the great war fraud

this was sunday. the top of the skateway. after 20 minutes work i realized i was looking up from the canal to the defense memorial. i had been attracted to the scene two weeks ago by the lights and the trees and the buildings behind them. it was somewhat fitting to be here. i had been at the defense museum thursday and friday to research shot at dawn. actually war museum, war memorial, war department. the great war fraud. the great fraud of war -- that somehow the sacrifices are other than in the service of the ruling elite. painted at midnight.

friday night below the dominican castle

midnight and coffee with whiskey to get me out the door. perfect night -- fresh snow, empty streets, clearing sky, getting colder by the minute but not yet minus 10. and the first bit of smoke in ten days. this was friday.

how to repaint a crappy picture in seven easy steps

step one: choose your crappy painting. often they choose you. too often they choose me. perhaps the composition didn't satisfy, or maybe it was the unconvincing look of the subject matter. in the case of "the shitter in winter" it was probably both. i've decided to paint a bigger version of a 9x12" plein air oil sketch done in october 2007. no matter how good the crappy painting may look it still ain't good enough and since the support is priceless, it's back to the easel. better cough up something a little less salty this time.





step two: crop marks help me to situate the subsequent image on the crappy image. get the brush loaded and find the new composition.



step three: mix the basic colours and block in the main negative shapes. this one started with the sea and sky, where there is less visual content, therefore less fussing. obliterate the crappy painting without mercy. it's your labour so it's not easy. in this case "the shitter in winter" had already been painted at least three times, so repainted at least twice. you won't get those hours back so the new effort better be worth it. if not, you can always repaint it all over again, again. but the freakish notion of infinite return should scare out something less than worse.



step four: the landmass is next up for the treatment. since there is much more visual content here, the area is not uniformly blocked in. colour drawing the various shapes inside this section with a loaded brush is the bulk of the work here.




step five: the shapes and colours that make up the landmass need development so best to keep hacking away at them. put more wine in the glass and smoke in the pipe and get cracking. a robert henri quote comes to mind: "light is colour". land of talk is on the stereo.



step 6: you can always go back and reassert your labour. often for me that means emphasizing a shape with a line around all or part of it. as far as representational work goes, it seems to me that if you get the shape right, the colour doesn't really matter. still, if the point is fidelity to a certain scene you can't cut yourself too much slack. and if you successfully get the shapes, then you've got a much better chance at getting the scene you wanted -- which is largely why i painted the picture to begin with. now what i've done on land i need to do in sea and sky. paint, that is.



step 7: things are nearly good enough to quit. there are edits around edges mainly, especially between the big negative shapes. i want the shoreline to look like it meets the water and gets wet. there are a few places that can use more paint, more colour, areas that are too slow -- where the light is sinking and not coming back with the same confidence as from adjacent areas. but mainly and mostly, i want the painting to look unified. i want it to look like "it's all made of the same material" which is a line that stuck in my head about fifteen years ago while reading a text on cezanne's "card players". it should look at least as good as the mailbag that it's painted on, or the blank wall around it. glorified interior decorating. "view of meat cove from black point". long live cape breton. long live meat cove!

Don't miss Kyle Jackson's retrospective at Anna Leonowens Gallery of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, 1891 Granville Street

The show opens Monday December 8 at 5:30 pm and runs until Saturday December 13

you can get more details at:

kylejackson4@gmail.com
www.sealevel.ca/kyle/
www.lovehorns.com

PAINTED / REPAINTED / UNPAINTED

painted / repainted / unpainted
paintings and drawings by marc brzustowski
from november 26 to december 7, 2008
gallery 1313, main space
1313 queen st. west, toronto
416-536-6778
wednesday to sunday, 1pm to 6pm
www.g1313.org

opening reception: thursday november 27, 7pm


this show marks 10 years of exhibiting at gallery 1313 in toronto's parkdale neighbourhood.
on display are 90 new paintings and drawings including scenes from toronto, montreal, meat cove, halifax and paris. the show features
shot at dawn -- a requiem for the twentieth century focusing on the killing fields of the great war (1914-1918) and the soldiers who were executed for refusing to fight.

the nocturnal condition

The first Union of Painters event -- the Nocturnal Condition group show -- was a huge success with over 850 people through the doors at 1313 Hollis on October 18! The show was part of "Nocturne -- Art at Night", the first night-time arts festival held in Halifax. Special thanks to the exhibitors, visitors and staff at 1313 Hollis.

THE NOCTURNAL CONDITION

THE NOCTURNAL CONDITION -- NOW WITH PUMPKINS!

Join us Saturday October 18 at 1313 Hollis Street for the Nocturnal Condition, a show of painting, sculpture and music. The event will also feature live jazz, 10 minute portraits and refreshments. Open 6 pm to midnight.

Participating artists include Amanda Atkinson, Barbara Bickle, Chris Boni, Marc Brzustowski, Sophia Erdahl, Amy Funk, Panos Giannoulis, Kyle Jackson, Jesse James, Jamie Klarke, Barb Lock, Aaron Maclean, Drew Napier, Chris Parsons, Denma Peisinger.


above images by aaron maclean, jesse james, marc brzustowski