Paint Poem to Lola Donoghue

Periodically I come across a painter whose work, for a variety of emotional and intellectual reasons, appeals a great deal to me. One such is a contemporary Irish painter, Lola Donoghue. I find her work to be equally titillating, nuanced and evocative. Subtle palettes are suddenly punched with boldness, suggestive shapes work magic in the imagination and the seeming simplicity cleverly masquerades a medley of masks ...

I've painted one of my 'Paint Poems', in gratitude, for the inspiration - and skill - she shares. The two images below show, first, her 'Flamingo': the inspiration for my work, then mine - an mlh Paint Poem Tribute.

Kindly note, my aim is never to slavishly 'copy' another artist's work. Rather, I prefer to 'explore' painterly processes within their preferred palettes. I find it very instructive, rewarding and, as mentioned, inspiring ...  ----  Lola - I just LOVE your work! Thank you.

Flamingo by Lola Donoghue - Prints available via Lola's link above. 

'Paint Poem to Lola Donoghue, 2016' - with gratitude, mlh

The Frozen Goose - Teaser Trailer 1 - with PRE-ORDER LINK

Releasing SEPTEMBER, 2016. 

Pre-Order your Home-Use DVD Today! 

ARTWORKS OAKVILLE - Annual Juried Show

Thrilled to be included in the 16th Annual Juried Show for Artworks Oakville. 

77 items entries were submitted, 39 were chosen by the judges. I'm IN.. - Honored!!

Opening Reception: 

Thursday, May 26th

7-9pm 

At the Queen Elizabeth Park Community Cultural Centre

23012 Bridge Road, Oakville  (map below) 

SEE YOU THERE!

Hours of the QE Cultural Centre: 

Mon-Thurs, 6 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Fri, 6 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sat and Sun, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

 23012 Bridge Road, Oakville 

Easy access via the QEW from Toronto or Hamilton/Buffalo 

UPDATE:

 Great & Busy Reception - plenty of old, young and new faces! 
(also delighted to meet the very talented portait painter, Martha Southwell)
Lower Right: Geoffrey Nawn, Juror takes in my painting
'Woodland Deer' - a crowd favourite. :) 
 

WAAH 120th Annual Juried Art Show @ AGH

Thrilled to be included in the 120th Annual Juried Art Show by the Women's Art Association of Hamilton, showing at the Art Gallery of Hamilton during May and June, 2016. This energetic women's association has been active since the late 1800's, providing a head space & physical place for women to engage with, and expound upon, the arts.

A solid hundred years later, it continues to exercise it's primary mandate of 'exposure' to the art field. Many talented Southern Ontario female artists received their initial 'recognition' here. Senior members coax & coach them into greater public exposure. A diverse, wide-ranging and inclusive aesthetic envelops all with a hearty 'welcome'. Seasoned judges preside over the Annual Juried Shows encouraging greater exploration, experimentation and finer execution.

 Come see what the women are up to now!! 

The aims of the Women's Art Association of Hamilton are to:

• Create a general interest in art
  
• Establishing art scholarships
• Hold lectures and seminars
• Hold exhibitions of paintings, designs and sculpture
• Developing art and handicrafts of Canada.

The Women's Art Association of Hamilton's  

120th Juried Art Exhibition 

Opening RECEPTION - JOIN US!

- Sunday, May 1st, 2-5pm. 

 (Closes June 25th, 2016.)

***My final painting from last year - a 'naive-surreal-folk-abstract' beaut -

 'Doe at Dawn' has been accepted. Come SEE it!***

ART GALLERY OF HAMILTON

Womens Art Assoc.of Hamilton

123 King Street West | Hamilton ON | L8P 4S8 T: 905-527-6610 | F: 905-577-6940

Regular Gallery Hours: Day Hours Tuesday  11:00 am - 6:00 pm Wednesday  11:00 am - 6:00 pm Thursday  11:00 am - 8:00 pm Friday*  11:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday  12:00 noon - 5:00 pm Sunday  12:00 noon - 5:00 pm Monday  Closed (open select holidays) Select Holidays: The AGH is open on select holidays, including Family Day (ON, AB, SK), March Break, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, August Civic Holiday, Labour Day, and Thanksgiving Day. Holiday Hours are from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm. *Friday Free Night: The Gallery and the Shop at AGH is open from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm on the first Friday of each month. Free admission to GALLERY LEVEL ONE exhibitions will be from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. +learn more

AGH Members receive FREE admission.

Non-Members Fee  Adults    $10  Students/Seniors    $8  Children (6 – 17)    $4  Under 5 years    FREE  Family (2 adults and up to 4 children)    $25

(Prices include tax.)

UPDATE: Great Opening Reception, good to catch up with Bryce Kanbara, one of the jurors. 
He kindly said mine, 'Doe at Dawn',  was one of his favs in the show.

Bryce Kanbara, owner of You Me Gallery, one of three jurors of 120th show, with yours truly.

UPDATE: The Hamilton Spectator reviews the show

The Dear Queen - #HappyBirthdayYourMajesty

I defy anyone not to be in awe of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, longest reigning monarch in British history. She has certainly done her DUTY - and then some. With surreal highs and lows, continued familial controversy and even hatred, this amazing woman has managed to weather the storms - and carry on. She stands, the penultimate expression and embodiment of Anglo Tradition. Sure, lots of haters out there, but, damn right, she has MORE admirers. I certainly RESPECT her. She is, and has been, a very good, living and breathing, Queen, devoted to the land of her birth, and 'her' people. - Thank you Your Majesty.

To mark the occasion of her 90th Birthday, I have resurrected an older painting, done in 2009 - 'Paparazzi'.  (I mean, SERIOUSLY, poor woman & her family are hounded 24/7.  It's no small wonder they get a bit 'curt at times.) Global INTEREST in this REAL 'Royal Family' is insatiable.

Long Live the Queen!

Paparazzi by MLHolton (2009) - Oil on Board. Contact artist for size & price.

MLH Spring Newsletter COMING SOON - 2016

 

First Painting for 2016 - by M.L.Holton - Contact Artist for Size & Price.

Hi Everyone - Just getting ready to send out my Spring Newsletter for 2016 ... If any of you do receive in 'duplicate' or 'in error', my sincere apologies. (It is getting very difficult to single-handedly manage a 5000+ personal 'contact list' without losing vital touch along the way. There WILL be goof-ups, errors & omissions. Please FORGIVE, and just let me know in the comment section below, I will fix it.)  - Otherwise, have a super spring & summer. I will continue to post 'what's happening' on route, and I do hope to catch up with a bunch of you in the fall - perhaps at the local launch of my short film at the Art Gallery of Burlington ...  The Frozen Goose is an an all-round Canadian family classic, starring a brilliant cast of six, set just after World War One ... Additional details on the launch will be coming in Early September ...  'Stay Tuned'. :) Oh, and if you're interested in the painting above, contact me directly. This work is now framed, in a contemporary silver wood frame, and is hanging in my kitchen .... ready for a NEW home.

Super Photo Spring Fun

 The Garden Gate. 

All photos in this series by m.l.holton

VERY PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE that 4 photographs from this series are now available for purchase via my Fine Art America web-portal. Chose your OWN size, frame, backing material or product. Global shipping. Click on the Super Photos Gallery. 

 What better way to bring in Spring then with a new Super Photo App ... 

Lots of fun with this today, using the 'painter' filter.

 Driftwood

 Picnic Table with Stones

 Public Bench

 Snow Drops!!!! 

 Budding Trees!

 Fence on the Beach Strip

 Modern Architecture on the Beach Strip

 Pebbles on the Beach

 Swing, Rope & Christmas Lights

 Snow Shovel BE GONE!

 Wicked Witch of the Beach House

 Take Two- Wicked Witch of the Beach House

 Pussy Willows

 Birchwood

 Beautiful Beach

.Dory - contact artist for PRINT

 Welcome to the Beach!

 Lest we forget... We just got rid of this ... 

Still, love the seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall 

In CANADA

 Laneway 2

 Broken Bridge by M.L.Holton

Winter's DONE - Spring has come ...!

Winter is lovely - really.

 

Front Window by M.L.Holton (digital - resized, watermarked)

Contact Artist to view Original Detailed Print/

 

 

 Broken Bridge by M.L.Holton (digital - resized, watermarked)

Contact Artist to view Original Detailed Print.

#TheFrozenGoose CANADIAN SHORT FILM Update

As some of you know, I'm doing a short film, The Frozen Goose, based on a published short story of mine of the same name. We've found some astounding private locations, as seen below, but we NEED Mother Nature to co-operate. We NEED below freezing temps for 2 weeks SOLID, to insure safety on the lake. (And we could use a bit more snow ...)  But, overall, SWEET!  - All coming together nicely. We SHOOT from February 6th to the 12th. Aiming for Release FALL 2016.

Follow along with cast & crew during pre-production via Facebook, Twitter or via dedicated website.

 

2016 - HERE WE COME!

So many things seemed 'rotten' last year
 - coming at us from all angles of mainstream media -

 one wondered, what has HAPPENED to Humanity?

It seems we just cant get along anymore,
that we have to ruin the planet on route,

that we have no sense of decency anymore -
that we now revel in revolting vulgarity,
endless gore and mind-numbing mediocrity.

Well, I say, UGH. 

This painting is a 'throw back' to a BETTER TIME,
when community - and personal satisfaction - 

could be found in the reliability
and profound  'simple'  beauty of a setting Sun ...
Remember THAT?

Here's to a BETTER 2016 for EVERYONE -

filled with Peace & Good Will. 

'Doe at Dawn' - New & Final Painting by m.l.holton for 2015

'Doe at Dawn' - Acrylic by m.l.holton,, unframed

Inspired by a photo image that was swirling around the net, I liked that image and zapped it a la mlh. 

Happy enough with the result, though that that lifted hind leg will always bug me ... 

Here are some preliminary photos of the work in progress showing the undersketching, 

and a change in the background colouring ... Lotsa Serious Fun.

Underpainting, note that hind leg is better here ... arg.

ALMOST done, but changed the centre mountain 'blue'.... darkened it up.

If interested in purchase and size, please contact the artist. 

FINAL painting for 2015,

Signed, Dated and Numbered by Yours Truly.

'CELEBRATE the SEASON!' - at the Holcim Gallery, Milton, Ontario, Canada

Please join us for the much loved 

Members' Show & Sale 

at the

Holcim Gallery, Milton Centre for the Arts

1010 Main Street East, in Downtown Milton, Ontario, Canada 

 

Opening Reception: 

Friday, December 4th, 2015 

- 6:30pm to 8:30pm - 

Refreshments & Seasonal Cheer!

Members' Show Runs Until January 3rd, 2016

Gallery Hours/Map here.

Have put in my popular 'Twilight Zone' ...

aka ...'The Magic Hour'...Come SEE! 

Season's Very Best! - mlh 

-  on location - 

 

Paris. Nous Souviens.Toujours.

After initial news of the horrific attacks that occurred in Paris, France, on Friday, the 13th of November, 2015, broke, the 'plugged in' world quickly rallied in solidarity. Most potent was the viral spread of this iconic symbol. Drawn hastily while news of the attacks continued to come in, by Jean Jullien, a Frenchman now living in London, it immediately became the 'badge' that global strangers could share their common humanity, their deep concern and their heart-felt empathy.

PARIS. NOUS SOUVIENS. TOUJOURS.