Canvas (Paintings)
Wonder and Warning Exhibit. View from atrium . Fireside Gallery at Art Gallery of Burlington. Burlington, ON
Bidding begins … NOW until April 14th, 2022. https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/auction-for-ukraine-apr-14-2022/gallery/lot/107/
Please bid for this important cause! You will have the fun of bidding from the comfort of your home, the triumph of winning art at good value and helping those who need it in the Ukraine. Please bid here
THANK YOU! GOOD LUCK!
A Light in the Darkness. 12” x 12” oil painting on canvas ©Christine Montague Available through waddingtons.ca April 9 - 14, 2022. Auction to help The Canada-Ukraine Foundation. Please bid at https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/auction-for-ukraine-apr-14-2022/gallery/lot/107/
In pandemic times , all my portrait commissions are from photos supplied to me from the client. Although I work directly from these photos, I always strive to make the portrait more than that image sent me, that the spirit and character of the subject shines through brighter.
Recently, I was commissioned to paint a portrait of a house as a surprise Christmas gift for the client’s spouse. The house was the spouse’s childhood home in the UK. The client wondered if there was a way to show that the spouse’s father, who had recently passed, was at home, and working in his second floor office.
I was moved by this thoughtful, loving idea of a portrait.
The reference photo (i.e. the photo I was to work from) was in focus. I could clearly see the shape and colour of the brickwork and roof.
But it taken on a very grey day, which subdued all colour and contrast. The windows and doorway were dark.
A garage and car that did not belong to the homeowners was predominant in the lower left of the photo. The planters were empty.
It was a snapshot of a house but not the story of the home.
So how to make the painting more than simply a copy of the photo supplied?
Portrait of a House ©Christine Montague 16” x 20” oil painting. House portrait from a supplied photograph
I have not lived near any of my family since my youth. I understand the emotion of returning home, what it is like to pull into the driveway of a well lit home, the knowledge of the people you love and who you know love you excitedly waiting inside.
So how to insert this emotion into the painting?
Plus also place emphasis on the centre window on the second floor which was the Father’s office?
The simple solution to bring attention to the study window was to make the scene a night painting, and “turn on” the light in the room.
I personally enjoy looking at night scenes paintings, but I was sensitive to the fact that the loss of the parent was too recent, and a dark scene , even in beautiful blues, could be perceived as too mournful.
But by creating a sunset painting , I could still the house with lights on.
A sunset painting is overflowing with the symbolism of beauty, life, reflection, the end of the day, and the promise of tomorrow.
What better sky for this portrait painting?!
Now that the scene was to be a sunset painting, I could introduce a new warm palette of pinks, gold, and mauve to the image. Warm colours are inviting, appealing and bring energy to an artwork.
The bricks of the house, although in a brown considered on the warm side, were actually glazed over in a cool blue as the front of the house was basically backlit and in shadow.
This contrast of warm sky and cool house front added dimension to the painting and added emphasis to the lit up window.
I used the brightest colours on the office window. The white was clean and bright and so was the yellow.
The bricks around the office window are lighter than elsewhere, the illusion light was escaping from the space.
On the left of the painting, I toned down the attached garage of the neighbour and and omitted their car.
I set the house a bit further back than it was in the photo so that the viewer could follow the path up to the house.
The other windows of the house reflect the sky and create a frame for the office window.
The darkness on the pathway rail takes the viewer’s eye to the hanging flowers on the right of the door and jump up the line of the darkest bricks up to the office windows.
And I think this portrait of a house fits these parameters. But much more importantly, the recipient did, too.
The British philosopher Sir Bernard Williams said “It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream”.
How true for us all. I am very grateful to the clients that they entrusted me with this poignant portrait .
Today's Polar Bear has a couple of titles - one of which We Are All In This Together. And whether climate change issues (what this was created for with its crown of Canadian provincial & territorial flowers ) or the pandemic, we most certainly are, aren't we? Enjoy your December 20th, may you be safe and well.
To learn more about this available 30” x 30” painting, please click here. Do you know I actually will consider any reasonable offer on larger art? Please contact me here
I’m pleased to announce that my painting Hydrangea Blues has been awarded first prize in the Kefi Art Gallery “Summertime Memories” online juried fine art exhibit in a virtual gallery . I am honoured that a detail of the painting is is used on the invitation below. To read more about this summer artwork, please scroll down.
To see the complete painting , and enjoy a walk through a virtual gallery, please click Kefi Art Gallery (opens in a new window)
Invitation to Kefi Art Gallery Summertime Memories . This is a detail of Hydrangea Blues. Please scroll down to view the complete painting.
Hydrangea Blues is a 60" wide by 20" high oil painting on canvas.
My oil paintings of summer offer escape into days at the cottage or by the lake. They are about the promise of contented, quiet, and mindful moments alone, often before the day begins, or when it is done. They are about solitude without loneliness. They are meant to invoke memories and emotions - good ones - but will probably stir up longing for carefree days and warmer weather, too.
My scenic figurative artworks are mostly inspired by the Canadian locales I vacation at and am fond of, usually in Ontario. Hydrangea Blues, could be easily be in Ontario, and is meant to be universal in mood, but in truth, it is inspired by the beautiful blue hydrangeas that surrounded the century old cottage I stayed at in Chappaquiddick, Mass., USA.
In Hydrangea Blues, a young woman, a girl really, sits in the shade of the cottage. She is lost in thought, her feet resting on the cool flagstone path. She is probably relieved to not only be out of the heat, but to be away from parents and siblings. Whether she misses her friends or her phone, we don’t know. Her thoughts are hidden, as she almost is, amongst the gentle blue hydrangeas.
This painting is one of the most ambitious artworks I have created. A lot of intricate work went into making sure the overlapping leaves and flowers took the eye up and around the figure, across the canvas, then down to zig zag along the path and up the legs and arms to the subject’s face. The brush strokes in her hair point to a branch in the bush, and so our trip around the canvas begins again.
Like most of the world, I love the colour blue, and enjoy using it in my art. It is a popular colour because we equate it to nature , especially sky and water.
It actually makes one feel good to look at a blue painting, and this one is no different. All those beautiful blue flowers, set amongst the fresh green of the leaves, were a joy to paint as well as to look upon.
This painting is created in a slightly more graphic style than what I usually use. There is a lot of an outline to the shapes and the colours are more selective. But I feel this works as there is a brightness and youthfulness in this, that suits both the young model and the subject matter.
Hydrangea Blues. ©Christine Montague 20” x 60” x 1.5” oil painting on canvas.
(Sorry, cannot be applied to custom art or portraits)
In the Pink (below) Regular price is $884.96 CAD + 115.04 hst = $1000 CAD
Special price until (and incl.) February 28th, 2021 is $796.46 CAD + 103.54 hst = $900 CAD
BONUS! Free shipping to Canada.
In the Pink. 24” x 25” oil painting on canvas. ©ChristineMontague More info on this painting here
A powerful looking polar bear is portrayed against the setting sun, and the sea. The darkness of the winter is retreating, as is the sea ice, so important for the polar bear's survival.
As the sun sets, its glory is reflected in what remains of the sea ice and off the polar bear's translucent fur.
We can reflect, too. What will we loose under the threat of climate change? A setting sun offers hope with a new day ahead, but it also symbolizes the end of a story. Do we want a happy one? .
24" x 24' x 1.5" Painting continues around edges. Wired ready to hang. Certificate of Authenticity supplied.
$1000 CAD. Free shipping to Canada. Shipping is available worldwide. Contact me here
Into the Sunset 1 © Christine Montague ChristineMontague.com
Triplets. Hung horizontally. ©Christine Montague Oil painting. 20” x 30”
Triplets hung vertically. 30”h x 20”w ©Christine Montague
"Blue Prince" is the Spanish, French and Italian reference for "Prince Charming". And this polar bear is definitely that. Blue is the world's favourite colour & is associated with nature. It makes you feel good to look at blue. Deep blue symbolizes intelligence, dignity, and authority.
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This bear attends looks to the right towards the future, but is also standing solidly in place. His past and future fates are at a crossroad. With action - for example, reducing carbon emissions & single use plastic use, as well as turning down the thermostat -the future ahead for this bear is not to be simply the stuff or folklore (you know, once upon a time, there was this great white bear.) Action, means the polar landscape, polar animals, and the rest of the planet will have a fairy tale ending.
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Edges are painted black. Wired, ready to hang.
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30" x 40" x 1.5"
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$1900 CAD Free shipping to Canada. Contact me
Curb-side delivery available for those in the Greater Toronto area.
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The painting below has the perfect title - Looking Back, Moving Forward - for New Year's Eve. New Year’s Eve is all about saying goodbye to what has been a heck of a year, and saying hello with great anticipation, to the new one.
Looking Back, Moving Forward tells a story about a polar bear in the spring (the next thing we can look forward to). The arctic night has ended, dramatic sunsets make their reappearance , the sea ice is breaking up, and the polar bear returns to the tundra. As the day draws to an end, the sun’s glory is reflected off the open water, the remaining ice, and the polar bear's translucent fur - sea, ice and polar bear connected by its light, colour and warmth.
In the movies, setting off into the sunset symbolizes a happy ending, but it is also the promise of a new day ahead.
Looking Back, Moving Forward is a 24" x 24" x 1.5" oil painting ©Christine Montague . It is available.
Polar Bear Life Preserver ©Christine Montague
This round polar bear painting is created as if a portal into a polar bear’s world.
But where you are is up to your imagination. Are you gazing through a submersible’s window at a polar bear afloat in the sea? Or like in a Dr. Who adventure, do you gaze our from your Tardis like box, at a celestial bear?
Whether a a real bear or a spiritual one, in the sea or in the sky, who or what do you think it so calmly observing?
On earth, the polar bear is a star in its own right. Apex predator of the north, highly intelligent, powerful and beautifully adapted for its environment. There is wisdom in the solitary polar bear journey - where energy is reserved for when it is most needed.
For more information about this painting please contact me
Asea with the Stars and The Northern Lights ©Christine Montague Round oil painting on canvas. 6” dia. plus Frame.
In the Pink. Sunset Polar Bear Series. ©Christine Montague Please contact Christine here
In this new series of polar bear portrait oil paintings on canvas, a beautiful polar bear is portrayed against the setting sun, and the arctic sea.
It is spring. The polar bear’s solitary journey in search of seals, a mate, and shelter on the sea ice is coming to an end for another year.
The darkness of the arctic winter day vanishes along with the sea ice. Sunshine returns and so do the glorious big sky sunsets.
As the day draws to an end, the sun’s glory is reflected off the open water, the remaining ice, and the polar bear's translucent fur - sea, ice and polar bear connected by its light, colour and warmth.
We can reflect, too. What will we lose under the threat of climate change? A setting sun offers hope with a new day ahead, but "into the sunset" can also signify the end.
This is the first polar bear painting in the new series . Let me know what you think.
New! Into the Sunset 1. 24” x 24” x 1.50” oil painting on canvas. ©Christine Montague 2019 ChristineMontague.com
Golden Lab Commission. 24” x 24” x 1.5” oil painting on canvas. ©Christine Montague Contact me here, or visit Commission a Portrait.
Wistful. Polar bear portrait. 12” x 12” x 1.5” oil painting on canvas. ©Christine Montague Contact me here
Wistful Bear and the dog portrait it inspired side by side. ©Christine Montague
A flash of northern lights reveals a beautiful polar bear suspended beneath the surface of the sea. A buoyant animal, and a strong swimmer, it is comfortable in this underwater space.
But the frozen sea is its true place, vital to travel, hunting, mating, denning.
Due to climate change, sea ice forms later in the fall, and melts too soon in the spring, leaving the fate of the polar bear species, in suspense.
But for the time, in this painting, we can admire the beauty, and power of the bear, envy its solitude, see the intelligence in its bright eyes. Beautiful deep blues, green, and unlike the situation, black and white.
Contact me here more more info about Polar Bear Beauty in Suspense.
Beauty in Suspense. ©Christine Montague 2018 30” x 30’ x 1.5” oil painting on canvas.
Detail of Beauty in Suspense ©ChristineMontague.com
Beauty in Suspence was recently on exhibition at In Situ 2018, an exciting multi arts festival held at CreativeHub 1352 (Small Arms Inspection Building), Mississauga, ON. Canada. Although this photo is anything but exciting (I don’t have permission to publish the works it was hanging by.), it does give a good representation of how it looks on the wall, and how the edges are painted.
You are invited! Below is the invitation to my solo show of new paintings about polar bears and climate change. Special Guest: James Kushny, a University of Toronto researcher, and Board Director for the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, the remarkable, Leed certified centre in Churchill, Manitoba, where scientists from around the world, study northern sustainability . A portion of sales will be donated to this independent, not for profit, Canadian research centre.
An RSVP for the opening night would be appreciated. For more info, directions or to RSVP please click here.
Dark Water 1 is an oil painting portrait of a beautiful polar bear swimming. The water is dark, as daylight is diminished in the arctic fall.
Polar Bear in Dark Water. ©Christine MontagueAvailable at Artworld Fine Art Gallery until July 20, 2017. 365 Evans Ave. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
But dark water has another implication. The earth’s bright white polar ice cap, which serves as a giant reflector for the sun’s heat, is being diminished by climate change from carbon emissions. The melting polar ice increases the darkness of the planet’s surface (hence “dark water”), decreases the sun reflected back into space, and increases the heat absorbed by the earth. More ice melts, which creates more dark water, and so the loop continues.
This loop of sea ice loss and increased dark water endangers the polar bear. Although this magnificent bear is a highly intelligent (think great ape), top-of-the-arctic-food-chain marine mammal (the only bear that is such), and is a powerful swimmer (slightly webbed front paws, highly insulated and buoyant body), it is dependant on the frozen sea for hunting (only seal fat sustains them, not berries or birds’ eggs), resting, feeding (can’t nurse in water) and denning (necessary for mother bears with cubs, semi-hibernation, and to ride out storms). The increase of the period of open water from spring to fall, and the distance between ice tops in winter, leaves the polar bear and its cubs vulnerable to starvation, attack, and drowning.
The polar bear in Dark Water 1 gazes back upon her path, her body twisted as if in question.
It is up to the viewer to imagine how far outside the picture frame the next ice floe waits, and whether or not, until this moment, her journey was a solitary one.
The polar bear cub painting below, is the second in my Sink/Swim series of polar bear oil paintings. This painting comments on sea ice loss and its negative effect on the polar bear habitat.
©Christine Montague. Sink/Swim 2. 12" x 6" oil painting.
Climate change has decreased the amount of sea ice necessary for the mother bears to hunt seals, feed their young, and sometimes den. The season of open water from spring to fall has increased, delaying the opportunity to hunt. Cubs do not yet have that great insulating layer of fat and so the mother bear must carry the baby bears on her back as she swims to the next ice top. These trips are not always successful. Polar bear cubs just simply vanish along the route, and sometimes the mothers do, too.
The bear cub above, does not seem distressed. Like with the experiment Schrodinger's Cat, it is up to the viewer's thoughts about what this bear's state of being is.
For my online gallery of polar bear art – paintings and portraits, please visit ChristineMontague.com
In Benediction, a 36" x 12" polar bear oil painting on canvas a polar bear, suspended upright under blue free water, seems to be giving a blessing. Who would be the recipient of such a gift, do you think?
As with other paintings in the polar bear Sink/Swim Series, we are at that tipping point of loosing much that is wonderful in this world. We need all the blessings we can get, and we should not only count them, but protect and nurture them, too.
I'm very blessed I can take the risk to follow my polar bear muse and look forward to where this polar bear art will take me. Are you enjoying these polar bear paintings? Let me know as I enjoy and appreciate your comments!
"Benediction" has a new home, but if you would like to have a polar bear in your home or office, or lucky you, polar bear lodge, please check out what's available at ChristineMontague.com
Benediction Polar bear painting SOLD ©Christine Montague www.ChristineMontague.com