreign body' was the note he scribbled into my medical record - 'right knee'.

You might be wondering why the needle cushion was there on the floor. Here is my lesson in art technique. I use sewing needles to remove hairs, long specs of dust and unwantd paint globs from my paintings as they dry. Dust specs can be very long! Globs are annoying. If such things remain on the canvas the wet paint will be drawn to them and a mark is left. A certain amount of this is does not matter if it does not interfere with the final look of a piece. It is, afterall, abstract painting. I generally monitor the painting while it is drying to remove what I can. A sewing needle or two come in handy for this purpose.

I keep the needles in a little red cushion. And I do put it out of the way so that I will not step on it as I walk around my work area. Last evening I was working on a couple paintings and used the needles. I did put the pin cushion in a 'safe' out of the way spot. My knee encountered the prickly demon despite my caution.

So dear friends here is the message. Art can be sublime and art can be dangerous.

Now for today's painting. This one that I have posted photos of today is a lovely abstract reminiscent of clouds blowing over water. The horizon line is low creating a big sky. Colours dance through the air.

The dimensions are 24'' x 24'' x 1/2'' on stretched canvas.
Click on an image to view an enlargement.
Scroll down this page to the froggy and click to hop to my online store with links direct to eBay. Today this painting is posted on eBay.

Enjoy your day but beware; Art can be dangerous {:~DD

ciao,

john redmond
in Ottawa, Canada

Monday, May 18, 2009

Across the Waters



Hi Everyone,

Hope you had a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGG weekend.
We basked in the springtime sunshine marveling at the warmer than predicted temperature. Digging in the dirt, we were getting the gardens ready for spring planting at Rancho del Greely.

of a warm windy day on our wild Canadian lakes. II have posted a painting today that is reminicient love to paddle this kind of wild place away from the four walls of city life. Sun, wind, waters are wonderful. And as I have written in song, 'I love the wind filling my sail, blowing me away."

The dimensions of this windy painting are 40'' x 20'' x 1/2'' on stretched canvas.

Click on an image to view an enlargement.
Check with Froggy below to hop to the online store and links to my eBay postings.





ciao
john r

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Dance Dance Wherever You May Be







Greetings to You,

The painting that I am posting today, currently posted on eBay, was created for a show at the Cube Gallery, Ottawa entitled 'Homage'. Fifty or sixty artists participated and each was to create a painting in homage to an artist who influenced their work. My choice was Jackson Pollock. I employ an action splatter and pour technique especially at the undercoat stage.

This painting is one of two that I created in preparation for the Homage show. I painted them simultaneously, side by side in two session. Lots of paint; gobs of paint were applied to the canvas. Most of the work was done in the first session whch lasted the good part of an early evening. The next morning I added some final touches. These paintings took days to dry. I had to tip toe around them as they lay on my living room floor during the drying time. Both paintings have lots of texture and many intersting layers that peek out from the canvas and paint. I chose the other painting to show at the Cube gallery. Another time I will post that painting which at the time appeared in Ottawa's daily newspaper, The Citizen.

The one I post here was named 'Dancer' by a friend of mine who saw it. I liked the name and have kept it. The dimensions of 'Dancer' are 30'' x 24'' x 1/2'' on stretched canvas. The pallet I used was one I do not usually employ. It was, after all a homage to Jackson. A varnish was not applied to 'Dancer' as I felt it uneccessary and perhaps unlike Pollock.

Click on the images to view enlargements.
Scroll down to the Froggy below to hop to my online store to view more paintings. It has links to eBay.

Dance, dance wherever you may be,

cioa,

john redmond
in Ottawa, Canada

Saturday, May 16, 2009

A Way of Moving





Hi,

I think I titled this blog 'A Way of Moving' because the painting I have posted is sold.

It was up at my recent solo show at Irene's Pub in Ottawa. The dimensions are 28'' x 20'' x 1/2'' on stretched canvas. Click on an image to have an enlarged view.

I am happy that it has a nice home. An artist needs to let go of his work and allow it to flow on. It makes room for more work to come through. Just like life; flow on.

Today I worked on a new painting. I had actually applied the black and white undercoating some time ago. I was in the mood to pull that canvas out and apply some colour. It seemed that the colour was turning muddy as I applied it so I kept adding more, including some light gold. I may seem strange to add more paint but I work with water and that means things flow on and all changes. At this stage the colour looks relatively light. There appears to be a nice foreground. I decided to leave well enough alone and let it dry as I head out.

Enjoy you're weekend. I am going to the Rainbow Bistro to hear Wicked Grin perform - wickedgrin.ca will get you to their website. They play around Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto and have performed at the Ottawa Bluesfest too. They offer Blues with Bite.


ciao,

john redmond
in Ottawa
P.S. check with the froggy below to hop toward more of my paintings.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Precambrian Painting Down By TheBay . . .


















Hi Everyone,

I was teaching grade one/two today and it was a gorgeous sunshiny day again here in Ottawa. The lucky junior classes (grades 4,5,6) had their annual sports day. It was perfect weather for outdoor fun.

I have posted photos here of a painting that I painted a while ago.
It appeared in one of my solo shows at the Manx, on Elgin Street, Ottawa.
That's where you find the good brew and good food. No vast amounts of pub grease and they really present the chow well.



Precambrian was the name given to this painting during the Manx show. The dimensions are 24'' x 24'' x 1/2 on stretched canvas. It has a curved horizon line with delicate layers of colour above the horizon. This implies hills and woods and sky. Below the horizon are textured layers of poured underpaint with gold, copper and bronze acrylic applied to give the earth tones. Click on the photos to view enlargements.

This particular painting is now posted on eBay. Find froggy at the bottom of the page to hop to my Auctiva online store which links to eBay.

It is a long weekend here. The holiday originated to celebrate Queen Victoria. Her actual birthday is May 24th and the holiday used to be celebrated always on that weekend in May. Now it seems Victoria does not mind us having a movable feast in her honour. It was Queen Victoria who chose Ottawa to be the national capital of Canada. At the time it was on the border of Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec) which put Montreal and Ottawa out of the running. Kingston was eliminated due to the possibility of American invasion. I think they wanted to get the Brits back for burning down the White House once upon a time.

We also tend to make colourful explosions in the sky to celebrate the holiday.
Thanks Ms. Vicky.

Happy weekend to you all.

ciao,

john redmond
in Ottawa, Canada

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Feeling Very Jetson . . . . . . . . All 21st C.










































Hi Friends and All,

I am feeling very Jetson this evening in Ottawa.
. . . So very 21st Century.
I am on Facebook. I have a blog.
And I just got my Skype world happening too.

When I was perhaps 7 years old I would read a book
in bed and dream of being able to see it on a big screen.
Et Voila here we are.

Late in the afternoon when I returned from a nice day of teaching grade one and two I added a bit more paint to my latest triptych. I was looking forward to seeing how the bit of paynes grey/blue that I had added before heading to Rancho Del Greely had dried. It looks good.

There are the layers of colour that I want. Also I felt that a bit of dark colour was needed on the right side of the painting. It also adds to the multi-dimensional, multi-perspective style I enjoy. One can look at things from many directions, from inside out and outside in at the same time. Any way, the pre-Greely bit looks like forest off in the distance. Todays application of colour added a bit of red over a yellow area that needed it.

I strive for balance in the midst of movement. It is the artist in me...both visual artist and martial artist that enjoys this way.

The painting I have posted today is a triptych I created during the past month. It is actually the first that I painted. At this time it hangs in the living room of Rancho Del Greely.

I have included a handful of detail shots here. Click on the photo to see it enlarged.

If you would like to view more then scroll down to our froggy friend at the bottom of the page and click for a hop to my Auctiva store http://store.auctiva.com/redjar7 which in turn with a click on a painting will carry you to the eBay page. On the eBay posting I included about sixteen shots. If you find the supersize button below the photo you will see the pictures in enlarged and in great detail.

It is tricky to get the colours of the painting to meet and blend. Water has a mind of its own as I have mentioned. I think I did succeed in making it work in this case. It is not like using a roller or a brush to apply paint. The water on the three canvases which I work on simultaneously side by side flows in its own river. The layering process helps make it work.

The evening is moving on and now so am I friends.
Have a great day or night, sunset or sunrise . . .wherever you are.

caio,

john redmond
in Ottawa, Canada

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A Day At Rancho del Greely



This fine - really fine - sunny day finds me dog and house sitting for friends in Greely located at the South end of the Ottawa area. It is a bungalow style house with a large open space lot. I have named it Rancho Del Greely.

The lovely pups in the photo are my friend's newfoundlander and standard poodle. Riley is very photogenic against the white carpet of the Rancho's living room. Lily smiles with the Christmas tree in the background. I took the photos during last season's Christmas holidays. With my downloaded photo editor I created their antique image - Riley and Lily circa 1909.

The second image is of my GGG Grandpa Madog Redmond. I think he was a pirate along the Cornish coast {:~DDD

My Great grandma was Cornish. According to my late fantastic, amazing aunt Ida, Great Grandma Edith never considered herself English. She was Cornish. The family were Cornish miners. They came to Canada and some ended up in Michigan.

I have lots of American cousins, some known and some unknown.
It's like that here.

You will find a few genealogy references in my blogs. Sorry, can't help it since I got into it a while ago. Recently I connected with long lost cousins who are sprinkled around the world.

As I am not at my home apartment-cave today I will not post a painting. You will have to settle for the photo shoot.

I do have a three panel triptych painting near completion on my living room floor. It is looking pretty good now as I add some final layers. Painting the triptychs is a bit tricky using the technique I do. Water flows with a mind of its own. I employ it mixed with acrylic paint. Adding layer upon layer builds some interesting dimension to the pieces I create this way. There is one triptych posted on eBay and on my Auctiva store at this time. Click on the links or on the froggie image at the bottom of the page. Did I mention that I am also on Etsy; look for johnredmond.

Have a super sunshiny day friends.

john redmond

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I Me Me Me Mine - About Me


John R. Redmond

John Redmond’s work is fluid. He employs the flow of water-borne paint to create layers of texture and blended colour. Splashes of paint on his canvas and the movement of water build his distinctive style. His pure abstract and abstract land/waterscapes are formed by an action splatter and pour accidentally-on-purpose technique.


Redmond expresses images of clouds, mist, storms over wilderness forests and lakes, waves, seas, under water worlds and gentle or wild wind blown rains. Sometimes he spreads strong, bold colour. Other times his colour is subtle and delicate.


Applying acrylic paint with an almost watercolor method over his textured base, Redmond reveals moods reflecting the rhythmic pulse of the fluid world in which we live. Viewers are drawn to Redmond’s abstract imagery because they recognize in his work the flow of something which they themselves are. His multi-dimensional paintings evoke an experience of inner and outer reality. The viewer is welcomed into a painting and urged to create along with the artist.


Redmond paints for joy, sanity, self-development and the expression of beauty. His art reflects a life long interest in world religion, philosophy and psychology. A special interest in East Asian thought considerably influences his artist expression. Redmond’s experience and love of Canadian wilderness is also evident in his paintings.


His paintings have been shown at Ottawa’s local galleries and art venues. Masks created by Redmond appeared at the National Art Centre in Opera Lyra’s production of Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’. Life sized puppets designed and created by Redmond have been a part of professional performances in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and New York City.


Redmond was born and raised in the Montreal area. He moved to Ottawa to attend university and is a long time resident of Ottawa. He holds a B.A. in Religion from Carleton University, a B.Ed. from University of Ottawa, and is also a Montessori trained teacher.


Redmond studied Fine Arts while attending Carleton University, Ottawa. University courses included study of North American Native Art, and Asian traditions of Buddhist and Hindu Art.


This artist strives for a balance between action and quietude. Redmond began practicing yoga and meditation while enrolled in a Pure and Applied Science program at John Abbott College, St. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec. During this period he also began a life long interest in the martial arts. His athletic endeavors have included marathon and ultra-marathon distance running. He has completed 20 such races. He was a core team member of several Cross-Canada running relay teams. Redmond has assisted with the instruction of young martial artists and has taught yoga and meditation in the Ottawa area. In October 2004 Redmond completed the C.N. Tower Stair Climb in 18 minutes 30 seconds.


You will also find him on stage in the Ottawa area singing and occasionally strumming guitar. Redmond views his music, his dynamic physical activities and the quietude of yoga and meditation as complementary. This sense of action and silence is expressed through his paintings.


Find Redmond's art with links to eBay at http://store.auctiva.com/redjar7

History in the Making
































Good Day All,

I hope this fine Spring day finds you in colourful form.
It is spring here in Ottawa, Canada. The tulips are splashing our
national capital with the rainbow of loveliness.

This past week has been a flurry of eBay postings of my art.
Also I took down my show as Irene's Pub in the Glebe area of Ottawa.
Irene's is a great community Pub as is the Manx on Elgin St. in downtown Ottawa.
Both have hosted my solo art shows.

If you are in Ottawa for a pint then head to Irene's Pub or the Manx.

I did post a painting today on eBay which you can see on this page.
It's a beautiful abstract painting with much texture. (I realized three days later that I posted the wrong photos. Here I am revising history...28'' x 20'' x 1/2'')
You can find my eBay postings via http://store.auctiva.com/redjar7
redjar7 is my alias at auctiva
and jredmond55 is my eBay seller name.
I am signed up at eBay.ca but the art shows for Tout la Monde. You will also find me on Etsy. Look for johnredmond

So dear friends on this historic day of my first blog here have a great day. Be well.

ciao
john r