20,000 miles and never touch the ground

by Geoff Slater

It's been a busy, busy, busy number of months with a few of Skype classroom visits with  students in Washington State and Missouri. (If you are interested in having me "visit" your classroom virtually, just contact me.)

I've also been painting some commissions for cruise ship presentations...

And there have been private commissions...

Now, I am finishing up a painting which is heading to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery for an upcoming fundraising exhibit. It's called, "20,000 miles and never touch the ground" It will be for sale beginning November 28, 2012. Can you guess the subject?

~Geoff

Line Paintings and Getting Away

Well this sure has been the summer for line paintings! I have three left, and there is interest in those ones, as well...

Ryan - The Bike Mechanic

I'm looking forward to things getting a bit quieter in town. Things need to settle down a bit before I can get into a productive working pattern again.

I've started working on the exterior of the house and studio. The house needs some paint touch-up before the winter, and the studio needs some siding replaced, then some painting. It is always better to get on these things while the weather is nice.

Our trip to Holland is only a month and a half away now, and that will come quickly. We are all really looking forward to the break.

I've been daydreaming about buying a 4x4 RV, loading the family up, and becoming gypsies for a couple of years. Funny thing is, everyone is into it! That is a good sign that all of us are hitting the wall.




When we return from Europe, hopefully our heads will all be a little clearer, and we won't feel so burdened.

If not, don't be surprised if the Mulder-Slaters go Walk-A-Bout!

Slats

Montreal - Wow

No time to blog. I've been busy with ArtsSmarts, Rock 'n' Ride, hanging shows at Sunbury and traveling to and from Montreal. Here, a quick entry with some photos from The Brush Off exhibition at Avenue Art in Montreal...

Peace,

Slats

"The Bike Mechanic" Progress

I am making slow progress on this new painting.

I was hoping to be done my portrait of Ryan by now, but some things have come up.
The biggest time-stealer was the painting of a sign for a friend who is opening a new restaurant in town. Time was tight, so it couldn't wait.

What I have accomplished, I'm pleased with. It is a good solid start to this new direction in my work. ( All things mountain biking!!)

I have been back on the bike, but mostly on the road. There is still too much snow in the dark spots of the woods. All of the mountains are still covered on the north side, and the trails are pretty much impassable. The other day I tried to bust open a section of the rail line pass, north of Chamcook Mountain, and ended up doing a 5 mile hike-a-bike through knee deep slush... not nice!! It looks like the south side of the mountains are melted, however. I'm going to try to get up Mount Greenlaw in the morning. If I make it, I'll post some pictures.

Thats all for now!!
Slats

Painting Lines In Florida

My work space in Florida is pretty 'sparse' compared to my digs at home in New Brunswick, and so while down here I have been working on small pieces.

The first works centred around the folks at Higher Ground Bike Co. They have all gone out of thier way to make it feel like home here, and I wanted to give them something for the hospitality they have shown me. The painting I gave Todd May (owner of HG) is a line painting of Ryan the shop mechanic working on a bike. It may become part of a larger project I'm working out with Todd.

The other two paintings, one of an orange blossom and the other of a magnolia flower, are inspired by the beautiful plants of Florida. Even in the winter, the landscape is very lush and green. These works will likely go in the studio this summer. The ones that I find the most successful compositions I'll turn into larger acrylic pieces back in NB.

Peace... Slats