See me at Shelter Valley Folk Festival!

I will be showing many pieces, about 10 framed pieces, 4 shown here, done up in the shadow box method I favour,.....and perhaps about 150+ pieces in plastic sleeves as shown here. Come and check out my tent!  Plenty of good food, music, and art this weekend September 4 - 6 just outside Grafton, Ontario.

I will be painting in my tent, as people spend the weekend at the festival, and would welcome doing a few portraits, if anyone wants to sit for about an hour and a bit...

www.harrystooshinoff.com

August Ends.....

There are small things that catch my attention.....there are not really names for these things, but they remain important regardless, and they become the basis of the pictures. Tonight it was the look and feel of the dusk, just as the temperature started to drop. I liked the sound of the distant tractor and baler, the sound of cars and their tires on the asphalt, I can hear the crickets and the frogs in the wetlands and fields around me...I can hear gentle house sounds, things winding down at the end of the day...the horses make gentle noises. But this might be for tomorrow....

In the 2 paintings here, the sensation was of the evening sunlight on the fresh green of cedars at the trout ponds....so I looked into the foliage in different places on my walk that evening. I make only one painting a day, so these are from 2 separate days...there may be more coming, I can never tell, nor do I wish to plan the work in advance.

On the making of pictures, it pays to risk everything. If you already have a picture like the one you made, best to follow your hunches, if you have any, and chances are good that you do....because you are after that fresh, excited feeling in yourself, and you won't get it if you repeat, in essence, a picture you already have. You've made that picture, so you can move on, and each new work calls for a new, but small push forward. This just means that in the process  of making each new work, there will come a moment, and likely more than one, where you have to say, well I'll try this even if it upsets the apple cart, and it likely will. But gradually the picture you are working on will find its balance as well, and then you can stop.  It could mean that you have to take out a portion of the picture and try again....now the other thing doesn't belong, and you have to try something else, but the thing is not dead, so you and it move along in some way, change after change, seeking a new, pleasing balance that you haven't quite seen before, but that you welcome.  But you have to listen to your hunches to do this. And this is what makes it all an adventure, and exciting.

www.harrystooshinoff.com

Evening Cover, August 26

I was gifted some Canson paper and tried it out....it's not bad. It doesn't absorb paint at all, so encourages use of thicker paint. 9 x 12 inches. I love art papers of all types...always have.... and hope to explore even more types.

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Line Them Up!

....after I make each one, I stare at it for a good long time. The sign will hang from my tent at The Shelter Valley Folk Festival, near Grafton, Ontario, where I will show very many works on paper, Friday Sept. 4 - Sunday Sept, 6. I'll make a few paintings while the folk festival is going on.......I wouldn't mind if someone sat for a portrait.....

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August.....

'Little Saturday House' and 'Bank Over Chickabiddy Place', acrylic and pencil on unprimed Arches paper, 10 x 13.5 inches.

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Heatwave and Dusk.....

The recent heatwave makes it unpleasant to be out earlier than dusk, so perhaps that gives me another reason to do paintings of this favourite time of day....all acrylic and pencil on unprimed Arches paper, 10 x 13.5 inches.

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Dusk, Home Line, August 16 (Sold)

 ....by the time I make it back here, home is only 10 minutes away, and the day's light is almost used up. Acrylic and pencil on Arches paper, 10 x 13.5 inches.

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Dusk, North Sky, August 15



Acrylic and pencil on Whatman paper 10 x 13.75 inches, with the little on-site diagram used to make the work.....in the last bits of daylight the quality of air changes so quickly, the light changes noticeably almost minute-to-minute. Where I was standing on the highway, I could feel the coolness as the dew dropped. The horses were all in paddocks close to the house, keeping them safe for the night.

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Opening, August 13

 

Acrylic on archival paper, 7.5 x 11 inches, signed lightly in pencil. Very strange, active skies last night led to a day of thunder storms today. 2 collage paintings were made in the past 2 days, so today I went back to painting directly on the paper....these types of procedural changes happen naturally.

 

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Climb

Acrylic collage painting on archival paper, 7.5 x 11 inches, signed lightly in pencil.

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Stooshinoffs Featured in Country Living Magazine

My images in Country Living magazine!


On newsstands now.

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Dusk on Chickabiddy Line (Sold)

Summer moves so quickly.....there is always a change of mood in early August that seems partly a response to the change in land, air, and light. The crops are mature, or getting there, it darkens earlier, the smells are a bit different. Acrylic collage painting on archival paper 7.5 x 11 inches, signed lightly in pencil.

It is strange to consider the history behind how I make things now. Sometimes when people ask how this is done, I see almost exactly how I got to this point, and am only mystified it took so long to do such a simple thing. In a small praire town I looked at a lot of skies, enjoyed rambling over any bit of wild land I could find, went searching for it in many places, played hooky in middle school to go sit in the snow by the river, carve sticks and stare at the landscape just to feel the wonder of things. And I remember trying to figure out how to put things together in a picture....always interested in that from perhaps aged 12 forward. I had Mr. Egenschweiller (sp) order every book on art through interlibrary loans I could find (bless your kind, sweet heart). I remember standing in the stationary store down by railway street, smelling that wonderful odour of oiled wood floors and the green granular cleaner they used to sprinkle on and then sweep up. In that store I remember looking at the 'how to paint' books and would marvel at the skill (seems déclassé now, but any instruction helps). And I was eager, and excited, wanted to learn....I'd draw horrible pencil drawings of trees and landscapes. Years of art school takes you through many styles and influences, your tastes change, many things are sampled before you seem to settle, all kinds of techniques are tried. These pieces now are a distillation of many things absorbed through the years....art history from French realism, Corot, Barbizon, to the impressionists, fauves, post impressionists, expressionists, and all manner of isms, including various forms of abstraction and non-representation in the 20th century. In all this, there is belief in the hand....your hand can do much...let it make things! Let it find out how to make things....I still have that naïve belief in picture magic of the 12 year old boy standing in that stationary school by railway street.

www.harrystooshinoff.com

Saturday Morning Route

 

Acrylic collage painting on matte board, 7.75 x 9.75 inches, signed lightly in pencil. They never turn out how I expect....they turn out some other way instead, but that said, there is always a balance achieved and they stop in some interesting place.

 

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August Beach

Birdsall Beach on Rice Lake......a beautiful August day. Something that takes no effort, or little effort, will often appear very fresh and lovely in a painting. Collage will do that...the effort was made previously, and it was an easy, joyous effort at that. Lack of ease can be discouraging, disheartening.....so what gives the impression of ease in a painting? Lots of things will do it....and lots of things will prevent it. To some degree, these works are about this issue. How to keep the image fresh, alive, surprising, mysterious....in every stroke.

www.harrystooshinoff.com 

Dusk, Almost Home (Sold)

 

I don't roam that far, but the things to see are endless. The weather, light, and seasons change.....each day feels very different if you get used to paying attention to little changes. As well, I change, because the thoughts working through me vary, which changes the emphasis and priority of what is seen. Acrylic and pencil on single ply archival matte, 7.75 x 9.75 inches, signed lightly in pencil.

 

...the back deck...the most common access to the back gardens, where the cats and humans love to spend time. Last night, while I was watching The Walking Dead, I forgot to take in the cat crunchies......a lovely skunk was enjoying crunchies and water just where you see this painting.....(skunks are very, very nice).

 

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Dusk on Lost Dog Hill (Sold)

After a day of storms the evening was pleasant and calm with fast moving skies. On any particular day, whatever mood you wish to see in the landscape, can be found. Your eye and mind work as a lens to focus, to find what they wish to. We each remake the world.....

Acrylic and pencil on single ply archival matte, 7.75 x 9.75 inches, signed lightly in pencil.

www.harrystooshinoff.com 

Storm Over Little House (Sold)

 

 

.....yesterday close to dusk....but the storms after dark were violent, with many homes in the area still without power. Acrylic and pencil on single ply archival matte, 7.75 x 9.75 inches. These short series do not usually go on for very long.....we'll see how many more happen, if any. They do tend to pick up again after a time, though.

 

 

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Incoming at Dusk

....a companion piece to the one posted the other day. A number of years ago I started doing these sky scapes with just a bit on land on the bottom....I make a few every now and then when the skies are very active. Acrylic and pencil on single ply archival matte 7.75 x 9.75 inches, signed lightly in pencil.

www.harrystooshinoff.com

Storm Coming, July 31

Acrylic and pencil on single ply archival matte, 7.75 x 9.75 inches, singed lightly in pencil. A few storms rolled through yesterday making for interesting sky viewing. The first downpour of the day was fierce.

July End.....

 

Acrylic collage paintings on single ply archival matte, 7.75 x 9.75 inches, signed lightly in pencil....the hot, final days of July, clouds flying by and coming together in all kinds of formations....

 

The paintings are often a combination of what is known/sensed/understood...and what is seen. While I love a lot of plein air painting, and I do make work based directly on observation....for me it is seldom a problem of simply recording what is seen. I know that if the work is more of an inevitablity than a surprise, I am less likely to make things....therefore the problem is always how to find surprise.

 

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Moon at Dusk, July 27

 I set out a little later than usual because it was so hot all day....a calm, beautiful evening....the moon hanging in the south sky.....acrylic and pencil on single ply archival matte 7.75 x 10 inches.

 

Although these pictures look very representational, even realistic, on any given day this could have turned out to be something relatively abstract, or fully abstract....just as easily. The only thing that does stay consistent is the idea that something in the world is being thought about as the work is being made......

 

www.harrystooshinoff.com

Forest Sky

Yesterday evening...hot and humid...in the forest with a fast moving sky above. Acrylic and pencil on single ply archival matte board 8 x 10 inches, signed lightly in pencil.

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High July, Garden HIll

 

High July, Garden Hill.

...a varied day, rain in the morning....sunshine in the afternoon, thunder storms in late afternoon....evening still to be decided. I love this patch of green as I enter into the valley of Garden Hill. Acrylic collage painting on single ply archival matte 7.75 x 9 inches. There are only 3 pieces of collage on this to start (that fill the whole page)...the rest is acrylic on top....but the collage is key.

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Look South

 ...acrylic and pencil on single ply archival matte board, 7.75 x 9.75 inches. The evening sounds that filter in are pleasing....the sound of a distant motor fading in and out of range.....the constant sound of birds, different in each location.....

 

....having a good roll in the gravel....Sam always helps with the photos when I take them at the pond. It's his favourite place in the property.....the place where he found refuge when he decided he'd like to live here....

 

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Peak July

...acrylic and pencil on single ply archival matte board 7.75 x 9.75 inches. Sunny, glorious days of late July....I often walk to a little area shaded by aspen saplings, and look toward home line. It was still early in the afternoon....breezy, but very hot, so the shade was very welcome. Aspen leaves make a steady, gentle sound in the wind....always pleasant to be in their company.

Aspens are considered as scrub trees by many...they grow easily and quickly, soft wood that cannot be burned as fuel, quick to break and die, but they provide cover for more hardy trees. I've loved aspens since I was 7 years old. I would climb them and listen to the leaves...an aspen in the wind talks to you....

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Clearing, Dusk (SOLD)

 

 July 19.........a violent thunder storm came in early evening, following by quick and dramatic clearing...the sky was very lively as dark approached. Acrylic and pencil on single ply unprimed matte board 7.75 x 9.75 inches. ...there are lots of elevations here...I can go to high ground or low ground within 15 minutes.......great place for sky watching!

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Rain on Lost Dog Hill

 

....it's beautiful after the rain....and it's alright getting caught in it as well. Acrylic collage painting on single ply unprimed archival matte board 7.75 x 9.75 inches.

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Saturday Morning Path

Acrylic collage painting on single ply archival matte board 7.75 x 9.75 inches......sometimes it's as if certain trees want their portrait painted.

I remember looking at a Cezanne painting in the Art Gallery of Ontario...not necessarily the strongest Cezanne...but there was one long stroke in there made with a skinny brush.....a tree branch that angled up and to the left...such a wonderful stroke...

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I have a new Web site

www.harrystooshinoff.com   

Now all my work can be viewed and purchased from this site as well!

I continue to stick to my quota of one painting per day. This one is from yesterday evening. I often walk to this bush.....from here I can see the horses and sheep in the next field.....

Artfully Walls has Some Interesting Things!

 

That's me at top left.....they change their front pages from time to time. The site is worth a look if you are interested in some good quality, framed reproductions. I'm glad to be a part of it....

Stand (SOLD)

I have painted this old stand a number of times. Glorious in all seasons, but it seemed especially impressive in January snow. The next morning (today) I was snowed in. Acrylic and pencil on single ply unprimed archival matte board. I find it remarkable how many people do not seem to like trees. Landowners, hydro companies, roads departments, municipalities,  are constantly taking down more than are replanted....more than need to go.

Cedar Survival (SOLD)

...a row of small cedars on a windy hill....it's hard to keep them alive there, but with steady attention they should survive. Acrylic and pencil on unprimed archival paper, 11 x 15 inches.

Survivor (SOLD)

Acrylic and pencil on unprimed painting paper 10.5 x 12 inches, image size 8.5 x 10 inches.......everywhere I look they take down trees, destroy hedgerows...fewer places for birds and animals to live....nowhere for my soul to go.......

Will there be anything else, Madam?

Christmas Eve, Early Darkness

 

Acrylic collage on archival Whatman paper, 8 x 10, image size 6.5 x 8.5 inches. This is a little way into a series which aims at being a bit more automatic, although this is about image 5 or 6 into the series and the latter ones have more deliberation than the first ones.

How To Make a Collage!

How to make a collage....

 -dig around for a piece of painted paper, but don't dig too long or you'll drive yourself crazy
-cut or tear the paper.....put big pieces down first....the first 2 pieces cover the whole image size
-paint on the glue, apply immediately to the surface, place typing paper on top and rub, quickly turn typing paper over and rub again, so that you rub out any glue that squeezed out....don't let your hand touch the collage....much
-put your hand in the water bucket every so often, and dry off with gnarly old towel (old is good!), so that you don't stick to your coffee cup
-proceed until you are happy with your collage.....and always be happy.
-stare at your finished collage until you suck the life out of it....at this point you have to make something else....and repeat, forever....
-save the bigger pieces of cut up leftover collage paper, but the smaller pieces have to go in the garbage.....or you will surely drive yourself crazy! (but those smaller leftover pieces also look soooo nice....)
-always clean up after every session (things can get very STRANGE very quickly)

Early Winter (both SOLD)

 

Both are 8 x 10 inches, on matte board, gessoed both sides.