It was great to see Steph, Luke, Viv and Eric yesterday at my art exhibition at yumart. They came all the way down from Stouffville and Uxbridge!

Even though I’ve experienced a lot of art exhibitions over the years, I always get anxious. I think this is because making paintings has always been a very private activity – just me and my imagination – and when the work goes up in a gallery people share that private experience with me.

At the same time, it’s always good to see the works up, together, in a clean space. I’ve had a number of these paintings (or whatever you want to call them) hanging around the house over the past few months. Sometimes I have to live with a painting for quite a while to decide if it is really done or more pointedly, if I can live with the images I created. When they’re hanging together, I can get a better sense of the whole conversation.

The exhibition is on until the 28th, at 401 Richmond here in Toronto. The gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday at noon.