New Portfolio site.

After almost 10 years I've finally updated the old portfolio site (bigcatheads.com). Now you can find the new, more streamlined version over at brucemckay.ca.

Waiting for Gov - 60" x 30" acrylic on canvas

I received some very sad news back over the Christmas holidays that a friend of mine passed away unexpectedly. Govinder Nazran (1964 - 2008) was a very talented and successful UK artist and really good guy. My condolences go out to his wife Sarah and his young daughter Eden. (click for obituary)

I was working on the painting Feeling Pink in the post below when I heard the news and there was something in that piece that almost seemed right for a memorial painting. With a few adjustments this new variation is called Waiting for Gov - 60" x 30" acrylic on canvas. This painting will stay in my personal collection and is not for sale. 

Feeling Pink - 40" x 30" acrylic on canvas.

Feeling Pink - 40" x 30" acrylic on canvas. Not feeling blue - feeling pink. It's an all together different state of mind. I like the super simplicity of this one. Nothing extra, just the big blocky stacked up shapes. They work well with the simple tints of pink.

You Go First - 48" x 36" acrylic variation.

You Go First - 48" x 36" acrylic on canvas. I've been wanting to do an acrylic variation of the original pastel version (below) for some time. Happy New Year everyone. I sure hope it's better than last year.

Sleepy Face - 20" x 13" pastel.

It's a combination look on the face that says "how dare you disturb me" and "this better be good". Sleepy Face - 20" x 13" pastel and charcoal on paper. Oh, and this one is dedicated to my ex publisher who always said "don't do green paintings. People don't buy green paintings".

The Weight - 20" x 13" pastel.

Finally, new work! The Weight - 20" x 13" pastel and charcoal on paper. When the afternoon sun pouring through the window is so thick and luxurious the weight of which pushes you to the floor and forces a nap upon you.

Want - 30" x 36" acrylic.

First painting of the new year (happy new year to you all) Want - 30" x 36" acrylic on canvas. One of my favourite scenes to paint is a cat looking out the window of his house, this is my fourth variation. We see it all the time so it's easy to relate to the situation and create an emotional connection with the viewer - in this case empathy. When the piece was nearing completion, I was thinking something was missing, some element. But it's that missing element that creates the empathy. The cat is waiting for someone to come home from work, or the cat sees the beautiful day and want to go outside, or the cat sees his nemesis - the squirrel. The missing element allows the viewer to make up their own story and therefore the painting becomes more relevant to them. The stylized planes of colour in this painting indicate dappled light on the side of the house, reflections off the glass and the shadow of a big tree just outside the window.

The Cat's Pajamas - 36" x 36" acrylic.

The Cat's Pajamas - 36" x 36" acrylic on canvas. A big bright fun painting. I always knew I would do this idea and it may not be the last time either. This painting took an unusually long time to finish. Last week I thought it was done but it wasn't feeling right. As you can see below, the plan was to use the same colour pallete as Tolerance which would've made the fuzzy mice on the pj's really pop but instead it just felt too obvious and forced. It was always intended to be a happy painting and the greys made it feel drab. Today I added colour all through the background and the result is quite interesting. The dark cat and pj background make the cat recede away from you into what looks like a stylized fluffy quilt. I'm liking it today but let's just say I'm not going to varnish this one just yet.

Freddy on the Fridge - acrylic variation.

Up until now all my variations have been from acrylic works to pastels. This is the other way around. Freddy on the Fridge - 24" x 30" acrylic on canvas. The piece is so highly stylized I didn't include the drawings of Freddy that I did in the pastel version but I did use the shapes of the papers to create some layered depth.

Tolerance - 48" x 24" acrylic

This painting was great fun to do. Tolerance - 48" x 24" acrylic on canvas. It's peaceful and still but you know there's great tension lurking just beneath the surface. The background of built up overlapping planes of greys further tugs on that tension. I had to be careful to have just the right combination of typical cat aloofness/irritation in the eyes. It's not huge but at 48" wide it's quite impactful.

Even though my paintings are simplified and humourous, I still like to include a basis of reality to ground the idea. If birds would ever be so confident to actually perch on a cat, they would still be somewhat on guard. Below you can see how I added that small touch of reality. In each of the three groups, one of the birds is intently watching the cats face. The solo bird sitting on the cats tail is the main lookout. Everyone else is just doing bird stuff.

Fred & Ginger 24" x 36" acrylic.

I've been planning to do a companion piece to Bill & Ted and here it is - Fred and Ginger 24" x 36" acrylic on canvas. I think these two originals would make great 'bookend' paintings on either side of a window or bookcase.

Don't Fence Me In - 19" x 10" pastel.

Don't Fence Me In - 19" x 10" pastel and charcoal on paper. I was so please with the original acrylic version of this, I just had to try a pastel variation. 

Back Soon.

My usual pattern with this blog has been to post at least once if not twice a week. Lately though, I've only been able to post a few times over the last several months. Nothing is wrong and I will be back to regular posting hopefully in a few weeks. Several things have happened though. An old friend from my days in advertising called needing help with some very large projects and the timing was good so I've been doing some of that. I also had a very busy spring and summer and felt like taking some time away from the studio and actually get out and be with people again. Some artists can keep things fresh just by doing wildly different styles but my work is usually more consistent and if I'm not careful can turn into a routine. Also, because I can and often do produce two or three new originals a week, the pressure I put on myself to keep the ideas fresh can be tiring.

My solution to this is to not be so obsessed with one thing and to not be in such a hurry all the time. Once I get back in the studio my plan will be to produce one new painting a week. This will allow me to only paint up the ideas I'm really excited about plus making my originals a bit more of a rarity isn't a bad idea either purely from a business standpoint. It'll also allow me the time to be involved with other creative projects which I've always found a good method to stimulate fresh ideas that I never allowed myself time for. It's an interesting time with plenty of options, all of which are good. Be back soon.

Gallery Cleaning.

I did a major tidy up over at bigcatheads.com. There was too much older work that had been sold long ago cluttering up the place. And I put quite a few original acrylics in The Backroom to move them out (half price folks).

A Little Leg Love - 20" x 26" pastel.

Here's a new pastel. A Little Leg Love - 20" x 26" pastel and charcoal on paper. This is the first time I've combined the semi-cubist style of my recent acrylics into a pastel piece. And I like the results. I can still maintain enough precision in the linework (provided I'm working large enough) and the looseness of the pastel within the arcs compliments the style and acts as shadow elements between those layers. I'll be doing more or these. And expect an acrylic variation of this idea at some point in the near future too.

T-shirts.

I've discovered a new supplier for doing printed t-shirts. Printfection offers all kinds of colours, the clothing is of good quality and most important, their printing is excellent. I don't intend to do a lot of this but I thought Just Passing Through and Don't Fence Me In would look good on some tees. Click here.

Foots - 28" x 22" acrylic.

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, busy with other projects. I'll be back soon with a new batch of originals. Meanwhile, here's a smallish one I finished a few weeks ago. Foots - 28" x 22" acrylic on canvas. Many years ago I lived with a few buddies in Vancouver. One of them had a cat who would sit exactly like this on a sofa. Usually he rested his one paw on the arm of the sofa but if you sat beside him he'd rest it on your hip. It was hilarious.

Ambush - 24" x 36" acrylic.

Here's the latest. Ambush - 24" x 36" acrylic on canvas. A dangling tail can be just about the most irresistible thing in the world.

Here it is hanging just outside my kitchen to provide some scale.

And here's a group shot. On the left is Don't Fence Me In - 60" x 36" and back in the dining room is Group Hug - 60" x 48".

The Sunny Spot - 36" x 36" acrylic.

The Sunny Spot - 36" x 36" acrylic on canvas. This was a bit of a tricky one. From the first sketch right through to the end of the painting process I literally didn't know which end was up. The painting works the way it's shown above, and it also works upside down. Signing the piece would finally decide which way was up. At one point I was going to sign it top and bottom so that the buyer would have the option of displaying it either way. It isn't varnished yet so I still can do that. What do you think. Let me know in the comments if you feel this is a good idea.

UPDATE JULY 24: Yup. I agree it's a fun idea to make it work both ways. It's now signed top and bottom so whichever way it's hung there will be a signature in the bottom right corner. And to make that option even easier for whoever buys it...

...that's right, double wires baby!!!

Don't Fence Me In - 60" x 36" acrylic.

Here's the latest in my semi-cubist style series. Don't Fence Me In - 60" x 36" acrylic on canvas. It's not really a cubist style but more of a stained glass effect. I find it almost impossible to walk by this painting and not sense your mood brighten. There's a happy, confident feeling radiating from this big boy.