Unique Artwork

Variety is important. If I were to paint the same kind of painting over and over again just because it was successful, I'd feel I was manufacturing art, not creating it. Even with the wide variety of work I typically do, getting outside the box is necessary to keep the creative juices flowing!  Some of the images below may seem conventional on the surface but typically have a unique element to them-  sand and acrylic mediums, curvey linear stretched canvas, watercolors that do not require glass for example.

Kunamokst mural mosaic project for 2010 Olympics, Barry Tate panel

Kunamokst 
Mural Mosaic Project 
for 2010 Olympics
size: huge! 

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This was a very interesting concept where a number of professional artists participate in one large mosaic painting. Each artist received a 12" square panel that has been pre-painted in a general hue. An arrow on the back said this way up! Good or bad, each artist then had to create a painting that blended with the original hues. At this point, none of the artists even knew what the finished piece might look like! When all of the panels were returned to the good folks at mural mosaic.com it was reassembled and an amazing mosaic emerged!
Starting panel for the Kunamokst Mural Mosaic project.

Mosaic working panel
12 x 12”   

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This is the panel I was given to create a painting! Each mosaic has a theme and each of the panels echoes the theme as well. This theme was west coast or sea life. I found myself staring at the panel on and off for a few hours, visualizing many different "finished" paintings overlapping the panel. There was a long haired Indian princess viewed from beyond a darkened beam of a long house, a forest fire and charred totem... Finally I settled on an ancient totem overlooking one of our famous west coast sunrises.
The Gardian a hand painted panel by Barry Tate as part of the Kunamokst Mural Mosaic project.

 The Guardian
finished panel

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My finished panel is located near the bottom of the Kunamokst mosaic. The mosaic was unveiled at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. It's permanent home is at Galiano Oceanfront Inn 134 Madrona Drive Galiano Island, BC See the whole image and videos at the Mural Mosaic website: http://www.muralmosaic.com/ or my personal panel: http://www.muralmosaic.com/Kunamokst/panels/217.html
An acryic painting of a Buddah statue at Hollyhock.

Buddha At Hollyhock 
30 x 40” acrylic on canvas, $ sold 
(prints available)

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Hollyhock is a wonderful retreat centre on the pituresque coast of Cortes Island, BC (near Campbell River). I liked this Buddah figure quietly resting near the entrance to the kitchen and decided to capture it's spirit in a painting.

Dream Weaver 
20 x 30” acrylic and pencil, $1400  
(16 x 20 prints available)

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A simple elegant pose, clean lines and subtle scheme makes this piece quietly classy. Her long auburn red hair has been shaped to fall and mirror the graceful oval shape of her arms and fingers. This watercolor painting has a special acrylic finish which means it does not need to be covered with glass.It is fully mounted in a 2" wide gray/ blue marble

Nude And Sand
15" x 22" acrylic & sand on board, $ 1195
(no prints)

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This is a unique multi-medium painting using acrylic, pencil and sand.
unique curved canvas acrylic painting by Barry Tate

Pacific Autumn
30 x 42” acrylic on curved canvas!, $ sold 
(no prints)

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This is an extremely unique canvas of my own invention. I wanted to create a frame that went with or complemented the smooth curvy-linear lines of my art. This piece is not on solid board, it is a fully mounted canvas in a solid medite curved frame! Very cool.
A very unique curved canvas painting by Barry Tate

Curved Painting 2
22" x 38" acrylic on board, $ sold
(no prints)

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A unique method of  creating a free form painting which I have not seen used anywhere. When working with the smooth curvy-linear design of this piece, I wanted the frame to "move" with the design and not be restricted with conventional edges.
Dancing Forest is a colorful and unique style painting of a forest of trees

Dancing Forest
11 x 15” watercolor, $ sold 
(no prints)

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This is a unique style that I created for expressing the magic and connectivity of our forests. Several other paintings in this style have prints available