Peter's blog

   English Version - *version française dessous* RAGS TO RICHES It was my parent’s story that inspired me to create my “Rags to Riches” collection of paintings.   Dad was a soldier posted in London during World War II. In 1943, he met and married my British Mother. After the war, they started with very little. Dad worked as a courier for a jewelry company and Mom worked part time as a bookkeeper… all while raising four young children. In 1958, they bought a small jewelry company. That is the “ Rags ” part.     My parents did not leave my three siblings or me a lot of money.   They gave us unconditional love… “ Riches ” which were far more valuable than anything else they could have given us. For me, “ Riches ” is not about money or the wealth someone accumulates during their lifetime... it is what you give to others. It is the legacy that you leave behind and it comes in many forms.   Think about the painter Claude Monet.   He started wi...

  English Version - *version française dessous* WHY SUNFLOWERS? My Mom really loved sunflowers!  Sadly, she passed away from cancer in 2000.  Every time I paint sunflowers, I think of her, and her memory make me happy.  I believe a bit of Mom’s soul is in each of my sunflower paintings. I get a lot of satisfaction knowing Mom is getting to places she never visited in her lifetime.  This is one of the main reasons I paint sunflowers! Did you know that even on cloudy days the face of the sunflower follows the trajectory of the sun? To me, this is a message of hope… even if I’m having a bad day, the sun is just behind the clouds and tomorrow will be a better day. PHOTO: TOURNESOLS – details by Peter W. Hart, 2013 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Version française POURQUOI DES TOURNESOLS ? Ma mère adorait vraiment les tournesols ! Malheureusement, el...

English Version - *version française dessous*  MY EARLIEST PAINTING I have no recollection of my first painting efforts.   Nevertheless, I was told about it many times as I grew up.   My parents moved into a duplex on Patricia Avenue in NDG, a suburb of Montreal two weeks before I was born.   My Grandfather and my Uncle Bob lived on the first floor and we lived above them.   I was the first of four kids.   Apparently, if I had been a girl, my parents were going to name me “Patricia” after the street.   PHOTO/S: ROSANNE, STEPHEN & ME WITH GRANDPA   Both Mom and Dad worked.   During the day, Grandpa and Uncle Bob took care of me and in the summer they used to put me in backyard so I would not wake up my newly arrived siblings, Rosanne and Stephen, twins who arrived two years after me followed by my youngest brother Robby, a year after the twins.     According to f...