Riding on a High

February was an incredible month. I'm riding on a high. I look at my Cascade Collection paintings and I am standing on one of the peaks. One of the many peaks in this lifetime. I often think of my paintings when I reflect on what's happening in my life at the moment. There are highs and lows. There are frenetic times when everthing seems so tight together and there's no room to breathe. There are periods when it seems like not much is happening, there is space and room, a plateau of stillness. It's all part of the big picture and from what I see in the finished painting, the whole picture is breathtakingly beautiful with all those elements combined together.

Within the last few weeks, I signed a contract with the Art Gallery of Ontario's Rentals & Sales Program. My painting "Callum" will be exclusively available for rental or sale through the AGO, while several of my other paintings will be on their Flicker page, also available for rental and sale. (Should you wish to purchase any painting, other than "Callum", you can still go through me/my website directly).

Following that wonderful news, a week later, I received a phone call that the Government of Ontario Art Collection, Archives Ontario, wished to purchase three paintings from my Cascade Collection! Wow, what a huge honour! "Oceane", "Franz" and "Vasilly" will be immortalized in the history of Ontario's arts and culture along with very talented Ontarians.

It's wonderful to get the recognition from your esteemed colleagues. It's exciting and reaffirming. I love creating and making things more than anything else. I'm very fortunate that I am free to do so. As DiCaprio said in his Oscars speech, "I don't take this night for granted". This is my current Oscar, I don't take this moment for granted. Thank you.