The Urban Paintings series was where I really began to love painting. I was captivated by trying to capture a sense of the life of the city, especially at night. Walking is where I do most of my thinking. The series Urban Portraits began with the question - How can I depict the sensation of walking past people on the street at night? This preoccupation with capturing a sense of walking continued in a more mature form with the paintings; A Walk Along Grenadier Pond, China Town Walking and Orange Walking for Miles.
The construction of the Urban Portraits began intuitively without any pre-planning or narrative. It was my final year in the adult program at The Art Centre at Central Technical School, Toronto. Each portrait was an opportunity to get to know one of my fellow students. I realized that although I had made a lot of friends, I did not really know anyone.
The portraits began in winter. I painted each person indoors, from life, as a private experience. None of the people depicted together were ever in the same room. I lit them with harsh coloured lights to simulate the effects of neon street lighting. In the spring I created a context for these constructed ‘relationships’, by painting the backgrounds in public out on the streets at night.
By combining many elements, such as multiple sitters, harsh lighting effects, different seasons, private portraits and public street scenes, the paintings took on a sense of disconnection. Far from creating a convincing depiction of people passing on the street, I had instead constructed a completely artificial world. None of these people are relating to one another. They are all separate. This was how I felt about my relationships at school.
Over the nine months I realized that I had been working in the rhythm of life so important to the Canadian character: winter introversion and contemplation, followed by summer extroversion. While painting on the street, I learned that Torontonians are desperate to talk to each other but do not know how to begin. We are not cold, but simply introverted. Toronto is a remarkable city that brings together many different people and provides the freedom to be one’s self - but also a sense of isolation.
Seeing a painter on the street creates a jumping off point for conversation. I love that people felt comfortable critiquing my work. One man commented: “It’s so calm and serene, do you know why? Because the background is simple, remember that.” Two young men sitting on a restaurant patio watching me screamed: “Enough, start another canvas, it’s done man!” It was good advice on both occasions. Watching me work seemed to make people happy. I do not mind being interrupted to talk, because this series is about the need for interaction.