Recently I've been working on a body of work called "Restless Fables." It has really tested me. Since this series of paintings is heading for public galleries, I had to submit a proposal of the work to be created. This is opposite to my usual practice - the painting comes first and the concept seems to emerge after or during the process. With Restless Fables I was already bound to the proposal, which describes my interest in animal imagery within legends and fables, in local histories, and how culture is created (by the things we do and believe). What do you do with that?! After dozens of sketches, I chose my favourite and planned 12 versions of it. The paintings became, some more literally than others, masks. Masks made of landscapes and occupied by dreamtime animals. Each of the 12 individually coloured 3 foot by 4 foot canvases contains a mask. Here are a couple examples.

The exhibit of 12 paintings will debut later this month, November 29 at Touchstones Gallery in Nelson, BC. Next year it will travel to Vernon and Gibsons, and now that I have the show nearly finished and documented, I can apply to more public galleries, maybe one near you.

Now I just have to name 12 paintings.....

(please click on image to advance)