I hang a lot of art on my walls during the course of a year. This month I have installed 125 pieces in the gallery, many of them smaller works, providing unique and affordable gifts for the Christmas season. Today I’m going to give you my ten picks, mostly small pieces, but a couple of larger works as well, because i think they are quite exceptional.

1. 

Kathy Hooper, Secrets, acrylic on canvas, 16″ x 16″

It’s been a while since we have had new work from Kathy. She has brought us four new pieces that are quite fine. I really like the narrative quality I find in much of her work. This piece is an exceptional purchase. ($425)

2. 

Bob Morouney, Virtual Femininity Goggles, watercolour on vintage paper, 7″ x 4″

I invited Bob as a guest artist at the gallery for the month of December. He’s brought me several fine works, including watercolours and copperplate etchings. This work is part of a series entitled The Hidden House Catalogue of Artisinal Brassieres. We have sold several from this series this week. I love the fact that he is using vintage paper from 1811 as support for his watercolour work here. ($185)

3. 

Toby Graser, Window Series, mixed media on matboard, 7.5″ x 4.75″

We are featuring several works by Toby in this exhibition, some framed and others not. This particular work from the Window Series is a strong example of her smaller works. ($195 unframed)

4. 

Cathy Ross, Golden Beets, watercolour, 25″ x 14″

Not one of the small works, but an exceptional piece by a very fine artist. Cathy has such an eye for detail and a mind that finds such beauty in the commonplace. ($1200)

5. 

James Wilson, Herzl’s Studio 2010, photograph, 13″ x 7.5″

This is a wonderful portrait of Herzl, or should I say of Herzl’s studio. The studio often reveals much about the artist. Anyone who owns Herzl’s work, particularly the drawings and paintings he has done of his own studios, should consider this piece by Jamie ($375)

6. 

Herzl Kashetsky, Apples on the Tree, acrylic on canvasboard, 7″ x 5″

Herzl Kashetsky, Harbour Bridge, etching, 5″ x 7″

Okay, I’ve cheated, and slipped in an extra work. I just could not decide which piece of Herzl’s to include. The Apples on the Tree is quite a delicious small painting, but then the etching of the skyline has such appeal. Normally, I find artwork depicting the city skyline to be rather stiff and lacking personality, but this has a nice feel. I like the sepia treatment.

Apples on the Tree ($495)  Harbour Bridge ($450)

7. 

Paul Mathieson, When They Paint Their Masterpiece, acrylic on canvas, 30″ x 30″

One of our most gifted painters, Paul Mathieson never disappoints. His works are always so well conceived and so carefully constructed. Such incredible detail. ($2400)

8. 

Amber Young, Ponds and Lilypads #2, oil on canvas, 30.5″ x 24″

This is one of two new works that came in recently from Amber. Moving away somewhat from her fascination with the pond’s surface, she gives greater attention to that which lies beneath. ($950)

9. 

Suzanne Hill, White Knight #1, mixed media on canvas, 14″ x 12”

Suzanne is in her studio working long before the sun is up. By the time I open the gallery at 10, she has done a day’s work. I shouldn’t be surprised when three new works appear, even though I know she is working on two new series at the moment. It’s always exciting to see something new from Suzanne. ($375)

10. 

Raymond Martin, Fleurs et marée basse, oil on canvas, 14″ x 11″

Just in case you have forgotten summer and beaches and flowers, here is a reminder, a small painting from Raymond Martin’s series Birds and Beaches. ($625)

This just a small sample of the more than 100 works hanging at the gallery for December.