Canada Day

Did you ever do something that took you down a road you never expected, then inspired you to do something you never set out to do in the first place?

That is what happened with this painting, in fact that happens all to often with my work.

Being a painter is not a straight forward journey, but rather a plunge into the abyss.

There were all these pictures on my studio floor, some were drawn , some were torn out of old magazines and some were downloaded from my broken down Mac.

Canada Day, 36x36 Acrylic on canvas

Felt pen in my hand, confusion in my mind and perfection in my heart, I started drawing. The felt pen soon converged with a brush, which in turn began the spreading of paint. 

I don't really know what this whole thing was about,  I felt a sort of defeat, maybe even betrayal by this process I had always trusted.

I tossed my brushes into the cleaning jug and went to bed.

As the morning came and I rose to still exhaustion,  a faint curiosity and blanket of excitement rolled over me. I said to myself "relax" don't go into the studio yet, it's just a painting and probably a piece of shit anyway.  I took my time, I brushed  my teeth, I shaved and washed my face until my curiosity got the better of me

Its exactly 4 paces to the door of my studio, from the bathroom.

Detail top left corner

I gotta be honest, I was blown away by what I saw. There was texture, lines of different lengths, sizes, shapes and colour and figures and a still life. Under the still life which is sideways on the canvas I noticed writing, cursive writing.

The pièce de résistance on the top left corner was the Canadian flag flapping in the wind behind 2 performers.

A celebration, wouldn't you say.

Honestly, I didn't have a definitive  recollection of painting any of it. 

The painting  introduced it's self to me as "Canada Day". It seemed obvious to me  because it's about a party, a big fucking party with a Canadian flag.

Where do you think all of the content came from?

Detail right side vertical

How could it not be premeditated?

I can only imagine the spectacle of this piece as something 4 times larger.

Original art is so special because every piece is a finger print, a unique experience followed by a unique finale', something that starts from nothing and arrives at inspiration.

Detail bottom left corner

I hope you get a chance to see this piece, live, because it's truly an original with a multitude of layers and experience.

By the way, this is the first painting of my series "Urban Culture" which has over thirty paintings in it now.

Take a look in my Gallery for more treasures and let me know what you like or don't like.

More than just selling art

O.K. tomorrow is the launch of my new website Grudart.ca.

I have been pushing to market this launch and generate some exposure for my paintings daily for the last week.

Nothing wrong with that, most people would say and yet something about this whole thing was missing.

It got me thinking!

What is the underlying purpose of creating exposure for my work?

Having pursued this art thing for more than 40 years, I have been fortunate to meet some  incredibly talented and creative people,  many of which have never had there work seen.

Is it because their work never appeared in front of the right people? I think that is true but another truth is, many people have a limited view of the value of owning a piece of original art.

Being a collector and owning an original piece of art is like being in possession of part of the artist's life. It seems hard to put a value on it and yet we do.

So last night it occurred to me, that this new website was about generating exposure for original "Fine Art" not just for myself but for those artists who have taken pride in creating, some for as long as I have, creating originals from scratch, from inception to a drawing to the final product.

I am really excited and proud to be part of the global art community.

I will continue to promote my work but now with the hope it will bring greater attention to the legacy Fine Art and artists are creating, through hand made pieces of art we make for everyone to enjoy,

Please go to Grudart.ca tomorrow and  when you subscribe, know that you are part of the continuing a legacy for Fine Artists around the globe.

Thanks everybody

Dave

The Launch

I case you didn't here I'm launching my new website April 5th. Grudart.ca

If you think you're annoyed now, just wait until you see this announcement every day for a week.

My new site is full blown with around 30 paintings, some of which haven't been uploaded yet. There are new blogs some of which haven't been written yet and a new commissions page, some of which haven't been seen yet.

The new work is bold, dynamic and colourful , so be prepared, it's not for the faint of heart.

You can check out everything (next Thursday)  April 5th  for the official launch of grudart.ca and when you're there, don't forget to  Subscribe because  that will hook you up with my monthly Newsletter which will give you an exclusive sneak peek at upcoming events, shows, paintings and giveaways.

Thanks everybody

Dave Grudniski

Don't Stop

You can't stop, you can't relax or take what you do for granted, if you want to be successful. Keep trying new things and pushing the parameters. Get help, the kind of help, that will teach you and don't forget to give back.

These are cliches, and for a reason because they are true. We all say them maybe even mean them and from time to time, try to follow through with them.

The sinister thing about these sayings, cliches, what ever we call them, is as soon as we try to make them into something tangible, they fall by the wayside, leaving a wake of undesired outcomes.

The secret is, Don't Stop. 

O.K. I know what your thinking, this is no big revelation.

The thing is, most people don't get any forward momentum before they stop.

That is why New Years resolutions don't work for most us.

My approach to not stopping is a unique combination of desire and shame.

I have a desire to continue to do what I love, at all costs but don't know what hardships lye ahead of me. Shame on the other hand is about letting myself down, yet again and having my life become an exercise in futility.

The stopping point has come upon me, this past week, reeking it's havoc on my well being and most of all, on my comfort zone. I haven't blogged or posted much in this past week and I feel a compromise to my desire.

Maybe just words but here are some people's desires.

 David Choe– Muralist/Graffiti Artist

Began spray-painting on the streets in his teens- Choe is now an American painter, muralist, graffiti artist and graphic novelist of Korean descent. He achieved his world success with his “dirty style” figure paintings.

Casey Neistat, Video/Vlogger

David Grudniski/Painter

My Invisible Friend, 30x30 acrylic on canvas

Posters

When I was a kid, the thing to do was slather bedroom walls with psychedelic posters, usually of the bands you liked.
I think some kids still do that but with varied subject matter.
I grew up with bands like Black Sabbath, led Zepplin, Blue Oyster Cult, and of course the Stones.
Although I never discovered this until I was way out of my teens,
 those posters were the begining of, or at least partially responsible for, my interest in making art.

I liked the wild colours, exaggerated line, the dynamic use of form and space and went crazy when black lights hit the market.
Experimenting with all sorts of mind altering chemicals, had become a mainstream part of our culture at that time.
When I was 15 I decided to create my first Mural, on a wall in my bedroom. The idea was to have a corner of the wall curling back with the hood of the grim reaper visible  and his skeleton hand revealed with a finger pointing at who ever came in the door.
Very dark and ominous, highlighted with fluorescent paint.
It blew my friends minds and  I saved the black light for when we were all sitting around stoned. A crazy and fun time.
I don’t think my mother liked the mural and my Dad, he just laughed.
That mural remained on that wall well after I left home at the age of 18.

I think that whole poster/mural experience  had  an influence on how I see art today.
After I created that mural I fostered a deep appreciation for original art that was crafted first hand.
Not only did I like the people that were  doing this stuff, I was excited about doing it myself. The idea that you could walk right up to an artist and buy something they made and so personal. A first hand, original piece of art, that someone made, no middle man, or printing press, right from the artist's hand.
I always meet the Artist before purchasing a piece of art because the artist is the art.  
That painter, sculptor, performance artist or even muralist is giving you a little piece of themselves and trusting you with it.
I love that and I celebrate it.
I encourage every one to seek out and befriend an artist, as it will enhance your life.
Please subscribe to my email list so I can keep you informed about upcoming shows, events ect..  

A good place to start.   Don't you think?

I'll see you later, you can count on it.