A Colourful Day

Carl & Coby

2012-01-18T07:10:00.000-05:00

Any given Sunday, Coby's pickup was rescheduled "Carl Junkersand Ice Cream Patrol".

No illusions of truancy the deuce were up to something.

Oil 24 X 18

Sarah in the Pool

2011-12-05T08:09:00.001-05:00

Her infectious laugh and impish grin, she'sstubborn and mischievous.

I recall the frustration trying to get her topose

"are you ready, sarah?"

With a serious countenance she nods, suitablymoored, she looks up and beams ear to ear....

Oil 18" X 24"

neiltoulch.com

Casse Croûte

2011-09-27T08:21:00.000-04:00

A hot summer night in a small Laurentian town, out on a date at the local casse croûte and they both hope to get lucky.

But she's having difficulty getting his interest away from scratching numbers on his Loto Quebec tickets, she'd been hoping the local fast food eatery was a prelude to a symphony of interesting things.

He's also hoping for bigger things to come: his ticket to win him a million dollars.

Oil 30" x 24"
neiltoulch.com

The Showroom

2011-08-31T06:53:00.000-04:00

In my world of fashion as a retailer for thirty years I was introduced to an incongruous mix of people and styling - from the gaily flamboyant to the degenerate - all caught up in a seemingly venal conspiracy: to sell clothes for sexual attraction. Everyone in the industry, from the shipper to the ogling boss, was keenly aware and blatantly flaunted their assets: curves, credit rating, make of car they owned, or whatever.

There were no rules for retail buyers, they relied on instinct when forecasting trends, sometimes gambling with personal idiosyncrasies. My one shining star in this barnyard of flaunting pulchritude was my wife, chief buyer for our stores. Looking innocently sexy her unwavering focus held steady on pricing, styles and colors for the clientele we attracted.

Oil 40" x 30"

neiltoulch.com

The Hockey Arena

2011-08-02T12:02:00.000-04:00

It could be a village square or main street but our neighborhood-gathering place was the hockey arena. A microcosm of ordered chaos reflecting familial dramas and binding a cross-section of generations in spite of different interests.

An over-nurturing Mom anxiously reaching out a lunch box to her adolescent young man who is wishing that she would get lost, his discretely roving eyes on the girls, and his kid sister, running forward toward fresh prospects and mischief.

In our arena we see them all - infants to grandparents - performing the comedy of life together.

Oil 40" x 30"

neiltoulch.com

How We Came To Be

2011-06-07T17:34:00.001-04:00

And then there was the awakening, our age of Aquarius, nature's design to assure continuity of the human species. It was the dawning of involuntary reaction to female pulchritude; a wondrous mystery inviting confusion of celebration and embarrassment, disclaiming myths and fairy tales of how we came to be. Strip tease artists held no connection whatsoever to the reproductive motive, they only spelt pleasure; inspirational with images for later use. We partied celebrating the little devil with a mind of its own totally unconcerned with earth's population explosion.

Oil 30" x 40"

neiltoulch.com

Sweet 16

2011-04-11T16:14:00.002-04:00

Sweet 16

Not one kiss

Tried 'em all

Missed!

Oh well...

There was a shy innocence in those years: girls dancing in a group, boys hamming it up in their corner, everyone hoping to attract the attention of the other.

Music – louder the better – was the pathway towards dissolving inhibitions. Romance, as we knew it from the movies, began at a prom always ending with a tender kiss – we seem to have missed what was in between.

My poor mother coming down the basement stairs, aghast at the chaos and Pa, carrying the birthday cake is, as always, oblivious.

Oil 40" x 30"

Mom's Day Off

2011-02-18T19:20:00.001-05:00

She probably went to the hairdresser, met a girlfriend for lunch and then window-shopped when she went off on a Saturday afternoon. Pa was supposed to be home to defend our abode from us kids – the wrecking crew. He invariably fell asleep on the job bored by his brother trying to keep him awake with family gossip.

Our challenge was trying to find sufficient money to pay the pizza deliveryman: money falling out of somebody’s pocket sometimes landed up in the crevice behind the couch pillows. We didn’t touch Pa’s money on the floor. Wrecking, yes: stealing, no… with enough noise maybe he’d wake up and pay for the pizza?

Mom's Day Off

Oil 40" X 30"

The Corner Grocery

2011-02-01T12:25:00.001-05:00

The fifties! Not a care in the world for us adolescent kids growing up in middle class Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Our biggest concern was whether a flipped card would come up right side or not – no risking the loss of a flipped coin in a sidewalk crack – besides, who had a coin to risk? Note the bedding airing out of windows, and the two girls – no, they’re not twins – they’re wearing compulsory public school uniforms. We pretended not to notice them: in those bygone days drinks were suggestively named Orange Crush and Kik.

The schoolbags set aside on the street have since been reinvented as backpacks; the corner grocery along with Frank were swallowed by a supermarket. The astronauts we kids knew of were Captain Marvel and Flash Gordon zooming out of comic books to miraculously land in fertile imaginations.

Oil 30" x 40"

Angels In Training

2011-01-15T14:26:00.001-05:00

Having convinced our mother that socializing with friends after school stimulated serious study, homework became less painful - to us, but not to the walls and furnishings.

The painting on the wall (rendered askew by the head-stander) was hung there not only to cover weathered plaster cracks but also to serve as an example of angels helping each other with book-learning. Pa’s visible belt on the couch served as a reminder of punishment for disillusionment.

We ignored the signs: our black cat ominously observing from the other end of the couch, and the brown one – our top mouse-catcher – streaking for cover. We were on a path of innovative home work: angels in training for flight wings.

Oil 40" x 30"
neiltoulch.blogspot.com

Back From The Track

2010-12-29T14:58:00.002-05:00

Oil 40"X 30"

Living in a household with rambunctious kids my parents would escape from time to time for a recreational afternoon at the racetrack, gambling that the house would still be livable on their return. We couldn't wait for them to leave so we could expel our inventive energy.

Occasionally luck showered them with greenbacks and they'd come home in a celebrative, festive mood. Their winnings hardly covered the mayhem we so joyously created.

Capital Inspiration

2010-12-03T21:16:00.002-05:00

Oil 30" x 24"

As a young teenager some of my buddies and I would hang around a nearby supermarket in the hope of being hired to haul some shopper's groceries home for a big twenty-five cent coin.

All the while I had the notion of a larger arrangement behind these brick walls.

The encouraging owner of a bookstore next door elevated my capitalist endeavor and self-image from delivery boy to loftier heights.

Hide & Seek and Street Hockey

2010-11-07T13:15:00.001-05:00

Watercolour 30" x 22"

Frank's Grocery

2010-11-07T13:12:00.000-05:00

watercolour 22" x 30"

5-10-15 and Chinese Jump Rope

2010-11-07T13:07:00.001-05:00

Watercolour 30" x 22"

Dragon Cafe

2010-11-07T12:50:00.002-05:00

Watercolour 30 x 22

Tying Down the Boat

2008-06-02T10:33:00.004-04:00

Nova Scotian sailors tying down an old boat.

Watercolour 15" x 22"

Indian Archway

2008-05-26T13:29:00.008-04:00

How unusual it is to find cows perambulating through the streets of New Delhi!

Watercolour 15" x 22"

La Garderie

2008-05-26T13:14:00.005-04:00

La "garderie" in Quebec refers to a daycare, the batissement (building) is often shared with others.

In this batissement you will find: Docteur Fortin, le dentiste, et la garderie.

Watercolour 11" x 14"

Friday Night

2008-04-14T13:30:00.013-04:00

An accomplished woman, who can find? Her value is far beyond pearls.

Her husband's heart relies on her, and he shall lack no fortune....

King Solomon, Proverbs

Our traditional Friday night supper commences after I recite these few words to my wife.

Watercolour 12" x 16"

Happy Birthday Linda

I love you

Purple Iris

2008-04-11T19:02:00.006-04:00

Purple Iris

Streaked with amethystine memories of the night

Health-glossed and firm are those ripe wings

Of oriental butterflies....

from a poem by Michael Strange

Watercolour 12" x 16"

Pine Fishing Camp

2008-04-07T14:04:00.004-04:00

Tucked away at the end of a bog creek off Lake Griffin, you may stumble upon the Pine Fishing Camp.

Careful of the Gators and swamp marsh.

Watercolour 15" x 22"

Slide, Dada and Cool

2008-04-04T17:57:00.010-04:00

When Linda plays my favourite piano composers I like to record her music.

I adjust the device to one of the following preferences; Slide, Dada, or Cool..., we have to wing it for Impressionists.

Four composers?

Watercolour 12" x 16"

Levers, Rollers and Keys

2008-03-31T13:09:00.009-04:00

Levers, rollers and keys on a flute are bewildering and so I find it hypnotic when I observe my wife confidently playing her instrument.

Watercolour 10" x 14"

Wheel Chic

2008-03-29T12:33:00.007-04:00

Safety and speed are foremost concerns but colourful raiment builds confidence in the Sunday speedster.

Watercolour 12" x 16"

Plierchy

2008-03-26T11:25:00.005-04:00

Haven't been around much lately, but that gave no reason for the pliers to go on a tear nor the screwdrivers to act like frightened ostriches.

Watercolour 10" x 14"

Zoe And Her Toy

2008-03-23T14:20:00.002-04:00

Zoe loves her toys especially her duck.

Watercolour (new palette) 10" x 14"

Skee Ball & Elephant Ears

2008-03-20T20:17:00.006-04:00

Seems like every week they have an excuse to host a fair in town centre.

They are always colourful.

Watercolour 22" x 14"

Go Ask Alice

2008-03-14T16:16:00.011-04:00

Been kinda of busy lately, so I got this caterpillar to pose for a quickie.

Fortunately, I had kept her number after we made contact a year ago on a photo-shoot dubbed "Go Ask Alice".

To see the photo click on the title"Go Ask Alice" above:

Watercolour 7" x 12"

Dragonfly 1

2008-03-13T15:22:00.013-04:00

Dragonflies do not make good sketching subjects, they are fidgety and nervous and cannot sit still long enough before the first wing can be drawn.

To sketch a dragonfly it must be either

1. Dead

2. Observed quietly from a photograph

I chose the latter and invite you to do the same by clicking on the title Dragonfly 1 above.

Rialto Theatre

2008-03-10T16:12:00.005-04:00

The Rialto is a big attraction in town, as it shows the latest and greatest pictures. This week; Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra.

Make sure you get there early because it does start promptly.

Watercolour 22" x 14"

L'il Tug Line

2008-03-07T08:09:00.004-05:00

While sitting on the upper deck of a pier on a windy day I noticed poor traffic at this enterprise. The cold and wind kept the children away.

Watercolour 22" x 14"

Main Street

2008-03-03T17:59:00.003-05:00

Strolling down Main Street one bright sunny afternoon.

Watercolour 21" x 13"

Sevilla

2008-03-01T08:45:00.000-05:00

Zoe and I motoring past the Sevilla Hotel.

Watercolour 11" x 19"

Firehall No1

2008-02-27T10:31:00.000-05:00

The clothing business has been a great part of my life for so many years, thus, I could not resist the urge to make a "Red Hot Sale" at my fictitious boutique "Tee 'N Tee".

In actuality, Firehall No1 is currently occupied by another retailer.

Watercolour 10" x 14"

Spanish Hall

2008-02-23T14:36:00.001-05:00

Spanish Hall, is another wonderful building, easy to ignore, that has been taken over by bowlers, truth is, I'm greatful it hasn't gone "parking lot".

Gotta love America.

Watercolour 10" x 14"

Hotel & Rug Importers

2008-02-21T09:18:00.000-05:00

Passing the back of this hotel, I noticed the signboard, Rug Importers. I thought "what a peculiar coalition".

Watercolour 12" x 16

Car Misses Target

2008-02-17T21:36:00.000-05:00

Watercolour 10" x 14"

Zoe and I were motoring about yesterday.

Suddenly Zoe screamed

"Lookout!"

Smythe Building

2008-02-16T10:31:00.001-05:00

Watercolour 12" x 16"

After sketching the Smythe Building I included my brother Harvey, (he loves boats) peering through Tervis Tumbler's store, as well as a reference to my former "Dry Goods" business.

Southern Rail

2008-02-14T12:50:00.000-05:00

I live in Lady Lake not far from a retirement village where the developers have created this fairy-tale imaginary, old western, world. The neat thing is that there are loads of original and replicated American icons and naturally lots to sketch.

The bad news is attempting to take some of these icons and put them into a context, sometimes I get it and sometimes.... That being said I am happy with my new marsh-mellow clouds Watercolour 12" x 16"

Bird Bath

2008-02-10T11:54:00.000-05:00

I had 15 minutes in the park yesterday while Linda passed the time at the Lady Lake fair.

Watercolour

10" x 14"

Me and Zoe, Out for a Spin

2008-02-05T17:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I decided to use my "Signs watercolour painting as the basis for this oil.

I confess that I struggled with the red car and "Me"!

Alas, here are the results of my Oil painting N0. 4

Oil 16"x 20"

Home Cooking

2008-02-03T14:15:00.000-05:00

And just when we gave up hope after dining on too many "big box" suppers, Cottage Inn was a welcome relief.

It may not be much to look at, but they sure had good food.

Watercolour 12" x 16"

Spanish Building

2008-02-01T16:56:00.001-05:00

Watercolour

10" x 14"

I thought this building was sketch worthy.

As it turns out it is currently being operated as a bowling alley.

Only in America....!

Me and Zoe

2008-01-27T19:52:00.000-05:00

Me and Zoe out for a stroll.

Doorway

2008-01-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

Grapefruit study

2008-01-27T15:36:00.000-05:00

My 1st oil painting!

Signs

2008-01-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

I WANNA SAVE YOU MONEY!

Trading Post

2008-01-27T15:25:00.000-05:00

2008-01-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

Seashell House

2008-01-27T15:17:00.000-05:00

Gazebo and Oak

Orange Barn

2008-01-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

Valises

2008-01-27T15:13:00.000-05:00

Caboose

2008-01-27T15:10:00.000-05:00

Wagon

2008-01-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

Flower Study

2008-01-27T15:01:00.000-05:00

Plugs

2008-01-27T14:01:00.000-05:00

Last month, I began watercolor painting and here are a few of my initial efforts....

I encourage all comments.

Grapefruit Tree

2008-01-27T13:53:00.000-05:00