We can feel free, like the woman in this oil painting. How? Venture to the ocean. Really listen to the healing sounds there, the back and forth of the age-old waves, crying gulls, and your bare feet splashing by the shore. That big blue expanse, the greatest sky, that stretches to forever, where the only limit is within your own mind. Your mind's eye can see so very deeply. Allow it to keep on seeing, as we travel to the magic of the eternal...
   I called this piece, Absolute Peace. May you find yours.

   My better half, as she walks on a beach in eastern Canada. I didn't use this photo for the painting above, but it reminds me of great things, like the feeling of being by the ocean. She adores spending time there, she's a water person, a great swimmer, loves the salty air, and exploring the beach. We collect the sea glass and shells. It's immensely relaxing. 
   I took this photo and have always loved how it turned out. Her shadow is epic.

   This old and rustic lighthouse, it still stands proudly. It's a beacon and a savior. There's a lady who lives there. She stands proud as well. She's steady on the rocks. She knows who she is. She's ready for the storms.

   I called this painting, Lighthouse Lady. Someday, I hope to return to the ocean where I come from. I miss everything about it. Until then, the sound of ocean stays in my mind.

   The ocean. Having spent my childhood by the ocean every summer, I know the feeling. It's like being in paradise. The salty smell, the sound of the waves, the look of the jagged rocks, and the discovering of shells. These are some of my fondest memories. They'll stay with me forever. 

   I called this painting, Ocean Green, Ocean Blue. The woman is content being alone. In fact, on this particular day, she's enjoying the solitude. She has all she needs on this heavenly beach. She can let her thoughts run, to spill out, rolling like the waves in her special place. This piece portrays my cherished memories of my times at the beach. For me, this piece stirs up emotion. I hope it does for you, as well.

   Caw! Caw! Oh, that great sound resonates in the day. Where I live, in northern Canada, crows abound. I'm lucky, as I get to see them every day.

   I like how this painting turned out. It shows my way with colour, whimsy and appreciation for crows. These dark beauties have been with me for a long time. That's a good thing. :)

   I called this piece, Murder in a Blood Red Sky. Next time you're walking around, look up! ;)

Art. Is it important? You betcha! Imagine the world without ideas, imagination, creativity, or paintings. It seems adsurd, doesn't it? It would be quite awful. There would be a void. Art, and in my opinion, raw art, is necessary. Art that's raw, honest, flowing, and meaningful reminds us why it's good to be alive. A vibrant painting that tells a story can make someone cry. I've had the rare honor where some of my paintings have done just that. I actually witnessed it a couple of times. So, is art important? I guess you can decide. 

    

   Back when I started painting, I wanted my art to be honest. That means that I wanted my painting flow to come out in a raw and natural way, individual to me, and be in my style. I combined the work I put in, the technical things and combined that with my own, unique way of creating art. My collectors know and understand this. My appreciation for them goes on forever. Their insight and intelligence grabs me.

   In this painting, Her Golden Beach at Night, it's all about flow, mood and individuality. The woman is strong in her solitude. She's familiar with Mother Earth and Father Sky. Where would be without the natural world, the salty beaches, the cries of the gulls, and the crashing of the frothy waves. What a dark world it would be.

   Venture to the beach. Sit there by the water, feel the cool water on your bare feet. There's nothing like it.

       You may or may not have noticed, but my presence on social media has dminished significantly over the past few days.  Actually, I doubt you noticed, and  really, that's part of the point.  I finally made the decision to leave Facebook.  I've been thinking about it for a while now, years actually and I finally did it and I feel great!

     You may be wondering why, so I'll tell you.  For many reasons, the most important being for me and my art.  Facebook simply outlived it's utility for me.  The cost of being on it became much more than any benefit I derived.  It's funny how much time a person can gobble up staring at a screen, looking at carefully editied and filtered photos of virtual strangers trying hard to convince themselves and others that thier lives are picture perfect, or reading endless heated arguments between people, none of whom have any clue what they're talking about, fighting to the death over things that don't really matter.  Every now and then, between all that, I'd post a painting.  A few "likes" and it's back to filters and arguments.  I don't know about you, but for me, the constant negativity began to take a toll, both mentally and in terms of my creativity.  It made me a cranky person.

I don't want to be a cranky person.  I wasn't one before social media.  So, I did what I had to do.  I unplugged and went outside.  You remember outside?  Trees, grass, air, water, all that.  I went back to enjoying nature and life and spending time doing things that matter to me.  I'm about halfway through my time on this planet and I'll be dammed if I'm going to waste time on things I don't enjoy.  Who knows what I'll do with all this free time.  Maybe I'll write another book.  Maybe I'll take up singing, or tennis or learn to play the drums. Will I still paint?  Of course, but not for likes, not for comments, (not that I ever really did), but for me.  And if you like it, you know how to find me to buy it.  As Misty always says to me, "what does the Phat Baby do? (she calls me Phat Baby because well, I was fat and I often act a bit like a baby)".  The correct answer to her question is, he does whatever he wants to do, so that's what I'm doing.  PS:  Fuck you, Zuckerberg and your time wasting Facebook!

   The sea. It's so...freeing...
   If there's a perfect thing, it's the sea. The salt on the sea-spray, the smell, the gulls with their cries and play, and a feeling that nothing could be negative.
   This painting, called, The Freedom Sun, shows my deep love for the sea and her magnificence. I say, "her", because for some reason, I often call wonderful and powerful things in nature, "her".
   The boat, sail in the wind, almost as if its worshipping the sky. 
   Maybe i'll see you there, on the beach, or on the surf. Maybe we'll find that perfect paradise and stay there, forever, at least in our minds.

  Ain't love grand?  That's what they say.  This is my latest piece, which I call "Love".  It's one of my more abstract pieces, as I suppose you can see and I thought I'd tell you about it.  First , I am very pleased with it, I'm very much enjoying my return to oils; the rich, creamy textures are so fun to work with!

At first glace, this piece is simplistic, two figures against a dark background.  It is that, and it's much more than that, just like love.  In many ways, love is very simple; there are people (or perhaps a person) you love, there are other people you don't.  And you generally don't have a hard time knowing the difference.  There are usually only a handful of people in this world that one truly loves, and I mean Love with a capital "L".  You know, that all encompassing affection, affection and protection, the ride or die, the knowledge that you'd willingly walk into a firely inferno or face a den of vipers to save that person, and the knowledge that they'd do the same for you.

I have been lucky enough to find that kind of love.  Those that follow me, my work and my life know all about it.  It's a wonderful thing!  This painting represents that kind of love.  Even through the darkest of days, we're there, together, standing almost as one, and even in that darkness, our love strengthens and guides us, providing a warm glow to see us through (hence the brightness of the figures).  If you've found that kind of love, you know what I mean.  If you haven't, I hope you do, because it truly is a beautiful thing.

   Those Scots. Yeah, they stand out. The kilt, the outspokeness of them, and their general, "Fuck you", nature. Ha! Ha!  ;) You're thinking, Oh, my God, that artist guy just swore! He's so blunt. Doesn't he want to stroke people to get lots of sales? Ha! Ha! My collectors know that I don't put on airs. 

   I'm Canadian-born with Scottish roots. I had no idea about these roots. My better half decided to research it. It came back that I have some rather interesting and infamous people in the line. Here are the ones she found. Robert The Bruce. Yeah, no shit. Crazy, huh? Mitt Romney, George Bush Junior. Well, I hate politics, except when I'm bitching about it. 

Go ahead and research you, you just never know what things you'll find. Remember, no strokin' get ahead. ;)