Peter's blog

English Version - *version française dessous*   THE OLD BREWERY MISSION… BRIGHTENING WALLS AND LIVES   Since 1889 the Old Brewery Mission has worked with Montreal’s homeless.  It’s mission is to end the cycle of homelessness and provide support to those at risk or experiencing homelessness on the streets of Montreal.  So, when Bob Venafro, my good friend and fellow artist asked if I would donate a painting to assist the cause it was easy to support.  My painting was called “Coming Home”.    I was not the only artist.  Bob, along with Helen Fortin, another Montreal based artist, organized an event at the Monument National whereby a total of 16 artists donated art which will be displayed in the Old Brewery Mission’s 15 properties. Hopefully, our art will not only brighten the walls of these buildings, but also, more importantly, the lives of those in need.   Here are some photos from the event.   Version française   L...

    English Version - *version française dessous* COLOUR OUTSIDE THE BOX I first expressed an interest in painting during the 1988 Christmas holidays.   I was leafing through a book on the Courtaulds Impressionist collection.   I had gone through this book before, but this time, when I saw paintings by Degas and Monet, something moved within me.   It was a particularly stressful time in my life, and said perhaps I’d like to try and paint.   So that was my Christmas gift!   A small oil painting set with a cardboard canvas along with instructions on how to start painting.   A few months later, I opened my gift and started to paint. I followed the detailed instructions in the booklet.   To be frank, it was almost like painting by numbers!   But I was hooked!   I had no sense of time and got lost in the painting.   In the following years, I copied (or try to copy LOL!) many of the most famous paintings the impressionists ...

  English Version - *version française dessous* EVERYDAY I WAKE UP TO MONET!   Monet’s paintings have always moved me. He, along with Degas, Jackson Pollock, Jean-Paul Riopelle and of course, Vincent Van Gogh really influenced my art.     I used to copy Monet when I started painting 35 years ago in 1989 and visited many museums with Francine just to see his art.  Our very first trip was to see the Monet series paintings at the Boston Museum of Fine Art in 1990.  His paintings took my breath away and I could have stayed there for hours.   Many years ago, I was given a Monet placemat setting for my birthday.  It consisted of six placemats and coasters featuring famous Monet paintings.  By that time, I had seen most of the paintings in person.  We never really used the set and for years, it sat in a drawer.  About six months ago I was looking for something and stumbled upon them.  The paintings brought back h...

     English Version - *version française dessous* THE ART OF SHIPPING ART My wife Francine takes care of running the gallery and, with the assistance of her colleagues, curates the collection on display.   Francine also oversees the shipping process.   Since we opened the gallery in 2013, she has shipped my art to over 30 different countries around the world.     Usually, smaller paintings are packaged on site and Collectors leave the gallery with them.   We also have a company that specializes in delivering art to locations in Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and the Greater Toronto area.   Francine carefully packages these paintings and then we load them directly onto trucks that deliver the art to the Collectors home.   Sometimes, the same company provides a “white glove service” and they will actually install my art in the Collector’s home.   For most other destinations, Francine creates custom crates in wood.  I ...

    English Version - *version française dessous* A FAMILY GALLERY My wife Francine and I opened the gallery in May 2013.   It was supposed to be a pop-up gallery with the objective of selling 50 paintings by the end of September 2013.   We did that by the end of June and made the decision to keep our gallery open indefinitely.   Our other major objective was to create a “Family Gallery” meaning that everyone would feel welcome regardless of whether they were going to acquire a piece of art or not.   It didn’t matter who you were, we wanted everyone to feel welcome and have an enjoyable experience.     Francine, who manages the gallery, went out of her way to recruit and train her colleagues to greet everyone warmly and answer any questions they had about my art.   If they had children and wanted to browse, they would often give the kids coloring books and crayons.   They would even sit with them as they made their own creati...

     English Version - *version française dessous* DISTRICT PARTY This past Thursday, the gallery was invited to join a group of merchants from the Old Montreal district for the District Party evening, an event known to launch the summer season in our historic district. The evening took place at the Bonsecours Market, which is located right in front of our gallery.   Francine, Sara and I met the many visitors throughout this very lively evening where visual art, music and gastronomy were in the spotlight. I had the chance to create two paintings during the evening and several people came to observe my way of working! I greatly appreciated the exchanges that took place, it is always a pleasure for me to share my thoughts on creation and artistic process. But most of all, I love listening to your impressions! Thank you once again to the SDC Vieux-Montréal for this fantastic opportunity. Hoping to retry the exp...

    English Version - *version française dessous* MY STUDIO Four years ago today, my best friend Cam Ferguson helped Francine and me move my studio to the space directly behind our art gallery on 367 Rue St-Paul in the Old Port of Montreal. My studio had been located at Rideau, where I had worked for most of my adult life.   At the end of the day, Cam and I walked out of Rideau together for the very last time. It was very fitting because we had both worked there since 1972. So it was a very emotional day for both of us. I’m truly grateful for the 48 years I worked in that building. Yes, there were difficult times, but overall, there were many, many more good times. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing people I worked with during my career at Rideau. Together, we created a very special company. Cam passed away last year, but his spirit is always with me when I paint. If you are ever in the Old Port, please drop in. I’d be pleased to show you around my new ...

   English Version - *version française dessous* CREATIVITY I think creativity resides in everyone!  The problem is that we often do not see it in ourselves.  And if we don't see it, most likely others won't either.  Creativity doesn't reside solely in artists. People associate my creativity with my painting, but I NEVER did.  I felt just as creative working on certain aspects of my former business as I did when painting. It just takes a different form.  Creativity can happen anywhere, anytime and to anyone. You don't have to be an artist to be creative. You can be a floor cleaner, a dishwasher, an accountant, a teacher or whatever and still be creative. You just have to find it!  I often wonder what would have happened if I never picked up the book that inspired me to paint.  I might never have discovered my passion to paint.  But if I had NEVER painted, would I still consider my...

  English Version - *version française dessous* THREE STYLES  When I first started painting in 1989, I tried to copy such great painters as Degas, Monet, Turner, Van Gogh, and many others.   All these paintings were figurative in the sense you could see the motif they were trying to capture.   Eventually I started to do my own “figurative” paintings.   This was the first of my three styles.   As I learned and experimented over the years, I started to develop my second styIe.   I called these paintings “abstract figurative” because depending on your own personal perspective, you could see different things. My third style was pure abstract.   These were heavily influenced by Jackson Pollock and Jean-Paul Riopelle.   I must admit the first time I saw a Pollock I did not get it.   But as my understanding of art evolved, I began to appreciate the beau...