As I finish the final few pieces for my upcoming "Wildlight" exhibition at Canada House Gallery, it has just occurred to me that I have just reached a major milestone in my career - 1000 paintings. I'm not sure if measuring a career this way is useful or wise, but it is kind of interesting - or at least interesting to me. (note; The paintings have varied in size from 6 x 6" to over 5 feet long. I produce only 4 to 6 large paintings each year, with the majority scaling down from there.) Ok here it goes...1000 paintings, 28 years as a full time painter (4 years part time,) 75 exhibitions, 28 international publications and nearly 900 collections worldwide. (I must say it makes me feel a bit old. )
There are other important figures that are not included here because I have not kept a good record, so I will call them countless. Countless collectors, friends, family and fellow artists that have been supportive of my work in so many ways, countless volunteers that have helped with my annual exhibition over the years, countless kilometers traveled on foot, ski and canoe searching for reference material.
There are many others to thank that are not countless, but are instead rare, including art suppliers, frame suppliers and of course the wonderful team at Canada House Gallery, where I've been represented since 2008 (a 10 year milestone.)
I am grateful for all of it - this gift of being able to make art and to make it my career. As of today, I have started work on the next 1000 paintings, and can't wait to share them with everyone. Oh, and the next milestone will be my 25th Annual one-night Exhibition in Edmonton, "Silver," Nov. 8, 2018.
