Happy Holidays

It's been a pretty busy December in and out of the studio. I think as a full time artist it's difficult to put the brush down and walk away from the easel. This is the time of year for friends and family so I'll be relaxing this week and taking a much needed break. I'm pleased with the number of sales this month as well as the additional gallery work. I'm hoping it's a sign of better times in 2012. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Newly Sold Works

I've been pretty busy the last few weeks with the holidays coming up but I wanted to share one of the pieces that has recently sold. It's titled : " Autumn Mosaic " . The size is 30" x 60" and is painted in acrylics. It's the first piece of a series that will be up in my online store. December has been a fairly good month and I 'm hoping it will continue through the new year.

Working Hard

The recent job numbers in Canada and the instability in the Euro zone is all I hear on the news. It's no wonder there's a loss in retail confidence. For myself I've noticed a slowdown in the art market coming out of summer, which is traditionally when things begin to pick up. All we can do as artists is keep working hard. I believe there's a light at the end of the tunnel, there always is. It's the journey towards it that's the hard part.

New International sales

Title- " The Girl with the Red Umbrella "
Size- 24" x 36"
Medium-Acrylic on canvas

I recently sold my first piece to a collector in France. It's always exciting to be able to reach art collectors through the web without leaving the comfort of my home. Here are a couple of shots of the piece.

Etsy

I've been on and off of Etsy for a few years now.I'm not totally sold on the idea that it's a good forum for selling art online(at least when it comes to price points). I recently sold a $700 abstract a couple of weeks ago but the large sales are few and far between.

I will be posting some new pieces in my " Etsy Shop " and hopefully I can keep some momentum going.

Finding time

I've been so busy the last few months with running a successful online gallery , maintaining my usual gallery commitments and watching my 2yr old. It sometimes feels as though 24 hrs in a day just isn't enough. I haven't even posted anything on the blog for weeks! With a rash of sales at the beginning of September I've been swamped with work(can't complain). Hopefully I'll catch up and things will get back on track going into the holidays.

Larger Canvases

Now that I'm shipping all large pieces rolled up, I can work on much larger sizes without the limitations of shipping. I've already started several 40" x 60" pieces as well as a large 50" x 50" piece. I'm exited about the larger canvases and hope to pass on the savings in shipping on to my collectors.I'll post some shots of the larger pieces ASAP.

Shipping Update

I recently had a large 40" x 60" painting lost by UPS. It was destined for Texas and I suspect it may have been stolen. A large painting can be very tempting. From now on I will be Shipping all large paintings rolled up in heavy duty mailing tubes. It will be specified in the auction listings.

I've always tried to ensure the highest quality in my work and hope that this will ensure they're safe arrival to all my wonderful collectors.

New landscapes

I spent this past weekend at my parents farm, taking a few hundred photos of the surrounding countryside. I'm hoping to get a series of landscapes based on these midsummer images.I'm not sure if they'll be in oils or acrylic but I'll post some pics as soon as I have a few done.

Just Sold

Click the image to enlarge


This is a large 40" x 60" piece I recently sold.It's titled " Ciudad" and is done in Acrylic and mixed media.

About best offers on Ebay

I found this article written by an ebay member that explains the best offer option.It's a good article and I think it will help alot of the buyers out there that are unsure of how to go about making an offer on a piece. Here's the link -

http://reviews.ebay.ca/How-to-best-NEGOTIATE-using-eBay-s-BEST-OFFER-tool_W0QQugidZ10000000004871478

Still Working hard

It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything new on the blog.I've been very busy with some gallery work and hope to have some new pieces up on the net. It's been tough to get to the easel since I've been taking care of my 20mth old son(his Grandparents are on vacation). I'm hoping to get a good amount of pieces going into the end of the summer. I'm also going to give etsy another shot and I'll keep everyone posted on it's progress.

My Kid could do that !

I recently watched a documentary from 2006 titled " My kid could do that! ". It's the story of a young girl named Marla Olmstead. They had called her a child prodigy and some of her paintings were selling for tens of thousands of dollars.She was 4 yrs old at the time!

The story was interesting(even though it was obvious to me that the child was not painting the pieces herself) because of the way abstract expressionism was portrayed. As an abstract artist I've had to explain why some pieces sell for millions of dollars even though they look as though a child could have painted it. I could spend all day writing about the topic, but I'll keep it as short as possible.

It was Picasso that said,"there are no child prodigies, it's just the genius of childhood". Children see the world in it's simplest form.They don't have any pre conceived notions about the world around them. As artists many of us go through years of formal training and it becomes difficult for many of us to paint without bias. We have our favorite styles ,mediums, and artists. Going beyond the box of realism is difficult and we struggle to return to a child like way of viewing the world.I guess it's almost like the circle of art. " All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."-Pablo Picasso

Newly Sold

Click the image to enlarge

I recently sold a large 40" x 40" abstract piece titled" Broken Silence ".The piece was sold to a collector in Western Canada. It was painted in acrylic and mixed media.

First Painting!

I've finally finished my first painting in the new studio. It's a large 30" x 60" piece titled "Rush hour". My inspiration for the piece came after I picked up my wife from work in downtown Toronto. It's a great feeling to finally get a piece done for my online gallery and I hope this will help to build up some momentum going into the summer.

Studio is Ready

After two weeks of painting(the walls of our new home) , cleaning and moving I finally have the studio up and running.I'm not at 100% yet but I can actually start painting! I can't wait to get some new pieces up in the online gallery. I'll post some pics of my workspace soon.

new sold pieces

Title: "Urban Tapestry series" Size: 36" x 36" Medium: Acrylic and mixed media


Title: "Down in the valley" Size: 31" x 31" Medium: Acrylic and mixed media


here's a few pieces that were recently sold.I've been busy moving the studio to my new home so I haven't been able to put up any new work yet. Check out my online gallery for more pieces like these ones. http://stores.ebay.ca/Cen-Arte-Rare-Gallery-Originals

Moving Time

The last couple of weeks have been pretty crazy for.My wife and I are moving at the end of the week.The most difficult part for me has been keeping my studio running until the last minute.I'm hoping it will only take a day or two to get the studio back up so I can get back to work.

new sold pieces

Title: " Trois "
Size: 31" x 31" x 1.5"
Medium: Acrylic on canvas


I've been very busy for the last couple of weeks.With gallery commissions and an increase in online sales I've barely had any time keep up the blog. Let's hope it's a sign of good times ahead.Here's a piece I recently sold to a collector in California.

New Landscape series

I'm working on a new series of landscapes.They're done in acrylic with heavy palette knife work.

New Landscape

Click the images to enlarge

Click the images to enlarge

Click the images to enlarge

This is a new landscape I've just completed titled" Autumn Leaves ". The size is 24" x 30".You can find it in my store here-

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320662486929&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

New sold Pieces

Click for larger image

I've just sold the large 40" x 60" abstract piece titled "The Falls ".It's the largest canvas I've done for the net.The piece was also a record sale price, selling for almost $1000usd.

New Sold Pieces

click the image to elarge
click the image to enlarge
click the image to enlarge
click the image to enlarge

I just sold a set of four textured florals at the beginning of the week.It's a series of flowers and vases on abstract backgrounds.The sizes are 24" x 24".

2 New sold pieces

Click the image to enlarge

Click the image to enlarge

The week has just started and I've already sold 2 large pieces. The first is titled " Poppy Hill" and is 36" x 36". The second piece is titled " A place for us " and is 24" x 48".They're both impressionistic /abstract style landscapes with texture.

Just Sold

Click the Image to enlarge


This is a piece that was recently sold to a collector in the GTA. It's always a pleasure to sell pieces locally, since most of my work goes out of the province or internationally. The title is "Patchwork Vase II " and is 30" x 30" .The painting is done in acrylic.

Working through tough times.

I was reading an article over the weekend on the record number of foreclosures in the US. It seems that a 5 year long recession is taking it's toll on everyone. Art has become something that people can wait for until things get better. Especially for the middle class. I've been able to eke out a living and continue to do what I love. All we can do is keep our chins up and keep working through these tough times.

Staying Home

It was two years ago when I first started selling my work online and I started the blog to chronicle my journey into the world of e-commerce. I was just married and already working full time as an artist from my home studio. Then we had our son Aaron. Without a doubt the single greatest thing to happen to my wife and I.

For the first year my wife was on mat-leave and it was easy to continue working without many distractions. Now that she returned to work in the beginning of October, I decided that I would take care of Aaron during the day. It seemed logical at the time, I was already working at home so we could save on daycare costs. Then he started to walk.

My son is extremely curious and I don't think he ever sits still. My days consist of taking care of Aaron, trying to work during his naps(I often take one at the same time),and then working after my wife comes home. Is it difficult? Yes!!! But I wouldn't change a single thing.

Just Sold

I've just sold a 30" x 30" abstract piece titled" Totem ".It was inspired by a short trip I took with my family to Ottawa.We were at the Museum of Civilization in the Grand hall. With 80 ft Totem poles towering over us how could I not be inspired.

About My Pricing

I wanted to talk about how I price my artwork. My prices are always wholesale prices and they range from 20-40% of the retail gallery price. It's important that I stay within that range to build the pedigree for my collectors.

I want all the people who've collected my work to reap the rewards of their investment 10-20years from now.That's the reason I don't accept very low offers on the artwork no matter how much they love the piece.It's a great compliment but it would be unfair to my collectors and myself if I don't set a proper price range.

First Sale of 2011!

Click the image to enlarge


After much interest from several buyers I've finally made my first sale of 2011!!It's an 18" x 24" piece titled " Flowers in the wind ".It feels good to break the ice and get the ball rolling.

It's been almost 4 yrs of lean times in the art world,but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.I'll keep my fingers crossed.

A New Year!!

After a wonderful holiday I'm back in the studio with the hopes to continue the momentum I've built up at the end of 2010. With 2010 being one of my best years since the downturn I'd like to start the year with a bang.I've just finished a large 36" x 36" Floral piece and I'm working on several other large abstracts.

Keep and eye on my store for a bunch of new pieces for 2011!!