Self Portraits on papera and on canvas.

working late at night on the kitchen floor in temporary accommodations - Jan 2005

Temporary Accommodations - Self Portraits

In the process of moving from London England to Ottawa we had to rent a one bedroom apartment for five weeks.

I would paint on the kitchen floor and store art materials above the refrigerator. All the paintings are small and completed in water base materials: acrylic, Indian ink, watercolor, pencil, charcoal, egg tempera, and gouache.

Using water base materials was chosen to avoid fuses. The art materials were stored above the refrigerator, so that my daughter (Isabelle 16 month) could not touch them.

When it was my days to take care of Isabelle I would have small naps at the same time she would have her afternoon sleep. This way I would be able to stay up and paint until late at night.

The palette or number of colours chosen to work with was very deliberate. Black, white, and later raw umber, blue, and orange were added. The intention was to concentrate on form and explore gestural diagonal lines in the portrait.

During this time I managed to complete approximately 30 small paintings on canvas, 80 - 100 small work on paper, 40 - 50 drawings, and 6 medium size works on paper.