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studio practice...
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"In the studio, ideas emerge slowly through layered processes. These notes and images offer a glimpse into the history and the evolving language of my practice, from material experiments to works-in-progress and the spaces in which my work evolved.
My approach is rooted in paint culture — an ongoing conversation between surface, material, memory and history — where every mark is both a residue of process and a fragment of visual storytelling."
My approach is rooted in paint culture — an ongoing conversation between surface, material, memory and history — where every mark is both a residue of process and a fragment of visual storytelling."
snippets of works in progress... morsels of the incomplete.
the studios... a history
1978 -1981 | 1304 College Street, Toronto, Second Floor (192 Sq. Ft. - 9' Ceiling - $200.00 / Mth.)
1304 College Street - This small studio included a bedroom and a separate living room. There was a separate apartment on the third floor and the tenant had to walk through my space to get to it. Every room had a deadbolt lock! It only cost $200 a month, which was unheard of then and certainly unheard of in Toronto today.
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Because of the size of the studio, he work that was produced here was mostly quite small, with the largest being 48" x 48". Most of the "Primaries" series of work was produced here.
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1981 - 1985 | Summer Street, St. Catharines, 3rd Floor (1000 Sq. Ft. - 10'+ Ceiling - $330.00 / Mth.)
I ran the picture framing shop on the ground floor of this building, and as part of my salary I negotiated a 1000 sq. ft. studio on the top floor. The building used to be a department store. Access to my studio was via the old brass hand operated department store elevator, which was very cool! It also had access to a flat roof by way of the fire escape... great for enjoying the sun with a cup of tea!
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The nice size of this studio allowed for much larger work and resulted in the "Travel Restrictions" series of constructed works.
The business for whom I ran the picture framing shop, was a Camera and Photography business. I developed interest in using photography in my work, and the studio space lent itself nicely, to shooting the photographic images used in the "Shadow Shakin'" series of works.
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1985 - 1991 | 346 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, 2nd Floor - (1500 Sq. Ft. - 10'+ Ceiling - $500.00 / Mth.)
Initially shared with artist / graphic designer Franc Petric, I took the space on myself, when we parted ways. The studio occupied the entire second floor of the building, with an area sectioned off for bedroom and living room.
I created the maquettes and the finished works of the "Sick of Self Analysis" series in this studio.
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This is also where I was living when I met my wife and fellow artist, Krys Kaczkan (k.k.elliott). Krys and Kali (the cat) moved in, and we married in 1990.
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1991 - 2014 | 220-226 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, Rear - (1800 Sq. Ft. - 12' Ceiling - $500.00 / Mth.)
In 1987 I had opened my own picture framing business in the 3 storey building on the right and in 1991 we expanded into the back 2/3 of the building on the left. This added 1800 sq.ft. of studio and workshop space divided between two large rooms with fantastic light. The workshop served both our picture framing business and our studio practice. Easily my favourite studio!
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The formal workshop space, with 12 ft. ceilings allowed for the creation of more constructed paintings, such as those in the "re.e.mer.ging" series. The two room structure of the space kept the dusty workshop area separate from the the clean painting and frame assembly areas, so it was really nice to work in. The building itself, one of the oldest in downtown St. Catharines, was originally a leather factory, so it was quite quirky.
We closed our store in 2010 and following a flood from the apartments above in 2014, we were turfed from this great space.
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2014 - Present | Downtown, St. Catharines, Rear Studio - (730 Sq. Ft. - 12' - 16' Ceiling - $0.00 / Mth.)
In 2014, we decided to build our own studio addition on to our home, which we had purchased in 1991. Two 280 sq. ft. studios were stacked and connected to the back of our house by a bridge connected to a 169 sq. ft. internal studio.
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While the space is much tighter, it has allowed us to have our own dedicated spaces, along with a shared space. Organization has become key and storage shelving was constructed across one end. the space functions quite well and the workshop and many of the tools have been relegated to the basement. | The bonus of this space is that it is set into a small garden we call "The 12 Foot Forest" with a nice deck for relaxing.
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Rendering of the studio addition and bridge.
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The Studio interior
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The Twelve Foot Forest
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