Peter's blog

      English Version - *version française dessous*   MY FIRST PAINTING(S) SOLD   When I started painting in 1989, it was never my intention to sell art. I painted to relieve the stress of running my company, which employed about 300 people. Painting was a great outlet—it took my mind off day-to-day problems and made me happy.   Initially, I gave away paintings to family and friends. Occasionally, those close to me would ask for a special commission, and I would do it if I felt comfortable with the motif.   Then, in 2005, someone quite literally turned up at my door and asked me to paint a scene from a photo he had taken in Ireland near his ancestral home. I didn’t know this man, but a neighbor had told him I was an amateur painter. He gave me several different photos and said he would be happy with any one of them. The images really resonated with me because I had lived in Ireland for four years in my twenties. It was a place close to my h...

     English Version - *version française dessous*   WE TRY HARDER!   Every year, The Suburban newspaper runs its Best of Montreal competition, covering a variety of categories, including art galleries. Participants enter the competition, and the public votes to determine the top three winners in each category.   In 2022, we were honored to be voted the best art gallery in Montreal. For some reason, we didn’t enter the 2023 competition, but we were back in for 2024.   I’m proud to announce that we finished 2nd overall this year! A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for us—I truly appreciate your support. I also want to express my gratitude to my wife, Francine, and her talented team, who always do their best to make every visitor feel welcome, whether they acquire a painting or not.   Congratulations as well to Heffel Gallery for taking first place and Avenue Gallery for securing third!   Avis once h...

    English Version - *version française dessous*   3/3 : OOPS…. IT’S ALWAYS BETTER TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST!!! In January 2025, I was named Artists In Montreal’s (AIM) “Artist of the Month”.  Part of the process was to submit some paintings that reflected my work and to answer some questions.  Cathy Keays, the President of AIM provided me with a list of 15 questions which I dutifully answered.   After responding, I read Cathy’s instructions to make sure that my submission was complete… not the smartest thing to do AFTER I answered ALL the questions when Cathy only wanted me to respond to 4 or 5 with a one page 300-500 word limit!!!  Francine (aka the Boss) always say I talk too much and now she’s saying I write too much!  LOL!     In any event, all of Cathy’s questions were great and it was fun to answer them so I’m going to share them with you. 10. How has your relationship with art evolved over the years? My relationship wi...

    English Version - *version française dessous*   2/3 : OOPS…. IT’S ALWAYS BETTER TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST!!! In January 2025, I was named Artists In Montreal’s (AIM) “Artist of the Month”.  Part of the process was to submit some paintings that reflected my work and to answer some questions.  Cathy Keays, the President of AIM provided me with a list of 15 questions which I dutifully answered.   After responding, I read Cathy’s instructions to make sure that my submission was complete… not the smartest thing to do AFTER I answered ALL the questions when Cathy only wanted me to respond to 4 or 5 with a one page 300-500 word limit!!!  Francine (aka the Boss) always say I talk too much and now she’s saying I write too much!  LOL!     In any event, all of Cathy’s questions were great and it was fun to answer them so I’m going to share them with you. 6. How would you de fi ne your artistic style? I work in three distinct style...