Peter's blog

\ A BLANK CANVAS IN PROVENCE Later this year, Francine and I will spend several weeks in the beautiful region of Provence in southern France. I will be participating in an artist residency at La Maison de Beaumont , located in the village of Beaumont-de-Pertuis in the Luberon. For me, every day and every painting begins the same way: with a blank canvas. Each morning is an opportunity to start again, to learn, to grow, and to become a slightly better version of myself. I have always tried to approach my personal life, my professional career, and my art with this philosophy. Each painting begins without a fixed outcome, guided instead by curiosity, intuition, and a desire to discover the unexpected. At the heart of my work is the concept of "Transposing Joy" —translating lived experience, energy, and emotion into color, texture, and form. My paintings are not meant to explain the world, but to reflect the happiness, beauty, and optimism that exist within it. ...

We Won Gold — Best Art Gallery in Montreal 2025! 🥇 The Suburban Newspaper’s Best of Montreal contest has officially wrapped up — and thanks to you, we are proud to announce that we have won Gold for Best Art Gallery ! Three years ago, we were named Montreal’s Best Overall Art Gallery. Last year, we finished in second place. And this year… we came back stronger and brought home Gold! Francine and I — along with everyone who works with us — are incredibly grateful, especially because we moved the gallery from the Old Port of Montreal, to our new location in Pointe Claire. Our gallery has always been about creating a welcoming, family-friendly space where everyone feels at home, whether you're purchasing a painting or simply stopping by to enjoy the art. This award belongs to all of us. Thank you for voting, for believing in us, and for being part of our artistic community. With heartfelt appreciation, The PETERwHART Gallery   Nous avons remporté l’Or — Meilleure Galerie d’Art de M...

November 18th, 2025                 NOW OPEN FOR COMMISSIONS! Dear friends, Over the last 12 years at the gallery, I have often been asked to do commissions.  Most of the time I said “no”, because I thought commissions were a source of stress and the reason I first started painting in the first place was to relieve stress! When I did do the odd commission, I made sure to say there was no obligation to purchase the painting for two reasons… the most important being I wanted the recipient to be 100% happy with the work and secondly, if they weren’t, I knew I could probably sell it in my gallery.  I didn’t have a gallery when I did my first custom painting.  It was in the early 2000s.  A neighbor had recently returned from his ancestral village in Ireland and asked me to do a painting.  He gave me a number of photos to choose from and left it up to me to decide which one I would paint.  We agreed on a price.  But I ...

  October 14th, 2025 WEST ISLAND BLUES FESTIVAL Dear friends, My family moved to Dollard des Ormeaux on the West Island of Montreal in the early 1960s.  We were one of the first families to settle in DDO.  At the time, Sources Road and Boulevard St. Jean were country roads.  There was no highway 40, only the 20.  Fairview Shopping Centre was a farmers field. In the mid 70’s I lived in Ireland, but when I returned, I came back to DDO.  Needless to say there were a lot of changes.  One of them was the Dollard Civic Centre… a great facility with skating rinks, swimming pools and a wonderful public library.  I spent a lot of time at the Civic Center watching my three young Sons play hockey there. In 1984, I was lucky to meet Errol and Veronica Johnson and form a lifelong friendship with them. Both have led full lives.  Veronica became an Immigration Judge.  Errol had distinguished career in the insurance business.  Together they rai...

  September 16th, 2025 MEMORIES FROM MY STUDIO FLOOR Dear friends, I’ve painted on my studio floor for many years. One day, there was a particularly beautiful pattern on the floor right beside the painting I was working on. I took a photo of it and sent it to the team at the gallery. They said it looked great and asked when they’d be receiving the painting. I told them, “Never”—because it was on the concrete floor! Not long after, I came up with the idea of carpeting my studio in canvas to capture these patterns and turn them into paintings. Eventually, I covered not only the floor, but also the walls and even my worktables. When I see a pattern I like, or when there’s e nough paint built up on the canvas carpeting, I lift it, cut it, and stretch it. These become the foundation for new paintings—or, occasionally, if I’m very lucky, finished paintings in their own right. I’ve done this about three times over the years, and I’ve just taken advantage of our recent studio move to do it...

August, 2025 GOODBYE MY OLD PORT GALLERY FRIENDS & THANK YOU ALL! Dear friends, This post is a bit late… it short of got lost in the move but better late than never!!!  LOL! Francine and I have met so many wonderful people since we  opened our gallery 12 years ago at 367 Rue St-Paul Est. As we prepare to move to 49A Donegani in Pointe-Claire, we want to express our deep appreciation to some of the incredible individuals who helped make our time in Old Montreal such a success. First, a huge shoutout to FARD, our landlord, owned by Fred Shahrabani and his family. Fred has been the best landlord I’ve encountered in my 47 years with Rideau and during our 12 years on St-Paul. He, along with his siblings Danny and Rosie, supported us through St-Paul’s road closures, COVID, and so many other challenges. Their team at FARD—Julia, Shlomo, Bart, and others over the years—were always responsive, no matter how big or small the issue. If anyone is looking for space in the Old Por...