This girl’s grandmother asked me to paint her granddaughter’s old horse (right) and new horse. As you can imagine, this was a delightful task made even more fun because of the energy that sprang from this girl. Each commission is individual and challenging.
By the Pond
“I want a painting of my two grandchildren at the pond on our property” was the request for this commission. All of the commission paintings that I produce celebrate some aspect of the commissioner’s life.
Braeburn
After many years of living in this house near Aberfoyle Mill, the commissioner of this piece was moving. He wanted a painting to celebrate this house that he had built.
Highland View
This painting was commissioned by an elderly Scottish/Canadian gentleman to commemorate taking his daughter back to Scotland on holiday. Because I have spent so much time in the United Kingdom, I was most comfortable with the idea.
Isle of Skye
This painting was commissioned for a man who flew night missions in W.W. II. His heart is still clearly in Scotland, even though he has lived here all his life. It is not unusual for a person to commission me to paint a personal spot, a dream perhaps. I feel flattered that someone would take me into their confidence.
Aiming for the Future
This 1930’s scene was painted of the third hole of the Westmount Golf Club course in Kitchener. The land just beyond this club used to be part of my grandfather’s bush. It is amazing to me that over the years the familiar is transformed and becomes new again. How quickly we forget. At least the golf course has remained constant. Commissioned by the Ross Dixon Organization, this image talks about the need to prepare for the future while enjoying today.
Fond Memories
This commissioned work was developed to describe the early days of a family-owned trucking company. I was touched that the name that the wife of the founder selected to use contains such a nostalgic note. The dog, the car, the truck, the playing children and the rail-side location all carry significance to the founder.
Acropolis, Athens, Greece
This sketch was developed from photos that a customer took on vacation. It is not unusual for me to paint request piecesin fact probably thirty percent of what I paint is commissioned work.
Toyota Country, Cambridge
I was commissioned by Toyota to produce a picture to celebrate their plant addition. Since many people from around the world were coming to Cambridge for the opening, it was necessary to compose a piece that had a sense of place or location. Now, years later, much of the “country” has been converted to industrial lots.
Grandpa’s Herd of Shorthorns
In the early part of the Twentieth Century, my grandfather was a well-known breeder of Shorthorn cattle, a dual purpose milk and beef breed imported from Scotland. I show his farm on Fischer-Hallman Road in Waterloo with these prize cattle. Although the farmhouse still exists, the farm is no longer there, and the breed of cattle has all but disappeared. I painted this family history piece for use on my autobiography, “Picture Maker”.