PATRICK JOHN MILLS GALLERY: 2013-03-03

Friday, March 8, 2013

March Painting Marathon - Day 8

March painting Marathon - Day 8

Short video at the end of Day 8

Well today was a pretty full day. I have been so excited, and so pumped that I have been having a difficult time falling asleep. So I was very tired and run down.

Too much excitement. Just enjoying this March Painting Marathon too much.

Joel Haslam - CTV News was covering the activities. So today was filled with highlights.

For the first time the sky was blue. For all the other times... it was pure winter, snow, cloudy, winter days. But today the sunshine was out and shining. So it was a pleasant change.

The paint was very soft, smooth, and juicy. It was not cold and stiff like it had been all the other days since we arrived on location.

The Canal (Day 8). oil on canvas. 24 x 36 inches. March 8th. 2013. Price: $1500.

starting the paitning

getting the base of the sky in... foundation of the back drop.

starting to put in the transparent pigments, and the forms

maping out the painting

It was sunshine.. .but still pretty cold.

The wind on the bridge is still open and exposed

In all my years of being interviewed... I must say that Joel Haslam was top.

He is such a decent, friendly, kind, easy going, gentlemen.

It was a real pleasure to be interviewed by him.

Another photo with CTV News

It will be presented next week sometime. I will add a link soon.

I really had to work hard and fast to get this painting completed.

The interview took much longer than expected....

and Metro News also showed up (unexpected) and also covered the activities.

Smile

I was in such a rush to pack up and get home to collect Isabelle from school... that I do not have decent close up photos of the painting... I will put date the site soon.

Live Love Art

Patrick

www.PatrickJohnMills.com

Thursday, March 7, 2013

I am a Dreamer...

This morning I woke up before the sun. I was so excited to start the day.

I deeply enjoyed watching the day start. Hear the birds. My large bedroom window does not have curtains. I love the Sun.

I would have wished to kiss, love, start the day with a beautiful love. But I am happy to feel the freedom of myself.

It was such a pleasure to make my daughter breakfast, pack her lunch and take her to school.

Drove downtown to paint on location. The winter day was up and down. But it was really so incredible to feel the wind wash my face with cold air. It was a pure moment when snow flakes landed on my face and melted. It was simply a dream.

Patrick S Greene and I have been painting every day together since the start of the month. We are becoming really good friends. This is really a gift. Such a beautiful gift. We paint paintings on a bridge together. And we share the same energy, passion, inspiration.

Julie Oliver (photographer) from the Ottawa Citizen shows up on location to document the project for a newspaper article by Peter Simpson. So my art is being supported, appreciated, and shared with others. The wind continues to blow. And I feel like a bird.

In my heart my family and dear friends are healthy. Doing well. And we are safe. This is so good. Life is just simple and not major issues. Life is calm.

I finish my painting. I have managed to capture something that I feel satisfied with. So I drive home. I have a home, a door, walls, a bed, food, water... so I have a shower. Clean myself with clean warm water. I am able to adjust the water temperature to just the way I like it. Luxury. This never gets old.

I have some fresh strawberries... they taste so good. I only had to pay $2.99. For something so far away. It would be cheap at twice the price. And I am grateful.

So I go to get my daughter from her school. I drive in my Honda van. I have a car. I am so lucky. I can afford a car. A car. A fucking car. Great.

Isabelle has a smile. Gives me a hug. Wow. My heart warms. Nothing in this world compares.

We get home. My sister calls me. So nice to talk to her.

Spend some quality time with my daughter. Something that I cherish. Greatest thing in my life. Being a father is the most incredible joy I harvest in my heart. I might be a little crazy. But I would be insane not to recognize how fortunate I am to be Isabelle's Dad.

To treat myself to a night off cooking... I order Pho soup. Too easy. Sweet.

Isabelle has a bath. She loves it when I brush her hair. I am gentle and take my time. For I know that these moments are sacred and are truly what matters in life.

I read her a story. She fails asleep on my shoulder. Dream.

I am a Dreamer... I am blessed.

March Painting Marathon - Day 7

March 7th, 2013

It was a very up and down winter's day. The sky changed dramatically, it started to snow, the wind had a blow to it. I tried to soften my paint brush. It was a good day painting outside.

The snow was not as white as it was a few days ago. And it feels like the winter is coming to an end soon. So I feel really blessed to have managed to be so productive this week. I really love painting snow. You can really enjoy the abstraction of the white paint.. the texture of the paint. I love the pure white nature of snow as a subject matter. It is so calm. So pure. Bleach your mind. Clean your soul. It is just such a pleasure to fall like a snow flake into winter.

thank you

Patrick

Working on a painting - It starts to Snow

The Canal. oil on canvas. 30 x 48 inches. March 7th, 2013. Price: $2000

Starting a painting

I used two earth tone pigments: Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna.

starting to add some blue transparent and foundation white

I started to build up the structures and forms

building up the layers of the painting

making sure it is open and painterly

The weather changed a lot that day

up and down weather - really a winter day

removing paint with palette knife and building up layers

photo of painting - process

working on the painting... putting thins in place

sometimes it is nice to see the development of a painting

more earth tones in transparent sections

it started to snow at this part of the day

the snow and clouds were falling...

I tried to capture this in the way I handled the paint around the trees.

process of the painting

process of the painting - making sure the forms are all accurate and in proportion

I got really excited about this section of the painting while working on it.

Love the freedom in the paint. These are the elements that really excite me.

keep working... must push forward

my hip, right side of my lower back was starting to hurt

the cold over the last week was starting to cramp, settle in

So from this point on... I just locked in and really painted to finish the work.

The Canal. oil on canvas. 30 x 48 inches. March 7th, 2013. Price: $2000

close up of finished painting

this section of the painting really turns me on

I love the way the paint abstracts, tender, soft, free, floats, falls across the canvas.

Live Love Art

thank you

Patrick

www.PatrickJohnMills.com

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Plein Air painting - March 5th (night). Day 5 of March painting Marathon

Hearts, Strawberries, Bunny Rabbits for Breakfast.

Isabelle is sick. She is staying home from school.

There is only so much Care Bears,

My Little Pony,

and kids cartoons.

Hell o, Hello.

But really... I will have to take a personal day off March painting Marathon.

There are just somethings that come first. I might be a crazy, intense, passionate artist.

But today is cuddles, laughter, and soup.

Last night I hired a baby sitter. Isabelle was asleep. So I worked at night.

I had a difficult time. I was really trying to push myself.

In the past I have painted more controlled works.

Below is an earlier work.

King Edward and Rideau at 4 am. oil on linen. 36 x 46 inches. April 17 - 18th 2005 - SOLD

But Last night I was really trying to push myself in a new direction.

Less is more, I am bored.

I wear my sun glasses at night. I paint in the dark.

Must laugh at myself. Everything is temporary.

It does not matter if I fail. I can push mud. I can make a mess.

Scrapped, removed so much paint.. it was insane.... about one litre... 5 large tubes of paint... wasted.

Must crack a few eggs to make breakfast. And in the end what we eat we shit.

Experiments, push myself. Try something new, develop, try something different.

I am not a monkey with a palette. I am not a gallery artist that repeats a series of paintings to sell.

So last night was a challenge. I was really doing my best. The sky kept changing dramatically.

And in the end... I am excited about this work.

I was so so exhausted, tired at the end of the night. I half cleaned myself. Did not shower.

In the morning I woke up like a Smurf. Blue paint all over my face.

Smile... those crazy artiste

Live Love Art

Patrick