Jul_22 Falling in Love . . .

While attending first year of university in 1965, I found myself falling in love with art and decided to look at changing the direction of my studies. With this in mind, I went off to the Banff School of Fine Arts to participate in a summer course in oil painting to see how solid this "new love" was. I was in! I was using oil paints on Masonite board and having a wonderful time.

Being away from home, studying something new and exciting, travelling around the area, sketching with my roommate and new best friend were all part of the adventure. When I returned home, I changed my classes to include as much art as was possible.

I continued to draw and paint for the next twelve years until 1977. None of my paintings from those years have survived, but I did keep a sketch book that spanned four of those 12 years (1973 to 1977).

Here are some of those sketches with some details that might be of interest. As you can see, I was very interested in creating the world as realistically as possible. At that time I felt that the only way to be a credible artist was to capture the world as it appeared. I have since had a change of heart and my next blog will speak to that change.

My first self-portrait on May 12, 1974

November 21, 1974, while teaching art at Eastern Commerce Secondary School, I sketched with my students on a field trip to the Royal Winter Fair.

July 1975 sketched while on a summer vacation

A sketch of my Aunt Sonia during a visit to Long Island August 1975

Nancy, a colleague and friend, sketched June 3, 1976

While on a trip to Greece August 17, 1976, this traditionally dressed man was willing to sit for my sketch.

August 19, 1976 Bill, a fellow traveler on a boat journey to Paros Greece.