Interview with Brent Laycock

It was my sincere pleasure to interview Calgary artist Brent Laycock this week (for Canadian Brushstroke Magazine - http://www.brushstrokemagazine.com/ ). Not only is he widely known for his acrylic and watercolor paintings, but he is a nice and humble man. The story will be in the next issue to be released mid-January.
I have interviewed hundreds of artists (perhaps even more). Some are humble, some are confident, some are even arrogant. In many cases the most humble are the most talented. They don't need to tell you how good they are - their work speaks for itself.
Brent is one of those artists. His work is fresh and lovely, and he has a 30+ year successful career as an artist, which obviously attests to the quality of his work.
To view some of his works, go to http://www.brentlaycock.com/ and click on Paintings. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Back in business!

Hello everyone,

My husband had shoulder surgery Dec. 5. I apologize for the lapse in postings since Dec. 4, but I will get back on track now that he is on the road to recovery.

I was very sad to hear about the death of renowned Canadian artist Albert Chiarandini.

The following is an excerpt from an email I received this morning:

It is with sadness that Rudy Chiarandini and Joan Tadier and their families announce the passing of their father Albert on December 18th, 2007 in his 93rd year. With comfort they reflect on his accomplishments, as a wonderful husband to his late wife Mary (nee Mayo), son, father, grandfather and great grandfather . His dedication to the arts was his life.
Albert Chiarandini instructed at the Ontario College of Art, Northern Secondary, Holy Blossom Temple and the Guild of Portrait Painters. He was proud to be a member of the Ontario Society of Artists. His contemporaries recall his familiar saying “It is only paint, my friend!” With this paint he created masterpieces capturing the beauty of the Canadian and Italian landscapes and portraits of many faces. His pleasures were the love of classical music, nature, a good red wine and polenta!!!!
In lieu of flowers a donation in Albert’s honour, in support of the arts, would greatly be appreciated. This to be made to the Georgina Arts Centre and Gallery, 149 High Street, Sutton West, Ontario L0E 1R0 905-722-9587 where many of Albert’s finest works are a permanent collection. This date of Dec 18th is special in that two years ago to this date Albert’s great friend Bruce Smith passed away.

Leduc series of 12 paintings is now complete

My trip to the Visual Arts Summit in Ottawa is now over. We had 16 hours of travelling yesterday. Our first plane was delayed from Ottawa to Toronto, but we were glad we had a connector flight from Toronto to Edmonton because all the direct flights from Ottawa were cancelled. Our flight out of Toronto had been delayed on the runway due to mechanical problems but they allowed us to board. We were on that plane for an hour or more when they announced that the problems were not able to be resolved. That meant changing planes and waiting for the luggage to be transferred, etc. With all the commotion at the airport, we were unable to move for at least another hour after we had boarded that plane because of a fuel truck in our way that they apparently could not move out of the way at the time. Finally, we were able to taxi off and then wait to get de-iced. Due to the weather, the flight was four hours and 38 minutes. That is over an hour longer than usual. I'm glad I was with artist Shairl Honey who has a high level of patience. Today I worked on finishing two paintings for my Leduc series. I completed the painting of the local airport, and one of the Leduc Civic Centre. So, I now have six completed city paintings, and six rural. That means I am now ready to have the art cards and prints done. That should all be done in plenty of time to have them ready for tourists visiting the Alberta Winter Games. While in Ottawa we visited the Portrait Gallery of Canada's archives at Gatineau Preservation Centre (highlight of the trip), the Parliament Buildings, 24 Sussex Drive, the National Gallery and several other galleries and interesting sites. At the National Gallery, we were thrilled to see several Van Goghs and Renoirs, a Corot, Constable, and many other famous works. We also saw the controversial Voice of Fire - a 40 foot painting with three stripes from top to bottom - two blue stripes on the outside and a red stripe in the centre. I'd love to hear opinions on this painting - you can see it and read about it at: http://www.carleton.ca/jmc/cnews/22101999/c1c.htm .