When Al moved to Montreal he started playing around with art and found that he liked it! He practices drawing, pastel, charcoal, oil, acrylic, photography and woodworking. He learned that he enjoys painting in acrylic the most. He taught himself over the years and hasn’t taken any classes or workshops. Al has taught some art to his son but his son is a ‘natural’. Al would like to learn more about abstract art, how to approach it and have a good understanding of it.

A favourite memory of Al’s is when he was in Main, a quaint fishing village. Very artsy, he saw the most beautiful evening sunset on the inlet. Oranges, purples and yellows, he quickly took some pictures and then painted it. The painting was beautiful! The mood, the form of expression, or the state of mind, all influence Al’s art. The most favourite painting was done in Vancouver, an English Cottage with a pond. It turned out to be the best painting he has done so far and it only took 3 or 4 hours! Everything just went together wonderfully. Al took it to the gallery and it sold instantly! Most paintings take him about 24-48 hours depending on the size. Al only paints in the winter; he takes all the other seasons to gather inspiration and ideas. “It is a pleasant way to spend the evening,” he says. Al likes to paint and he finds it very relaxing.

Lord of the Rings, the book, is Al’s favourite and he is also very impressed with the Italian Poet “Dante” a visionary and philosopher. Al’s oldest and most interesting piece is a 1960’s pastel of the downtown in the city where he was born. Al loved it so much that his sister gave it to him, it reminds him of home. The tip Al would like to share with other artist is “Keep working at it and enjoy! Keep practicing, have fun with it! Love it!”

Al has shown his art in a Gallery in Vancouver and also at the Kimberley Gallery. You can also see Al’s paintings at Park Studio Gallery. If you would like to see more of Al’s paintings, you can go online to the Community Page and also the online gallery at www.parkstudio.net.

Written by Yvonne Sulko