Dear Friends,

Welcome to my second newsletter, featuring links to recently completed paintings and personal news. I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to hearing back from you.

New painting

Many Islands, Uclulet VI
2005
Acrylic on multimedia board
20 x 24 inches
This September and October I'm taking a refresher course in intaglio, remembering and relearning the steps of creating and printing etchings and engravings. As some of you know, this medium is an old favourite of mine. I made etchings between 1971-74 in Philadelphia while in medical school, and between 1987-1989 in Pasadena when I created the related sets of Kindertotentanz etchings. These etchings served as a starting point for the Kindertotentanz painting series.

Through etching, I plan to explore some darker, figurative themes over the next few years, then re-explore the same themes in acrylic and oil. We shall see if the gods allow this...

Today's letter features four new works — click here to view them online.

" I go into a poem to see if I can get out of it.."

Yesterday, I came across this quote of the poet Robert Frost that works beautifully to express how I approach painting. I go into paintings from compulsion: some pattern of light and dark moves me, triggers a subconscious memory or feeling, and I rapidly put down the general form, trying to capture that fleeting emotion but not knowing exactly what the final painting will look like nor how I will "get out of it".

In this manner, I find it easy to start paintings. But to finish them is another question! It requires from me enormous concentration, energy and problem-solving. A painting of mine is finished (or ideally, I would like it to be finished) when the work fascinates and awes me, when I cannot remember the myriad layers that went into it, and cannot fathom having to create the work again from scratch. It sometimes takes me years to finish a painting. I take it out periodically and paint more layers, or I take it out and paint nothing - just sit and look at it for a long time, thinking. I try to figure where I am in the work, where to go, and how to get there. As frequently as I make progress, I end up putting the work back against the wall to marinade longer in my subconscious... I understand that many other artists work in this manner. As legend has it, Cezanne went so far as to chain his paintings to the wall when his dealer came to visit, for fear he would take them away prematurely!

Personal news!

Lyne Filiatrault and I were married August 27th at the Club St Denis in Montreal. Lyne looked stunningly beautiful as she came up the central staircase in her gown. My heart went semi-gelatinous with joy at the instant of seeing her so radiant!!

Many friends and family came to Montreal for the festivities: from Vancouver, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Durham, Philadelphia, and even as far away as Greece and New Zealand. Lyne and I found it deeply satisfying to see good-hearted, interesting people from each of our separate-past and our shared-present get together and have fascinating conversations with each other, and for the whole group to lay down a shared memory of a wonderful weekend together.

We had a second party on the west coast to celebrate the next Saturday, and the formerly Pink House (now "aubergine") has never looked so tidy. Even my studio had a 'hundred-year cleaning'!!. My great friends (and great patrons) Pat Konrad from Taos and Meg O'Donnell from South Pasadena flew up (and were put immediately to work!), as did Luke, Claire, Marie (Mong), and Richard Haughton from along the West Coast. The New Westminster party proved successful: another great gathering of excellent and thoughtful people! Lyne and I are honored to have such good friends!

Energized by my happiness in marriage (and by my newly-cleaned studio), I have been painting a great deal. I am quite satisfied with the results, with several now finished. Write me for a special sneak preview! My next newletter will be sent in January, 2006.

I hope the new year finds you well and happy. Of course, please forward this to anyone who might be interested in my artwork (wealthy Russian oligarchs, Bhaluchistani oil barons, museum curators, etc...)

For now, David

(604) 525-2412
haughton-art@shaw.ca

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