I was born in a house near the base of Brimstone Head, Fogo Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, one of the four corners of the earth (according to the Flat Earth Society). Later I veered toward one of the centres, studying at the Art Students’ League in New York City. Then I followed my own path back to the periphery, at least of the art world.
I live in the small village of Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia, Canada where my art studio is at the edge of the tidal Annapolis River. I am an artist whose interests are in painting, writing, book illustrating and music.
My art has always been “about something” besides itself. It is a mix of realism and fantasy, depicting a wide range of subject matter and often using humour to comment on "the human condition.”
During the 1980s, I spent about eight years on a series of paintings and drawings on the theme of war and militarism. This "Art of War" series culminated in my self-published book about it, titled Art of War: Painting it out of the Picture.
In the 1990s, I worked on a series about spirituality, using angels as the surface imagery. This was called the "Angel looks" series. These images are collected, along with stories, poems, and songs, in my second self-published book, The Look of Angels: Angels in Art.
I next did a series about Canada called “Canuckiana”. While the surface imagery is Canadian, the issues raised apply to all peoples, for we are all, in each of our native countries, born under the same sun and have to deal, in our own cultural contexts, with issues like nationhood, supranational institutions, human rights, and the environment.
This seamlessly evolved into my recent series, “Global village”, in which I depict, in painterly terms, our increasing awareness of our place in the cosmos. In 2013 I published Our Own Little World in paintings and verse. This book is a compilation of both of the “Canuckiana” and “Global village” series, with accompanying text.
In 2020, I published Lullabies for Seniors: illustrated throughout with music notations, a book of paintings, lyrics, and 47 notated songs.
I have written and illustrated children’s books: The Killick: A Newfoundland Story (1995) and The Hangashore (1998), (Tundra Books), and a book for adult children, With Every Breath We Take: a modern fable in which a snowflake helps put an end to war ( 2007, self-published). I also illustrated, and wrote extensive notes for, Ode to Newfoundland ( lyrics by Sir Cavendish Boyle and music by Sir C. Hubert H. Parry (2003), (Tundra Books), and illustrated The Illustrated Ode to Labrador ( lyrics by Dr. Harry Paddon and extensive text by Robin McGrath, 2016, Creative Book Publishers )
I’m an elected member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts ( RCA ).
My paintings are in these permanent collections:
Acadia University, Wolfville, N.S.
Annapolis Heritage Society, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax.
Nova Scotia Art Bank
Canada Council Art Bank
Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, ON
University College of Cape Breton, Sydney, N.S.
University of New Brunswick Art Centre, Fredericton, N.B.
St. John's Anglican Church, Westphal, N.S.
Corporate Communications Ltd., Halifax.
Northern Telecom, Halifax
Toronto Public Library, Osborne Collection
To complement exhibitions, artists are often asked to provide “artist statements.” Here is mine, in verse form:
My life as an artist is chock-full of perks.
One, I’ve been told, is that I don’t work.
At least that’s what my kids always say.
“Him? His head's in the clouds all day.”
I must admit my mind does drift.
If the truth be told, I rely on it
to stay in sync with the clouds floating by
as ideas take shape in my dreamy mind’s eye.
The grandeur of Nature. The human condition.
The corridors of power. War. Religion.
The near or far. The lowly or grand.
All are fair pickings for an artist’s hand.
It is honest work, this art engagé,
though to my kids it looks like play.
Art comes to life with imagination
as one’s life becomes an artistic creation.
Somewhere this side of Brimstone Head lie the other three corners of the earth. In my life’s journey in and around this world, I hope to discard along the way the myriad forms of other Flat Earths I’ve accumulated over a lifetime.
I live in the small village of Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia, Canada where my art studio is at the edge of the tidal Annapolis River. I am an artist whose interests are in painting, writing, book illustrating and music.
My art has always been “about something” besides itself. It is a mix of realism and fantasy, depicting a wide range of subject matter and often using humour to comment on "the human condition.”
During the 1980s, I spent about eight years on a series of paintings and drawings on the theme of war and militarism. This "Art of War" series culminated in my self-published book about it, titled Art of War: Painting it out of the Picture.
In the 1990s, I worked on a series about spirituality, using angels as the surface imagery. This was called the "Angel looks" series. These images are collected, along with stories, poems, and songs, in my second self-published book, The Look of Angels: Angels in Art.
I next did a series about Canada called “Canuckiana”. While the surface imagery is Canadian, the issues raised apply to all peoples, for we are all, in each of our native countries, born under the same sun and have to deal, in our own cultural contexts, with issues like nationhood, supranational institutions, human rights, and the environment.
This seamlessly evolved into my recent series, “Global village”, in which I depict, in painterly terms, our increasing awareness of our place in the cosmos. In 2013 I published Our Own Little World in paintings and verse. This book is a compilation of both of the “Canuckiana” and “Global village” series, with accompanying text.
In 2020, I published Lullabies for Seniors: illustrated throughout with music notations, a book of paintings, lyrics, and 47 notated songs.
I have written and illustrated children’s books: The Killick: A Newfoundland Story (1995) and The Hangashore (1998), (Tundra Books), and a book for adult children, With Every Breath We Take: a modern fable in which a snowflake helps put an end to war ( 2007, self-published). I also illustrated, and wrote extensive notes for, Ode to Newfoundland ( lyrics by Sir Cavendish Boyle and music by Sir C. Hubert H. Parry (2003), (Tundra Books), and illustrated The Illustrated Ode to Labrador ( lyrics by Dr. Harry Paddon and extensive text by Robin McGrath, 2016, Creative Book Publishers )
I’m an elected member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts ( RCA ).
My paintings are in these permanent collections:
Acadia University, Wolfville, N.S.
Annapolis Heritage Society, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax.
Nova Scotia Art Bank
Canada Council Art Bank
Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, ON
University College of Cape Breton, Sydney, N.S.
University of New Brunswick Art Centre, Fredericton, N.B.
St. John's Anglican Church, Westphal, N.S.
Corporate Communications Ltd., Halifax.
Northern Telecom, Halifax
Toronto Public Library, Osborne Collection
To complement exhibitions, artists are often asked to provide “artist statements.” Here is mine, in verse form:
My life as an artist is chock-full of perks.
One, I’ve been told, is that I don’t work.
At least that’s what my kids always say.
“Him? His head's in the clouds all day.”
I must admit my mind does drift.
If the truth be told, I rely on it
to stay in sync with the clouds floating by
as ideas take shape in my dreamy mind’s eye.
The grandeur of Nature. The human condition.
The corridors of power. War. Religion.
The near or far. The lowly or grand.
All are fair pickings for an artist’s hand.
It is honest work, this art engagé,
though to my kids it looks like play.
Art comes to life with imagination
as one’s life becomes an artistic creation.
Somewhere this side of Brimstone Head lie the other three corners of the earth. In my life’s journey in and around this world, I hope to discard along the way the myriad forms of other Flat Earths I’ve accumulated over a lifetime.