The Fox by M.L.Holton

... It's always fun to look back at older paintings to see what has and hasn't changed in the way that I paint. I remember painting this one back in 2011.

There was a secretive and beautiful fox that lived at the front of the property, in a den in the lakefront bank. In the eight years that I lived there, I only saw the fox twice. Once, during the early part of my residence, and once, near the end.  During the intervening eight years, I was always aware that the fox was there ... secretive ... and beautiful.

Seems a fitting image to welcome Autumn, 2017 ...

The Fox by M.L.Holton, 2011

The Frozen Goose at Hamilton Film Festival, 2017

The Frozen Goose - a film by M.L.Holton

It's OFFICIAL! ~ 

The Frozen Goose will be screening at Hamilton Film Festival.

Mark calendars for Nov. 8th, 7pm - 'Ontario Shorts!' program.
At wonderful theatre space - Cinestarz Burlington

Event listing:  https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonFilmFestival/posts/904118356412288

Ticket info:  https://www.bruha.com/event/2002

UPDATE: Sept.25th -  Tickets selling fast! Almost sold out!
UPDATE: Oct 18th - SECOND SCREENING set up. Nov. 9th.

Don't delay if you want to catch this Canadian classic WW1 family drama on the big screen! Fun for the whole family.

Also thrilled to report that this 25 minute film has been picked up by educational distributor,  McIntyre Media.  It is in their fall catalogue, available to rent or buy. (It has also been included in their Remembrance Day package.) And, #TheFrozenGoose will be broadcast on COGECO on Nov. 11th at 1pm & 7:30pm, and again on Nov. 12th at 1:30pm. Check your service provider's schedule for dates & show times.

UPDATE: Dec 12th - A special one-time Christmas airing is happening on CABLE 14, Dec. 17th, 6pm. Tune in then! Rogers and COGECO subscribers can live-stream. 

Or - Watch on-line through my secured portal: 

https://thefrozengoose.vhx.tv

Hamilton Art Bus Studio Tour, Sept 16th - with M.L.Holton

THIS Saturday, Sept 16th, 2017 - 

Enjoy a guided tour to eclectic and interesting artist's studio spaces in the Greater Hamilton Area.

My art studio, on the Hamilton beach strip, (Lake Ontario, Canada), will be the 'last stop' on this Saturday's Hamilton Art Bus Studio Tour.

Saturday, Sept 16th, from 1pm to 4pm.    
 Get your tickets now!

- MLH paintings as well as several small goodies will be on hand for review & purchase -

 COME ON DOWN!

UPDATE, Sept 18th, 2017: Great visit! Approximately 30 inquisitive souls crossed the transom, exploring the studio, asking questions, pouring over my 'art stuff' ... Pinhole, paintings, pillows!
Photos courtesy of Lisa Schumph (attendee) & Annette Paiement (organizer).

Show & Tell ML! Photos Courtesy - Lisa Schjmph & Annette Paiement. Lower Right QUIZ: What is that stick??

Moonscapes: Paintings by M.L.Holton

....Was looking at the full moon last night and had this acutely CLEAR moment when I just FELT how incredible it is to be standing on this Earth as the precise ballet of planets occurs around us ... This morning, I started to rummage through my paintings to see how often I have depicted this orb.

Some are oils, some are acrylic, some are over 20 years old ...

Marvel at the Celestial!

Moon Over Lake Ontario. Painted by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Farm, Painted by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Lake, (Inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe), Painted by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Lake Ontario I, Painting by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Barn, Painting by M.L.Holotn

Over the Hill, Under the Moon, Back to the Pond, Painting by M.L.Holton

... old one ... Moon at Roger's Gap, Georgian Bay, Painting by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Tews Falls, Painting by M.L.Holton

Sun Shadows: New Photo Works by M.L.Holton

Please join me Thanksgiving Weekend at the historic Sovereign House, in the picturesque lake-side village of Bronte/Oakville. I will be showing recent pinhole, photo-montage, and photo-collage image works, and will have several of my pinhole camera 'on deck' to demonstrate how it all works ...

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND! 

Saturday Oct 7th, Sunday the 8th & Monday, Oct. 9th.

 Afternoons ONLY. From 1 to 4pm. 

Hope to see you then!

 Map below and/or link here for directions.

Sovereign House, Photo Credit - M.L.Holton

Gratefully acknowledge funding from the Ontario Arts Council

 UPDATE: Super weekend. Incredible weather & EXCELLENT turn-out (plus sales!) So great to see everyone.

Exterior shots at Sovereign House

 Also managed to catch some shots before the festivities got underway, made a short video of Bronte Harbour locale and Sovereign House location.  Fun stuff. Watch HERE.

Exhibition Prep by M.L.Holton, 2017

New Painting: 'The Clearing' by M.L.Holton, Canada, 2017

The Clearing II - Acrylic on Board by M.L.Holton, 2017

 Often, when back country, Up North, I would go a-wandering just to explore the undulating features of the landscape ... I'd keep on because there is ALWAYS something of interest ahead ... The Sun LIGHT stimulates everything we see, eat & touch. It's a guiding natural force. A primal Life force. A defining POWER. So, naturally, when walking towards the setting sun, beguiled and enticed by All, I would simply watch ... looking ahead ...

I rather liked this 'palette' and continued to explore it over the past few days ... 

(Not the greatest of photo below, sorry. Just took a quick snap.) 

Summerscapes by M.L.Holton (2017)

Upper left is on loose primed canvas: a man, woman and dog are visible on the horizon. Lower left was done immediately after Clearing II. I wanted to expand the underbrush and branches with a strong and fluid brush stroke. The result if vaguely oriental, and highly abstract. Finally, the two items on the right were painted on art boards. Simple land shapes, with horizons. But still, to my mind, effective. This colour combo works!

Please contact the artist if interested in purchase.

'Summerscapes - No.6'  by M.L.Holton - SOLD.

New Photo Collages: 'Colonial Heritage' by M.L.Holton (2017)

The following works are a Tribute to my Dear Dad. 

When I was starting out in the 'Canadian fine furniture design & making' trade eons ago, my father gave me a monthly subscription to 'The Antiques' magazine. I just LOVED it, and I have been saving decades worth of that subscription ever since. The time has come, however, to finally purge this coveted magazine inventory. To that end, I wanted to do something that honoured my Father - and his wonderfully inspiring gift to me - all those years ago. 

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1 - ORIGINAL - by M.L.Holton (2017)

These cut-outs mounted in photo-collage form, then lightly painted over by me, (series of 4 panels), were culled from the editions. Artists' - mostly American - like Sargent, Whistler, Wyeth, Marsden, and Avery, etc., with some - mostly anonymous - outstanding 'craftsmen' demonstrate the outstanding art work and finesse of a very specific time period (mostly): the colonial period in North America.

In some respects it is amazing to consider how far we've come. We've now got electricity, gas-powered engines and feminism. And yet, in most instances, the actual level of craftsmanship and SKILL that produced the above art and artifacts has diminished, ten fold. Too few today truly appreciate the time, apprenticeship and discipline needed to do this kind of mind-linked eye-hand-heart skillful work. It's just not much done anymore - in North America anyway. 

We live in the digital age  ...  In response, I've zapped the above ORIGINAL with a few easy clicks of a photo app to achieve 'alternate representations'. In some ways, these 'abstractions' are better - more 'contemporary' - of the 'here & now' - circa 2017.  To be sure, the photo-REALISM of the original photo-collage stands as a somewhat sad reminder of how much has really been lost. (Better to forget, no? and just doodle with simple straight lines, busy circles & bright colours ...)

Let me know if you have a preference from the following ... Thanks. mlh

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.1 - by Canadian artist, M.L.Holton (2017)

Colonial Heritage Panel 1.2 by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage Panel 1.3 - by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.4 - by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.5 - by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.6 - by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.7 - by M.L.Holton

Kindly note, there are 3 more panels in this 4 panel series. 

All Reproduction Rights are RESERVED.

If interested in one of the abstract prints, signed and dated by me, let me know.

Some of this collection is now available on my Fine Art America Retail site, 
consider a print and/or consider as pillow or tote bag! Looks pretty sharp!

(I will be retaining the originals photo-collages, in memory of my dad.) 

Canada 150 Mosaic Mural: Burlington, Ontario with 'Earth Home' Tile by M.L.Holton

... Brain child of three amigos, Lewis Lavoic, Paul Lavoie and Phil Alain,  from Sturgeon County, Alberta, the Canada 150 Mosaic is a cross-country community 'arts initiative' to stimulate 'national pride' during Canada'a 150th year since Confederation. It's certainly an ambitious project that has received significant government funding. Lots of media is and has been following and reporting on it over the past year ....

The City of Burlington is involved with this project too. As a local artist, I created a tile to amplify "sense of place" (for FREE), and sent it back to one of the local coordinating organizers, Cobalt Connects of Hamilton, (who works with the City of Burlington on their 'public art' programs ... )  The 'unveiling' is happening on Canada Day, July 1st.

Canadian Celebs get in on the act - Atom Egoyan, Jane Arden, Walk off the Earth band

Here's a peek at my wee effort - 'Earth Home'  -

'Earth Home' tile for Canada 150 Mosaic City of Burlington Mural, by M.L.Holton - 4" square

I admit, it was kind of SURPRISING to hear one of the other cities involved, Ajax, Ontario, 

has an eerily "co-incidentally similar" sound-track in the promo video for their mural, 

(so says Producer & the film-maker) to my latest spoken word & musical album:

  CANADADA: TAKE TWO.  

... It's very weird and TOO coincidental to MY EAR ... 

Anyway, after a brief discussion, they said they'd remove the music from the following clip. They haven't, (as of today, June 7th.)  That film clip - with the same soundtrack - is still on the filmmaker's YouTube channel. Last checked, it has been removed from the CANADA 150 MURAL website ... 

   

Will post UPDATE of the final mural in situ, post July 1st. 

... Curious to see where my little teepee ends up ...  
UPDATE, July 4th: Well, HERE IT IS! 

Interestingly, my teepee has not been included in the end mural ... Draw your own conclusions. 

(And NO, second row from bottom on the left side, is NOT my teepee.)
Ha! The Politics of POLITICS!

MLHolton TILE for Burington's 150th MURAL --- Disappeared, "lost". Seemingly.

 UPDATE: Closer Look at the 'over-painted' or 'copied' MLH tile now in the mural. Very UGLY & CLUMSY, Ugh..

Exhibit #24 - McMaster Innovation Park - M.L.Holton

'Mountain Core', acrylic & gold leaf, by M.L.Holton, 2017 

Thrilled to have a recent work accepted into the juried Art-in-the-Workplace 

Exhibit #24, hosted by McMaster Innovation Park, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

GALA OPENING 

THURSDAY, August 3rd, 2017 from 7 to 9pm 

Swing in for hors d'oeuvres, live music & the crowd!

McMaster Innovation Park Atrium

175 Longwood Road South 

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 

(nb: plenty of parking on site - 

best to go to back of main building)

For more info about this work 

- price, size, framing - 

please contact the artist

Exhibition runs until November 1st, 2017

Hey, FREE ACCESS all summer long! Drop in!

Art Gallery of Hamilton: 'Made in Canada' Gala 2017 - UPDATE

Always fun to find out - after the fact - that one of my works has been included in a Fund-Raising Gala Auction!

The Art Gallery of Hamilton recently hosted a 'MADE IN CANADA' Gala. Apparently, a pinhole photograph of mine that I donated several years ago was 'in'.

Unhappily, the event on May 27th came and went, with me none the wiser ... Still, here are the seeming highlights >

Silent & live auction. Tickets: $350 per person. Dinner & Dancing.
(Proceeds to support programming at the AGH.)

...  Maybe one day I'll find out who actually bought my donated work, and for how much ... 

Artists' do like to know what happens to their generously donated 'freebies' ... HA!

FRIDAY, June 2nd, 2017 - Vox Humana Chamber Choir Present 'the national anthems' - with all-Canadian poem, 'Bush Chord'

 

So thrilled to be a part of this amazing choral event in British Colombia. 

Canadian composer Tobin Stokes has imaginatively re-interpreted my poem, 'Bush Chord', 

to create an astounding musical medley of 'sun-struck lyres' ... 

FRIDAY, JUNE 2nd - 7:30pm -

Get tickets here:
  http://voxhumanachoir.ca/product/national-anthems/

REHEARSAL of 'BUSH CHORD' - Photo by Tobin Stokes, May 29th, 2017

My poem, Bush Chord, on which new choral work, by Tobin, is based - 

BUSH CHORD

pine poplar willow and punk wood
spit and spark
while bone hard elm birch apple and oak
hum harmonious
fine hard woods - good wood to burn

these wonder instruments pressure whistle
chattering, cheering, cackling
crackling within a hesitant cyclone of light
flickering flames
of sublime delight, warming slow, they give us life

parse this minor miracle of mega bio-physics
of holy fire drawn down
from primal sun
through leaves to rugged root shoots far flung
look here now

to this instant, brilliant burn
an intense unrehearsed liquid fire
a sound symphony of sun struck lyres
complete and sacred
a rare but common gift

the honey musk smell of jumbled bush wood
burns deep into primal memory

(remember those crisp sun-filled fall days
of cutting, gathering, splitting, stacking,
carrying, piling, drying, and cursing
those back breaking loads?)

to get to this
this calm clear moment
listen

listen
to these bush chords
please