Enamel Paintings
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Amateur Celebrities: Portraits of Friends, Family, and the Usual Suspects
Jaywalking at the intersection of High Art and Pop Culture, the paintings in the Amateur Celebrities series mimic the sheen of high-gloss magazines, like InStyle and Vanity Fair, in which celebrities virtually become artworks themselves, created by “collectives” of editors, advertisers, art directors, agents, managers, publicists, stylists and photographers; an effect especially pronounced amongst those fortunate few famous simply for being famous. The icon (read: the unattainable) is defined not only by who they are or in which vehicle they've appeared, but as much by what we, the spectator, can buy (the immediately obtainable). In Amateur Celebrities, creators of local culture, along with their personal consumer and style choices, act as surrogates for, and usurpers of, those international celebrity mannequins and their global product placements.
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Jaywalking at the intersection of High Art and Pop Culture, the paintings in the Amateur Celebrities series mimic the sheen of high-gloss magazines, like InStyle and Vanity Fair, in which celebrities virtually become artworks themselves, created by “collectives” of editors, advertisers, art directors, agents, managers, publicists, stylists and photographers; an effect especially pronounced amongst those fortunate few famous simply for being famous. The icon (read: the unattainable) is defined not only by who they are or in which vehicle they've appeared, but as much by what we, the spectator, can buy (the immediately obtainable). In Amateur Celebrities, creators of local culture, along with their personal consumer and style choices, act as surrogates for, and usurpers of, those international celebrity mannequins and their global product placements.
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Amateur Celebrities #1: Jacket by Liz Claiborne, Water by Perrier
shirt and pants by Inc.; hair care, Aveda gel; hand care, Kiels hand lotion; glass by Duralex; not visible: underwear by 2XIST; socks by Calvin Klein portrait of Don Dormady, 2005 recipient of the Mayor of the City of St. Catharines’ Arts Patron of the Year Award 2006; enamel on acetate; 35.6 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 in) photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Niagara Artists' Company; private collection |
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Amateur Celebrities No. 2: Sweater by Mendocino, Glasses by Bébé
hair by Nicole for Coupe Bizarre; shirt by Gap; skirt by H&M portrait of Elizabeth Chitty, recipient of the 2006 YWCA, St Catharines branch, Woman of Distinction Award in the Arts 2006; enamel on acetate; 35.6 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 in) photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Niagara Artists' Company |
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Amateur Celebrities No. 3: Shirt by Anne Taylor; shadow by Sylvania
vintage jeans, Value Village; electricity by Horizon Utilities portrait of Nell Chitty as "The Shadow Conjurer" 2006; enamel on acetate; 35.6 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 in) photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Niagara Artists' Company; private collection |
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Amateur Celebrities No. 4: Jacket and Hoody by Club Monaco; T-shirt, Guided By Voices
hair and skin care, Burt’s Bees; not visible: shoes by Skechers; jeans by Buffalo; tube socks, Zellers; underwear by H&M portrait of Mike Costanzo, guitarist, vocalist, and composer with Instruments of Lust and Fury 2006; enamel on acetate; 35.6 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 in) photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Niagara Artists' Company |
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Amateur Celebrities No. 5: Blazer by Jacob; Bag by Aldo
eyeshadow, M.A.C.; mascara, L’Oreal Voluminous; lip gloss, Rimmel; shirt by Spoof!; jeans by Citizens Of Humanity; not visible: shoes by BCBG Paris; underwear by H&M; jade ring by Marquis; fragrance, Ralph by Ralph Lauren portrait of Roz Pivarnyk, President of the Board of Directors, Niagara Artists' Company 2006; enamel on acetate; 35.6 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 in) photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Niagara Artists' Company |
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Amateur Celebrities No. 6: Nouveautés by Marie Jo
[circa 1988] underwear set: available in softcup and underwire brassieres, bustier, bikini, tanga, garterbelt, camisole, and french knicker; in white with pink embroidery, charcoal with silver embroidery, and (pictured) sheer with white embroidery Elizabeth Chitty as "The Female Principle" [circa 1983] as photographed by Tony Wilson for the ChromaLiving exhibition catalogue 2006; enamel on acetate; 35.6 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 in) photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Niagara Artists' Company |
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Amateur Celebrities No. 7: tripod by Velbon; camera by Minolta
shower curtain, Dollarama; water, Region of Niagara; not visible: fragrance, Vetiver by Roger et Gallet, Paris self portrait as "The Male Principle" 2006; enamel on acetate; 35.6 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 in) photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Niagara Artists' Company |
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Amateur Celebrities No. 8:
“The Pseudo-Dance of the Seven Veils” (ball rolling) Indian silk [red-dyed thread woven on black warp], Kiran Silks, Toronto; Japanese silk [turquoise-dyed thread woven on red warp], J & P Imports, Toronto; not visible: blue plastic inflatable beach ball, Canadian Tire portrait of Elizabeth Chitty engaged in a therapeutic self-massage technique utilizing an inflatable beach ball 2006; enamel on acetate; 35.6 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 in) photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Niagara Artists' Company |
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Commissioned Portraits
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Vince del Buono, Recipient of the Order of the Republic of Nigeria, being congratulated by Janusz Dukszta at a banquet thrown in honour of the occasion at the Toronto restaurant, Nota Bene, September 20th, 2008.
2009; enamel on acetate; 35.6 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 in) photographed using flatbed scanner; never exhibited; published, Portrait of a Patron: The Dukszta Collection, University of Toronto Art Centre; private collection |
Flowering Trees
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Beside the Mini Mall; 2007; enamel on acetate; 19.25 x 24.75 cm (8.75 x 11.25 in)
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery; private collection
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery; private collection
Between the Buildings; 2007; enamel on acetate; 19.25 x 24.75 cm (8.75 x 11.25 in)
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
Magnolia in the Side Yard; 2007; enamel on acetate; 19.25 x 24.75 cm (8.75 x 11.25 in)
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
Ancestral Apple Tree; 2007; enamel on acetate; 19.25 x 24.75 cm (8.75 x 11.25 in)
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
Ornamental Tree, Institutional Building; 2007; enamel on acetate; 19.25 x 24.75 cm (8.75 x 11.25 in)
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
Young Lilac; 2007; enamel on acetate; 19.25 x 24.75 cm (8.75 x 11.25 in)
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
Old Hawthorn; 2007; enamel on acetate; 19.25 x 24.75 cm (8.75 x 11.25 in)
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
photographed using flatbed scanner; exhibited, Jordan Art Gallery
