Evening on 10

A good thing about working small is that it encourages all sorts of experiments. This collage was strange in its beginnings and remained that way to the end....but everything can be indulged because it's always about trying to get closer. Such odd eccentricities show up....like that green dot lower right....almost like punctuation at the end of a sentence.

Richardson's Lookout, July 27 (SOLD)

The hill is the highest point in this area. With some regularity I wander up there and make drawings that become paintings. You can see for miles in every direction. Lake Ontario is a half hour drive south and on a clear day it's visible from the top of the hill. Acrylic and pencil on unprimed archival single ply matte board. (SOLD)

New York Optimist

http://thenewyorkoptimist.com/HarryStooshinoff_July27_2014.html

Many thanks to John Sebastian for featuring my work in the current issue of the New York Optimist.

Incoming, Cty Rd. 10

As the series progresses, over many years, there are subtle changes in both the process and approach. This one is very noticeably different from the one before in a few significant ways.

Evening, Coyote Hill

8 x 8 inches, matte board gessoed both sides, acrylic.......walking on county Rd. 10.

Morning Stop

...the green was so vivid, and the trees were almost black.....8 x 10 inches, acrylic on matte board, gessoed both sides.

Paddocks...

 

....not the exact same location...but very close to each other. 8 x 10 inches, and 8 x 8 inches.

3 collages made today.

 

3 small collages, on single ply matte board,  with acrylic painted papers, made today. Every few days, I need to switch the methodology a degree. Nothing is abandoned, but everything needs to be continually refreshed.

Kestrel Place

 ....on my usual walk to this field with a distant view....some new companions. 2 kestrels sound their territorial alarm when I come within a short distance of this place. They have been dive bombing me regularly, sometimes coming quite close....I can hear the air of their wings as they pull out of the dive at the last second. Acrylic and pencil on matte board gessoed both sides, 8 x 8 inches.

Whisper

...sometimes you sense something...rather than see it. Acrylic and pencil on matte board primed both sides, 8 x 8 inches.

Bobby's Field, July 7

Bobby's Field, July 7.
The crops are growing quickly. Beautiful rain is falling now, but it looked like this earlier. Acrylic and pencil on matte board gessoed both sides, 8 x 8 inches. I like how these small works rely on touch. The whole thing always seems to be a series of touches....how you touch the paint or pencil.

A few more shadowboxes....

I thought of this too late but I should have used plexiglass rather than glass so that these could be easily shipped to my online buyers. As well, I've added a sheet of Masonite on the back behind the foam core to give stability and firmness to the back inner seam.

 

These 2 pieces are currently at www.impresariomarket.ca , email info@impresariomarket.ca    It's a cool little art shop in Cobourg, Ontario, 37 King Street West...right on the main street. Look in if you in the area!

Morning Near Ida

 ...many of these roads are wonderful to travel. You never know where you will end up, and you find some beautiful properties...even better if you find a Saturday garage sale with some rare books. These hills are always enchanting....in this case the sliver of light green on the distant hill was compelling. Acrylic on matteboard gessoed both sides, 8 x 8 inches.

Little Trailer (SOLD)

 ....the shock of some white in the fresh green of early summer....yesterday the trailer was there...today it's gone. Acrylic collage painting on unprimed single ply matte board, 8 x 9.5 inches.

Rice lake Morning, North Shore

Rice Lake in the glorious, still early days of summer! 9.5 x 10.5 inches, acrylic on single ply matte board.

Morning Light, 2 versions

Sometimes they are a bit more abstract, sometimes a bit more realistic, or closely matching a visual reality....it matters not. It's all part of the same thing. You live and you receive sensations...you notice things.....so many in a day....and in some ways these sensations ARE the day. The picture making is one way to reference something that has gone on that seems worth noting. The picture is not a record, or an equivalent, but there is a relationship between the experience and the making. It seems important to not say too much and box yourself in......or at least it is an advantage to be able to get out of your own box. The process loses its charm if there isn't constant reinvention.

The sketch on the bottom was left purposely vague, to reference only the sensation noted here...the light on the road and the coolness of the shadow in the trees....the freshness of the summer sky. I made 2 painted versions.....This short series might continue today.

Echo

Play time means play time! The collages are often a chance to rethink initial guidelines. Any rule or rule of thumb may be broken. Some ideas may be harder than others to discard. Space will always be suggested, for example...not really interested in giving that up. The image may or may not resemble visual reality.

Acrylic collage on single ply matte board, 7.5 x 9.25 inches.

 I like to get a bit of alternation going in the style or process so I don't 'settle in' too much. I might do another collage tomorrow or maybe a painting.....I'll decide on the morning walk. The collages are more open ended, and therefore feel liberating, so I usually do more than just one....usually 2 or 3 in a row.

June End, Evening at Garden Hill

Diagramed last night....a very hot and hazy evening, and painted today. I stopped to make this drawing but I was on my way to Richardson's Lookout...high ground which is very close by...you can see for miles in 3 directions. This painting is 8 x 8 inches, acrylic and pencil on matte board gessoed both sides.

Shadow Box Framing

I like this method of presenting my small works. The shadow box is made with a deep moulding. Archival foam core is cut for the side and glued to the wood (a few drops of rubber cement). The back sheet is white foam core that sits on top of the side pieces of foam core. I use mirror clips and small screws on the back to make for easy reframing. If the piece that's showcased in the frame is rather heavy I use drops of rubber cement as the adhesive. For best results reapply 2 or 3 layers of cement, let dry between coats and press down (I use a stack of very heavy books to apply weight). You can easily remove rubber cement for reframing, without any damage, and it doesn't mess with any of the archival materials.

I like the look of these framed, and perhaps one day I'll do shows again, but for the moment I'm happy to send these off in the mail unframed to my customers who find me on Etsy.