May the 4th Be With You

NYC Walker

Original art, Prints & Downloads
Watch it be painted here

When I found this enormous print of New York City, I couldn't resist bringing it home to add a little bit of flare to celebrate May the 4th!

With such a commanding landscape, there wasn't anything else I could have added but a commanding and imposing walker strolling down the street like it belonged there. I deliberately did not paint this like an invasion... rather, I imagined that NYC naturally could be home to stormtroopers walking their AT-AT's down the street. 

The original print is of the painting "To The Chrysler Building" by Matthew Daniels. His beautiful nostalgic style and subject matter is gorgeous, and can be easily found in print form across the internet. It was a pleasure adding in this walker in the palette of the faded print, with textured brush strokes to emulate Daniels style. 

 Winter Droid No.2 

Original art, Prints & Download
Watch it be painted here

With thousands of probe droids across the galaxy searching for rebel scum... I wonder where they all ended up?

This print was a delight to paint on... the artist did a beautiful job of the landscape and light, so I wanted my addition of a probe droid sneaking down the path towards the village to blend in and be subtle. When you stand back your eyes just go straight to the bright white snow... I imagine it would be difficult for any rebels in the village to even notice it coming! 

The surface I worked on is a print on board. I haven't been able to make out the signature of the artist. The frame is in very good condition.  

That's No Moose

Original art, Prints & Download
Watch it be painted here 

We often go up north in Ontario camping in Algonquin park, and one of our favourite things to do is to spot moose wading through the lakeshores as we drive by. This one's a nod at that excitement of spotting a big creature in the wild, and love thinking of walkers meandering through the Ontario lakes searching for rebel scum!  

The original vintage painting is signed Gibbons and was collected locally in Ontario. I think it is a particularly nice landscape because of the unexpected branches and shapes of the trees... a sign that it was painted from an actual view rather than made up from the artist's imagination. The frame is vintage, had some chips which I touched up in kintsugi style (embracing the imperfections!) Wired and to display on the wall. 

Solo Flight 

Original, print & digital download
Watch the reel of it being painted here on Instagram

Even rebel scum need a little break! I love the idea of pilots on remote planets taking out their fighters for a restful flight along the coastline.  

This vintage painting was collected locally in Ontario... the signature is a little hard to read. I'm starting to come across a lot of these reproduction paintings where the artist has used resin to fake the palette knife technique, and then just painting over top.  A reproduction painting is a real painting, it just means that the original artist who painted this landscape painted dozens and dozens with almost exactly the same composition, just a varying colour palette. Reproduction paintings are a more affordable option to own original art... which is great, just they tend to lose their specialness and value when there are so many out there the same. 

Beach Droid, altered vintage painting

Original 
Watch it be painted here - COMING SOON

"We have thousands of probe droids searching the galaxy. I want proof, not leads!"
-- Admiral Ozzel

With thousands of probe droids across the galaxy searching for rebel scum... I wonder where they all ended up? I love thinking that a random one might have ended up at the beach, getting sand in its gears... then getting distracted by the setting sun, contemplating life's meaning, and forgetting all about the empire for a brief moment. 

The original vintage painting signed Dentor was collected locally. It's an example of a common formula for this sort of beach oil painting (sand + weeds + sun + waves) and therefore has lost its value because there are so many the same. The frame is vintage but in sturdy condition, with some scuffing and damage to the wood which adds to the charm (see photos.)  

Dark Side Floral No.4 : The Dandalorian

Original, print & download
Watch it be painted here 

For this Dark Side Florals, I imagined there once was a resourceful florist who repurposed relics from the Siege of Mandalore into unique vessels for their pretty floral arrangements! (This series was inspired by my Storm Trooper cookie jar which had a broken lid so I now use it as a plant holder!)

The style of these mid-century florals was very popular to the point that it began to be mass produced. Once an idea is mass produced, it loses its uniqueness and value… which is why paintings like these, which took time and effort to paint by hand, are being discarded. I really enjoy adding something fun to these vintage florals to make them unique again, and give them another chance to be appreciated. 

The original painting on un-stretched canvas was signed Edward. The painting had been taped to a mat matt in an old frame, so I removed it and gave it a thorough clean. The matt was damaged and it wasn't the best way to show the canvas, so I re-stretched it on a new frame.

Speeder on Endor

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Watch it be painted here 

"Pass on what you have learned. Strength. Mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is.”
— Master Yoda

This Imperial 74-Z speeder bike gave me a lot of grief! I must have painted and drawn it ten times... it's just technically difficult painting something head on. I persisted, and shook hands with Failure many times (with many sketches ending up in the bin!), and even deciding to completely scrub off what I initially painted into this piece. I let it sit for a day or so, and then gave it another go... and am much happier with the more subtle result. 

The ninth moon of the Outer Rim planet of Endor is also known as "The Forest Moon of Endor" or "Sanctuary Moon." The scenes on Endor from Return of the Jedi are core memories from my childhood... from the speeder bike chases to the Ewok village, it had everything a kid from the 80's could want in a space fantasy! (Did anyone else watch the Ewoks cartoon?!)

With this painting, I wanted to capture the feel of being a lone scout patrolling the perimeter, dwarfed by the enormous trees that hid the mischievous Ewoks. I imagine that even for agents of the empire, it would be difficult to not appreciate a quiet drive through the forest. 

The original vintage painting by Hennessy was collected locally. It's a particularly nice vintage painting in that 70's landscape style, so I wanted what I added to be subtle and not distract from the beautiful, lush forest.  It's in very good condition, and the frame has also been well cared for.

Tauntauns

Original art 
Watch it be painted here 

"And I thought they smelled bad on the outside." -- Han Solo

This tiny little painting has a lovely texture and beautiful cool tones to it... just needed a little subtle surprise added! I liked imagining a herd of tauntauns migrating across the landscape in search of food. Its sister painting is an autumn scene with a probe droid searching for rebel scum. 

The original vintage painting on board is by Colleen Norquay. The rough wood frame is vintage but in good condition, some minor wear due to age.   

Lake Droid

Original art 
Watch it be painted here - COMING SOON

"We have thousands of probe droids searching the galaxy. I want proof, not leads!"
-- Admiral Ozzel

With thousands of probe droids across the galaxy searching for rebel scum... I wonder where they all ended up?

This tiny little painting has lovely colour and texture, but wanted a little surprise to draw you in close to have a look. An imperial probe droid searching for rebel scum was the obvious choice. Its sister painting has a herd of tauntauns roaming a wintery landscape.  

The original vintage painting on board is by Colleen Norquay. The rough wood frame is vintage but in good condition, some minor wear due to age.  Wired and to display on the wall. 

Total Solar Eclipse

Original art, Prints & Download 
Watch it be painted here

To commemorate the solar eclipse over Toronto, I absolutely had to alter this painting to capture the moment the moon passed in front of the sun. 

On Monday April 8th 2024 the moon completely covered the rays of the sun, bringing the darkness of night to a slice of North America, including Toronto. Although a total solar eclipse occurs about every 18 months somewhere on earth, the last time Toronto experienced one was in 1925. Our city isn't expected to experience another for 120 years.

Throughout history artists have documented their culture, events, and history through their paintings. In our slice of time, many elements of our shared culture exist in a fictional and digital world. As an artist, I still want to capture my experiences by creating a tangible piece of art that gives those elements of our popular culture a place in our history. So with May the 4th fast approaching, I chose to paint the most ominous moon in fictional history into my painting, to illustrate both the solar eclipse, and this moment in time when imagining fictional realms has such a big place in our culture. 

The original painting was collected locally in Ontario and is signed J. Morel. He was born in 1911 in Edinborough, Scotland and was well known for his moon-lit paintings. The painting had a lot of nicotine damage, so I had to give it a good clean before the eclipse could move across the moon. The frame is of good quality so very sturdy, but has some damage which adds to the charm... the trim is nicotine stained so I am keen to repaint that part of the frame but am going to leave that for a little bit and can discuss that with you as the collector as to whether you'd like that or not. 

Studies and Sketches

Along the way I created 13 studies in acrylic paint and pencil on black paper. It's my way of exploring ideas and techniques before I create the finished artworks.  I like to mix art like this in with the vintage pieces on my gallery wall, in particular I like to frame the droids in old timey portrait frames like they are family members!