Art has always been a passionate interest of mine from the study of artworks and art making to producing my own artworks.
Some of my best experiences were painting in heavy oils with my friends in our high school basement art room in Waterloo.  We were given a lot of paint and a lot of encouragement to paint expressively, not just realistically. In those days, our art teacher would disappear for long stretches of time while we had the room to ourselves.  Many of us were there over lunch time in the quiet, calm of that eclectic room.  We had access to screen printing, as well, and the smell of oil paint and screen printing was always lingering in the air.  (This was long before WHIMIS standards demanded a more chemical-sensitive environment for young artists. I'm from that generation that also drank out of hoses and tood road trips in the back of station wagons with no seatbelts).  This early art room and our gentle teacher provided me with a gift of time, encouragement, and resources that set me up to appreciate the organic nature of painting in oils and the rich tones, as well as the engagement in a creative trance that is always so relaxing.

One of my other favourite "art experiences" was learning how to weld in the artistic welding course at the Festival Theatre in Stratford, Ontario.  That was a full-body, high temperature, energizing experience!  I love the plasma cutter and the "clang" of the metal as it dropped to the floor at my feet.  Why?  I don't know.  I made a couple large monkeys to hang in my trees and one of them has survived the test of time.  Still staring at me as I park.

As a self-taught photographer, it was great to take several courses in photography, especially honing my Photoshop and camera settings skills.  I really enjoyed teaching photography in the senior high school setting for many years, before retiring.  I still supply teach regularly, and enjoy covering art and photography classes the most!

Now, I also enjoy the more refined painting classes as I work on my technique and revive my rusty skill set.  While I spent over two decades supporting students in their own artworks and demonstrating the skills, working on my own themes from start to finish was a luxury that I couldn't find time for, while I was working full-time.  Being a student again is a renewed pleasure and I have too many paintings I want to complete for the waking hours I may have before my demise...so, I better get going...

Thanks for spending this time to get to know my motivation behind this website and my love for teaching and learning in all things art-related!
Chris