Happy CollieDays

Picture thanks to Collie Rescue Network

In about 8 short hours, my husband and I will be meeting our newest member of the family, Branwen. She's a two year old, Blue Merle, white factored Collie that needs a special home to call her own. By this time tomorrow, she'll be calling Studio Yaahl home. Her name means White Raven and comes from a Celtic myth about the King of Ireland and the King of Britain. We think it will suit her just fine.

After the loss of both our beloved Beauty and Sport over the summer, life just wasn't getting back on track for us. Something was missing and no matter what we did to try and fill that void, it all came back to how much we missed our Collies. I have a 30"x40" portrait started of my boy, Sport and all I could do was get the background laid in, working on it made me cry.

About a month ago, my husband was peeking at the Collie Rescue Network site and noticed a little Collie girl that was needing a home. We watched each week to see if someone adopted her and last week, he approached me to see if maybe we should have a serious look at her. I made some inquiries and after hearing what this poor girl has gone through, we knew she needed us as much as we needed her. So, tomorrow she comes to her forever home.

I'm so excited at the thought of having this little girl in our lives that I went out today and bought her a pink harness and leash. And for the first time since we lost Sport and Beauty, I actually could look at his portrait and not cry. I think I now may be able to complete it and also Beauty's portrait. I think what was missing in our lives was the Collie.

Some of my friends are looking at me with a furrowed brow as they have for years heard me drone on about not getting a puppy or dog on a whim for Christmas. In the rescue business, the post holidays always sees an increase in the amount of surrendered dogs (and cats too) because folks realize that the novelty of a new dog wears pretty thin when it's minus 30C out there and the pooch isn't peeing fast enough or they have realized that dogs don't come ready assembled and trained. Nor do they realize just how much a dog costs to train, kit out and feed. I am a little concerned that Branwen is coming to us at one of the most stressful times of the year but my husband and I are going to try and not let the holidays make us too crazy.

It's been a while since we had a young dog with us. With Sport and Beauty their ages of 13 and 11 made for some pretty laid back dogs. It's going to take a bit of getting used to having a young dog that can still take the stairs two at a time and chase a ball with loads of energy. Near the end of our two guy's lives, a walk was more of a pull as I had to walk slow and let them totter along. Being able to walk to the river and back is going to do wonders for the holiday waist line. I am looking forward to that.

I think organizations like the Collie Rescue are a blessing for dogs. There are hundreds of volunteers who transport, shelter, foster and care for these magnificent beasts. I know the folks that assisted Branwen to finally get to her forever home should get a huge thank you for their compassion and dedication. Without them, she might have had a very short life. We know the money that we donate to adopt Branwen will go to help another dog. Branwen comes to us spayed, vaccinated, vetted and groomed. All we have to do is love her, train her so she works with us and keep her healthy by regular vet visits, feeding her decent food and exercising her. If you have a few pennies to spare over the coming months, I'd ask that you drop them off to a dog rescue in your area and maybe help save the life of a dog like Branwen.

I know that there is a bit of a debate whether to get a dog or a puppy. I know some folks that insist that the only way to make a dog yours is to get it while it is a puppy. I disagree with that sentiment and Sport and Beauty are some of the reasons why I do. I've always adopted older dogs and I've even had a few from puppy hood. I loved all my dogs and they certainly made me their people. There is nothing more wonderful than that moment when your new dog decides that they are going to keep you and the bond is made. I expect that Branwen will take a while to decide what she thinks of us but when she does, it will be days filled with butt wiggles, tail wagging, licks and eyes that will melt even the harshest of days away. I can't wait.

I'm going to start another blog on the adventures of Branwen. It will deal with all things Collie and the trials and tribulations of adoption. I'll touch on training and grooming issues as well so if you're a dog person, you might find it interesting. On the art site, I'll be doing a WIP of the dog's portraits and dealing with rendering fur and Collie markings. Hope you join us.

Once again, big thanks go to the folks at Collie Rescue Network.

The Art of Owning Art

In my previous life, I've had many discussions with beneficiaries on what to do with the art they found had been left to them in the estate of a departed loved one. Many a time the conversations would suggest that if they were unsure of the piece and its value, they should bring in an art appraiser and decide then what to do with the work. I try and divide up those conversations into two parts, the first reserved for work other than the work done by the deceased and the second is reserved for the work done by the deceased.


For work either collected or inherited

In my counselling to the loved one when they were planning their estate and will, we would quite often talk about their art collection and the discussion would always head in the direction of how to value it, how to ensure that the family just simply won't toss it in the bin or send it off to the Sally Ann. We would discuss whether the client still had the sales receipts from when they purchased the work or whether they had documentation of who had owned the piece prior to them.

Let's just stop and think about the last time you bought a piece of art. Did you purchase it from a gallery? A local artist co-op? Directly from the Artist? An Auction House? Was it a new piece or a piece that had come up for re-sale? Regardless of where or who you bought the work from, did you save the sales receipt? Don't feel bad if you didn't, not very many people do keep their records of their art purchases. Let's face it, most people who buy art buy it because they love the piece and not necessarily are purchasing the piece as an intentional investment. For the serious art collector that looks not only to acquire a piece of art for the aesthetic, they also look to the longer term investment return on the piece, in all likelihood they have retained the documentation of their works.

Ok, back to my discussions with the client. If they had retained receipts of their purchases, I would ask them to provide me with a copy of it to file along with the will and testament. I would also ask them to provide me with a clear, high resolution photograph of the work to also include in the will and testament. This became useful in the event there was some confusion over which beneficiary was to receive what picture. It also assists in determining the value of the work and a mechanism for the new owner to research the work and artist. Now if the client has seriously undertaken to save and record all the documentation of the piece such as the Certificate of Provenance or articles about the artist and the piece, those documents are also included with the will and testament - those types of documents really assist in increasing the value of the work and it also helps determine the worth and legal title of ownership of the work.

So here we are, we have a couple of terms that you might want to get yourself familiar with, they are:

Provenance - The detailed history of where an artifact or work of art has been since its creation.
Not to be confused with - Provenience which is the precise location where an artifact or archaeological sample was recovered archaeologically.

Now, why all the fuss over what a piece of art is worth you may ask? Well, it's a two prong answer. One is that in order for the beneficiary to truly understand the gift that was given to them by the deceased, the more detailed documentation the work has, the better chance of it becoming a treasured piece instead of being discarded or auctioned off. The second is in estimating the worth the of entire estate. Sadly, in even death the taxman awaits. Being able to accurately account for the art's worth saves the Executor and the estate from massive headaches and frustration in trying to prove what something is worth or not worth for the sake of the estate tax. Depending on what country you hail from, will depend on how much estate taxation is and the amounts it begins to attract tax liabilities. Don't think you can skirt the issue by simply leaving a sticker on the back of each canvas with the name of the person they want the piece to go.

Bottom line is that if you are collecting art right now, even if you really aren't collecting it for a potential investment, think a little forward to when you are planning your estate and have no idea what, who or how much that perfect trio of pears you love is worth. Remember, you will get to a point in your life where recalling what you had for breakfast will create a hardship, let alone recalling the name of the artist that painted that perfect trio of pears or how much you paid for it and where you bought it. Save yourself the grief, and tuck those sales receipts or the artist's bio that came with the painting in an envelope and write on the front the description of the painting.

For art done by Grandma Minerva

I can't count how many times I had the second type of conversation with the beneficiaries of a will on what to do with all of Grammy's pretty pictures that she kept herself busy with after she retired. I usually advised that the family should go through them and divide the them into canvases that are signed and canvases that are not. For the unsigned ones, a couple of choices exist, either pick out the ones your like and discard the rest by either burning them (make sure you do it safely) or remove the canvas and cut it up. What you don't want is for these unsigned canvases getting into the market and being attributed to someone else - in other words, they could end up credited to another artist in an attempt to defraud a potential buyer.

For the signed ones, again simply pick out the ones you like and then either donate the remaining canvases to a hospital, school or women's shelter so that they can brighten someone's room or hallway. If you play it smart, you could end up with a nice little donation receipt for income tax purposes.

For my clients that were painters, I always recommended that they make it clear what they would like done with their work. In my will, I have made it clear that any unsigned or unfinished canvases found laying around after my death are to be destroyed. If my family don't want my remaining signed pieces, they are to go either for auction or donated to a charity that they know I would have agreed upon. This is not to say that Grammy's painting might not be worth anything, they might very well have a value attached to them, locally. Before discarding any of them, seek the opinion of a gallery or auction house.

Before you purchase a painting or other work of art, why not ask the gallery or the artist for a Certificate of Provenance for the piece? Key words you want to see on the document are the piece's title, whether it is part of a series, whether it has any reproductions made, a declaration by the artist that it is a piece that is original - in other words it isn't a copy of someone's work and whether it's authentic to the artist - if a student or apprentice worked on the piece, it's something that will affect the value in later years. There should be the artist's signature and date of when the piece was created. It should also have a high resolution photograph of the piece that you can check against to see if any of it has been altered. There should be a space to include the name of the first purchaser and when it was purchased. If the piece is being represented by a gallery, then there should also be evidence of the gallery's involvement - either a signature or stamp or label. Having one of these certificates will assist you in proving your ownership and if you decide somewhere down the road to sell the piece, it will assist the new owner in maintaining the line of provenance.

When you get your new painting home, make sure you tuck those documents somewhere safe and attach the sale receipt as well. If you send the painting out to be cleaned, restored or even reframed, save all those documents as well. Think of it as carfax for art - artfax - The more document you have for your car at the time of sale, the more money you'll get for your vehicle - service documents really help push up the price so why not think the same way about your art.

When it comes to preparing your estate and writing your last will, having all those documents handy will really help make the process easier for everyone involved.

Licensing Your Art Work - Protecting Your Asset

Living Skies of Saskatchewan From the Series, The Canada Suite 20"x32" Acrylic diptych on cotton wrapped canvas.

I've just read a couple of contracts from a company that wants to license some of my work. I guess I should feel flattered that my work is wanted for distribution in a reproduction format but I just couldn't help feeling that I was about to give away the rights to my images because of the omission of a few clauses in the contract.

For many artists, having their work displayed on items is a rewarding experience and it can also be quite lucrative if the artist plays it smart with the rights to the image. The problem arises when the artist doesn't do their homework and ends up assigning all rights to the image to the other party or worse, grants the right for a third party to have the rights. So what to do?

Let's start off with some terms that you'll need to be aware of in your licensing agreements.

Licensor - You

Licensee - the company you are licensing artwork to.

License - your art work/image that you are lending to a company to use in their product design. Think of it as renting your house and still maintaining ownership.

Assignment - your art work/image is sold and all rights are given by the artist. Think of it as selling your home.

Royalty - The percentage you will be paid on the sales of your art.

Net Sales Price - the price for which the Licensee sells the Licensed Products.

Licensed Design - shall mean those designs owned by Licensor and incorporated into one or more Licensed Products.

Sell-off-period - A period of time used by the Licensee to clear out licensed product. This usually takes place at the end of a contract when the licensee needs to dispose of all of its existing inventory of Licensed Products on hand. During the Sell-off Period, no royalties shall be payable to Licensor for the sale of Licensed Products that must be liquidated (sold at or below cost).

Revisionary Terms - All Licensing agreements will have this term, it means when the artwork will revert back to you.

Assignment terms - This is the length of time the Licensee will be able to use your image/artwork. Be very wary of contracts that contain terms like perpetual or "lasts a lifetime of the copyright", these terms will in all likelihood assign your rights to the work to the other party.

As with any legal document, it is always advisable to have a copyright lawyer review the contents and advise you of any concerns that might arise out of the way the contract is worded.

Each contract will vary in their terms and conditions but there are some key clauses that should be included in each one. The contract should clearly set out that the art work is yours and remains yours and that you retain all the rights to it. There should be a a clause that prevents the Licensee from subcontracting the image/artwork to a third party along with any rights. The contract should never grant or entitle the Licensee ownership of the image/artwork nor should it grant any transfer of copyright of the image/artwork to the Licensee. A really smart artist, would include their own copyright line on the product that would read something like this:

© YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE All Rights Reserved
Licensed by (Licensee's Company Name Here)

That way the purchaser of the product will be able to follow up on any of your work as they now have your name. Most licensed products rarely include the name of the artist (think coffee mug/tea towels) and insisting the product carry your name means potential business down the line.

The hardest part of the contract is negotiating your terms for Royalty percentages. The industry standard seems to hover around 5% but there are exceptions in the case of stationary an d gift wrap which is around 2%. Posters and reproductions usually come in at around 10% and household items can reach between 8 and 10%. If you are just beginning, it might be best to try for royalties in the 4-5% range and negotiate up after a few contracts have been signed.

The one clause you will want to see in your agreement is the "sell off" of products going into liquidation. Normally, when a product goes into liquidation, royalties cease being paid. What you want to make sure is included is a clause that addresses that not all the product will be in liquidation at the same time and that it is possible that royalties are still earned. You also want to make sure is included is the Licensee must give you adequate notice that the product is going into liquidation.

In most licensing agreements there should be a clause that sets out the revisionary terms. They could be anywhere from reverting back to the artist when the agreement terminates, the licensee stops selling your work for a fixed period of time, the licensee fails to start selling your work by the specified time and ending with the rights reverting when the licensee breaches the terms of the agreement. You'll want the terms of revision clearly set out in your agreement.

Be wary of assigning your art work that includes a clause that will revert the ownership back to the artist when certain events trigger it. Make sure the terms and potential costs are disclosed and accounted for because effectively what you are doing is buying back your rights - there may be large costs attached to it such as paying for the reassignment fees for copyright, patent or trademark rights.

Some other things to consider is that there may be tax liabilities in licensing and assigning your work. Licensing will be considered a normal business income and selling the substantial rights to your work will be considered a capital gain. So before entering into any agreement, you might want to consult along with the copyright lawyer, a tax guru.

One other area that crops up from time to time is the licensing to a gallery of the image or art work. Make sure you are only giving the licensing rights to the gallery to use your image/art work to promote your work (such as printing flyers or invitations) and not for being used to decorate products of the gallery such as posters or giftware. If the gallery wants you to give over the licensing rights, be cautious of the terms and do your homework.

A Question of Ownership - Part One

This is going to be a two part series on the ownership and copyright of a painting or photographic image. One part- the copyright and licensing of a work - is going to be aimed towards the artist and the second - the provenance of a work of art - will be aimed towards assisting the art collector. I hope you'll join me for both portions of this topic as it may prove helpful whether you collect art or produce art.

Copyright Myths

There are numerous myths that on occasion pop up on the issue of author/creator copyrights and reserved rights.

1. If it's not marked with a copyright symbol, it's not copyrighted.

This one is my most favourite of all myths as it implies images and works that are not marked are up for grabs for use by anyone. The answer is that this was true in the past, but today almost all major nations follow the Berne copyright convention. For example, in the USA, almost everything created privately and originally after April 1, 1989 is copyrighted and protected whether it has a notice or not. The default you should assume for other people's works is that they are copyrighted and may not be copied unless you know otherwise. There are some old works that lost protection without notice, but frankly you should not risk it unless you know for sure.

2. I can copy a work of another artist because where they live, their country does not have copyright laws.

I've heard this one a number of times and it really irks me that an artist would go to the length to gain this false knowledge and willfully copy another's work rather than simply be creative in another way. There are few countries that do not have a copyright law of some sort. Even at the lowest of the legal echelon, a moral copyright would still win out which some countries include in their laws. A copyright will be created at the time the work becomes tangible and remains in copyright until 70 years (50 if you live in Cananda) after their owner's death. Even then, the estate can apply to have the rights continued.

3. If I don't charge for it, I'm not violating a copyright.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. If you hurt the commercial value of the work it can attract serious damages being awarded. Selling or not selling the work only changes the amount of damages that can be awarded. Even if you give it away, it's still a copyright infringement.

4. "If you don't defend your copyright you lose it." AND "Somebody has that name copyrighted!"

Copyright is effectively never lost these days, unless explicitly given away. You also can't "copyright a name" or anything short like that, such as almost all titles. You may be thinking of Trademarks, which apply to names, and can be weakened or lost if not defended.

5. But I used the image under the Fair Use or Fair Dealing.

That might be true but it depends on what you do. Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. There are no legal rules permitting the use of a specific number of words, a certain number of musical notes, or percentages of a work. Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on all the circumstances.

6. If it's posted on the Internet, it's public domain.

Nope, not even close. Nothing that has been produced or created in the last 70 years (or thereabouts) is in the public domain unless the owner explicitly has put it there. By explicit, I mean you have to see a note from the author/owner saying: "I grant this to the public domain" or words very much like them. Now, granting right to the public domain also means that the owner gives up all reserved rights and has abandoned those rights. If you want to maintain some rights to the work, then look into licencing rights instead.

7. Copyright infringement isn't a crime.

It's partly true. In some jurisdictions, it becomes a criminal matter when it affects the commercial value and number of copies produced. In the USA for example, it becomes a criminal matter when there are more than 10 copies made and a value over 2500.00 USD. But here's the difference, in a criminal matter the onus of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt - a fairly rigorous standard to obtain. In a civil matter which is where most copyright infringement matters end up, the onus of proof is on the balance of probabilities. Which is a much lower standard and could effectively be described as proving at 51% the facts of the case.

8. I don't understand why the owners are complaining, imitation is the best from of flattery and it's all free advertising for them.

It's all about what the owner decides is best for them and their work and whether they want free advertising. It's not up to you to decide. If you want to use a copyrighted work, then ask the owner. if they find out you have used their work without their permission, they have several avenues open to them to deal with you. You may receive an invoice for the use of the work or a statement of claim, suing you or a demand to remove the work and then they'll sue you.

9. If I significantly change the work, I can call it my own.

Nope, not even close. Copyright law is quite explicit that the making of what are called "derivative works", that means works based or derived from another copyrighted work and these rights remain the exclusive province of the owner of the original work. This is true even though the making of these new works is a highly creative process. If you write a story using settings or characters from somebody else's work, you need that author's permission. All those fan fiction stories are basically a copyright infringement of the original work. Now, as it turns out, many, but not all holders of popular copyrights turn a blind eye to "fan fiction" or even subtly encourage it because it helps them. Make no mistake, however, that it is entirely up to them whether to do that.

The major exception is criticism and parody. This however, is not a loophole. You can't just take a non-parody and claim it is one on a technicality. The way "fair use" works is you get sued for copyright infringement, and you admit you did copy, but that your copying was a fair use. A subjective judgment on, among other things, your goals, is then made.

10. My work is only protected in the country where I live.

Not entirely true. If the country you live in was a signatory to the Berne Convention on Copyright, then you'll find your work is protected within the signatory's boundaries. If your work is being sold in foreign countries, it would would be prudent to at least, register your work for a toothier level of damages.

The bottom line is, if you are the copier of such works, you may not be as litigation proof as you once thought and if you are the owner of a work whose copyright has been infringed, you have some fairly strong legal recourse to protect your work.

Of course with any area of law that you may be required to know and understand it always pays to seek the advice of a lawyer. I would urge anyone not to act upon information found on the net as it is usually very generic and may not address your particular issues or questions, for those see a lawyer. For artists in Ontario there is available through the Government of Ontario, a portal for those seeking directions in legal questions. Artist In Ontario

When You Just Don't have Enough Wall Space...

...and you want to keep collecting art - what do you do?

There are many ways to keep on collecting art with a limited amount of wall space. One way is to take some of your pieces and become an art lending library to friends and family. I have a piece in my house that my daughter just loves, when we move into the next house that may not have the adequate wall space, I will ask her if she'd like to display it in her home for a period of a year. That in turn gave me the idea that other collectors could benefit from lending their pieces out on a short term basis.

Keep track of the paintings by using a data base. Put the dates of the loan and when they are expected to return with all contact information. You'll expand your love for art to your friends and family and they in turn will get to admire pieces that they may not have been able to acquire.

Another idea is to rotate your pieces and storing half your collection for a period of six to nine months at a time. You'll find excitement and new found appreciation for your pieces when you rotate them back into your home. You may see things that you overlooked in the past and the freshness of the pieces will give you a new found sense of pride in your collection.

You could purchase a painting and enjoy it for a period of time and then pass it on as a gift to a friend or relative. You'll still get to see the piece when you go for a visit and you'll share the love for the work to those you care about.

If you are really brave, forget the advice to gallery hang your pieces and go for the salon look. That's where you hang the paintings frame to frame and from floor to ceiling. There has a certain wow factor to hanging art this way and it will fascinate your guests.

If you have a collection of a favourite artist, you also could consider lending your art out to the local arts council for hanging in the community.

There is also the possibility of hanging some of your pieces at your office. Rotating the works will afford your co-workers a chance to enjoy their beauty.

Not having any wall space left should not be the reason you stop collecting art. Where there's a way, there's a hanger.

The Great Response - Canada Remembers

Will You Remember Us? Bell Byrne, digital photograph.

My husband and I were recently in Ottawa and stayed not far from the National War Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The statuary is named The Great Response, and was designed by Vernon Marsh in 1925. It depicts Canadians from across our vast land, responding to the call to serve and defend their country. It signifies both Peace and Freedom derived from their sacrifices. Over dinner, while overlooking the monument, I pondered what would an artist today submit as their rendition of our present day response to global conflict.

Where horses, cannons and twenty-two putty and tin hat clad figures portray the earnest determination of Canadian youth in the early days of our blossoming country in the Great Response, they seem fractured from what our older and much wiser country is experiencing now. The sons and daughters of that era have only one man left between them and forever being consigned to the history book pages. We have one man left in our entire country that can still be our eyes and ears of those times. This era that we are seeing now and bearing witness to, has a different story to tell. I tried to imagine while I ate my dinner, staring at the monument, how I can connect what my generation is experiencing now, at this moment, to those figures Marsh skillfully crafted so many years ago. How will we remember today's war when we only have one man or woman left to bridge the generations? How will we portray them?

We not longer send our youth off to fight a war from train stations and dockyards. No, those days are far behind us now. We say our goodbyes in airports and airbases and watch our loved ones board aircraft that to the men and women of the First World War, would have been impossible to imagine let alone, ever come to actuality. We no longer wait for those scribbled letters but eagerly open our computers and log in to see if we have an email from the front. We know more, see more and if I may suggest, we feel more than my grandparents or great grandparents did in their wars. This time and conflict that we are experiencing now is so very different from the conflicts of the World Wars and past global conflicts.

Instead of horses, the LAV III takes their place and instead of tin hats and putties, high tech ballistic vests, helmets and eye protection are the uniforms of today's soldier. I look at these two images of soldiers and I wonder how I will ever reconcile the today with the past. How will I, in thirty years, look to the Great Response and see the soldier I see today? I wonder if Marsh's creation will be as timeless as was once thought it would be?

Everywhere we look, there are yellow ribbons on cars, service vehicles and in the windows of stores and businesses. Military appreciation nights and events are present in every city and town, crowds line the streets and bridges to pay respect for our fallen and we mourn openly for these young men and women. How ever will be able to depict these events for the future generations to be able to stand in front of and lay their wreaths?

But for now, for today at least I will remember those who gave their lives and I will also remember those, that for decades kept their own counsel and who have with hope, found peace in eternal sleep. For today at least, I will simply remember them all.

Have You "Oddy-ed" Your Materials Lately?

Paint flaking example by The Fine Arts Conservatory
I think, no I know I am purist when it comes to what materials I use in my art. I try to envision what my work will look like in a few decades and hold out hope that in a few hundred years, it still might be worth considering. I try to use the best materials I can find and work with the best paints and pigments that I can get my hands on. I've had conversations with other artists who insist on using unorthodox materials and not disclosing them to the buyer/gallery - leaving a conservation burden being passed onto them. They might think otherwise if they did this simple test on that intended material.

I learned a few years ago about a simple test that can tell an artist a few things about the materials they are about to use on a piece. It was developed by Andrew Oddy, former keeper of Conservation at the British Museum as a quick and dirty way to determine the stability of display materials.

I'm sure I'm not the only artist to consider using unorthodox materials in my work but if you could see what happens when you use acidic papers, drywall compound, house paint, carpet or fibreboard that's mixed in with other chemicals/compounds then you might think twice about incorporating them into your work. If you think for a moment that those dollar store paints are a good idea, you might want to see what they do as far as emitting volatiles that could lead to a damaged canvas or paper support.

So what about this test? The materials you need are the following: A sealable container, distilled water, a clean sample of silver, copper and lead metals and of course a sample of the material you are planning on using. You need some plumber's silicone tape to seal the lid. You also need a heat source that can maintain a temperature of 60C for about a month (I've used a heating pad and it's worked quite well). Now you can place each metal and a sample of the the material in a separate container as does the British Museum or you can opt to place all three metals and sample in one container making sure that the metals and samples are not touching each other. Seal the lid with either chaukling or plumber's silicone tape and take a measurement of the fluid levels to see if any of the liquid is evaporating. Maintain a heat of 60C and wait and see what happens. I tend to use the latter as it's easier and less of a chore to set up. I tend to go for quick results rather than a prolonged experiment so I stop when I begin to see signs of a reaction. e.g., silver tarnish, copper corrosion such as verdigris, or white deposits on lead

The purpose of the test is to see what your sample material emits as the metals are highly sensitive to potentially harmful volatiles such as sulphur, acid and aldehyde. All of which are a bad, bad, thing for art work.

This test can also be used as an age accelerator. One could expose artist material to agents that are known to emit harmful volatiles (e.g. rubber to emit sulphur, white vinegar for acetic acid, etc.) to see how well the material, or protective coating on the material would hold up under adverse conditions. You can also test framing materials as well - just add a few drops of ethanol to the water to prevent mold on organic materials such as wood.

As author and conservationist, Rebecca Parvitt sets out in her article:

This is just one of the tests that artists can run to get a small peek at what the future might hold for their creations. They are not gold standard analytic tests, but they will help give artists greater insight into the materials they use and how they interact with the environments they are put into.

I found this site useful for information on conducting test on papers: and this article for more on Oddy's test

We Got Hung Up at the Gallery

Studio Yaahl has on display three works of Bell and four photographs of Sarah at the Stockdale Mill Gallery. They will be on display from October 31 until December.

The pieces are from Bell's Dance of the Spirits: Northern Lights suite.



I Have Been Here Acrylic painting on wrapped canvas, 16" x 48". For information please contact Stockdale Mill Gallery.



I See the Ancestors Acrylic painting on wrapped canvas, 80 cm x 100 cm. For information please contact Stockdale Mill Gallery.



I Hear You Acrylic Painting on wrapped canvas, 80 cm x 100 cm. For information please contact Stockdale Mill Gallery.

While at the Mill, plan to stay for lunch or enjoy a coffee while you overlook the idylic view of waters from Cold Creek rushing by.

Canada Suite - Part Seven - Autumn In Ottawa

Anyone who has ever been to our Nation's capital will know that there are trees abound. As a result with all the trees comes a glorious show of autumn colours. Mingled in with the autumn fare, are the buildings that mark our Country's history - The Supreme Court, the Parliament buildings with their copper roofing, The War Memorial with the blood of those sacrificed, The Rideau Canal with its inky waters flowing from the Ottawa River and Experimental Farm with it's fields of grain all adding their colours to a fall day.

I was on an aircraft coming in on approach to Ottawa and I was watching the ground and found myself amazed at the riot of colour the trees, bushes and shrubs mixed between the urban and the historical were displaying. I went home and painted, Autumn in Ottawa.

Autumn in Ottawa 16" x 20" Acrylic wrapped cotton canvas - Private collection. Limited Edition Prints available.

Exciting News!

I've been busy this last month getting ready to present to my favourite Gallery, Stockdale Mill Gallery, three of my newest works. They will be on display from October 31. Along with my three new paintings from my Dance of the Spirits - Northern Lights Suite, will be four new works by photo-artist and all round fantastic business partner, Sarah Miller of Studio Yaahl.

The Dance of the Spirits - Northern Lights Suite is a collection of aurora borealis lights seen over rural, pristine wilderness and urban areas. I use a seven layer Flemish technique to bring out the depth of the layers of colours. I treat the canvas by applying a layer of wash for the background and then laying plastic wrap on top of it to give the illusion of texture. I then apply layer upon layers of glaze to bring up the depth and richness of the colours.

These will be the first three of a series of six paintings. The first one is a 16"x48" acrylic painting on wrapped canvas entitled, I Have Been Here. The second is a 30"x40" acrylic painting on wrapped canvas entitled, I Can Hear You and the third is a 30"x40" acrylic painting on a wrapped canvas entitled, I See the Ancestors.

The works will be on display for the months of November and December - starting October 31, 2009.

For more information contact: www.stockdalemills.ca