New Studio!

As many of you know it has been a busy time of life for me lately and my painting has had to be set aside. Dave and I just got married and are in the process of settling into our new home! I will have a studio for the first time since August 2010 n this new house and I am very excited to get it set up! It has been a long time but I am looking forward to producing art once again :)

Now taking commissions

Hi everyone,

Between now and May 1 I will be accepting 2 commissions for May and June. If you are interested in having me do a small or medium sized painting or drawing for you this spring please contact me at corrinadilella@gmail.com.

Ignoring the Truth

Acrylic on Canvas
SOLD

He sits to the side. You ask him why he does not want to participate in gym class and he shrugs his shoulders. You try to coerce him: "Would like to pick which team you want to go on?", "You know this is for marks," "Do I have to talk to your mom about this on the phone tonight?" Nothing persuades him. What you fail to notice is how uncomfortable he looks. Is it his gym clothes? The way the other students are looking at him? Or is it being in his own skin that is uncomfortable? You forfeit the battle with him, realizing you have a whole class of students behind you that need to be taught basketball over the next 40 minutes. The truth is, well, you never get around to addressing the issue and gym class after gym class he sits, he watches, wonders, waits. The truth is, though you have eyes on the back of your head, you start to be blind to him during gym and ignoring the truth.

Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish

RIDE TO CONQUER CANCER Fund raiser!

2' x 3'
Acrylic
Solid Wood Frame

In this painting we see Cavendish winning yet another sprint in the 2010 Tour de France.

This painting will be auctioned off as a fund raiser for the Silver Spokes Cycling Club Team in the Ride to Conquer Cancer. The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer will benefit The Princess Margaret, a leader in the fight against cancer and the largest institution in Canada exclusively devoted to cancer treatment, research, and education. Our goal as a team is to raise $10,000.

The auction will take place online at www.32auctions.com from February 1st to 28th, 2011.

For someone to participate in the auction they must:
1. Set up an account with 32auctions.com
2. Enter the Auction Id: tourpainting and Auction Password: tourpainting

To sponsor myself or my team directly please go to www.conquercancer.ca to make an online donation to either Corrina DiLella or Silver Spokes Cycling Club.

Great Horned Owl #2

Oil on Canvas
2' x 3'

Northern Ontario Birch Forest

Oil on Canvas
October 2007
SOLD

Study of a Fog

Oil on Canvas
Framed
SOLD

The Listener (Self Portrait)

Acrylic on raw canvas
20" x 30"

Hand and Foot Study

Acrylic
28" x 40"
January 2010
$500

Showing at Rainbow Cinemas Market Square, Toronto

Hi everyone! Just letting you know that I am displaying my work at the Rainbow Cinemas Market Square in Toronto for the month of February 2010. Come and check it out!

Rainbow Cinemas, Market Square, opposite St. Lawrence Market, 80 Front Street East, Toronto www.artforallcanada.org

The Dances have moved to Bayfield!

Hi everyone! The series of The Dances from the Reconnect Art Show in Tillsonburg have moved to Bayfield at the brand new JMR Art Gallery in the Group of 7 Shops. The opening for the exhibit is Saturday August 22nd from 10am-6pm. I will be there from 11am-2pm to talk about my work and answer an questions you may have. Unframed ($45) and framed ($150) prints of the paintings "Praise", "Glory be to the God of the Galaxies", and "Temptation" will be available for purchase as well. For more information please visit the event website at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=118868396885 or e-mail me at corrinadilella@gmail.com.

haha! apparently I'm worthy of front page news

Reconnect art show featured front page of Wednesday July 8th, 2009 Tillsonburg Independent News: http://www.tillsonburgnews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1646870

Reconnect Art Show

Reconnect
Art Show

Children no longer communicate with their parents. Friends only talk behind computer screens. Families see each other less and less. Computer generated voices answer our questions. We are a name, a number, but not a person. In this world of disconnect we are becoming individually lost and alone.

In this show I seek to Reconnect: I reconnect to God. In the past year I’ve reconnected with God and I praise and glorify Him in these paintings. I reconnect art with glorifying God. Christian art has been a poorly explored area in the art world outside of Catholic art. I seek to pick up the wonderful tradition again in a contemporary fashion, using my God given gift of creating art to glorify him. I reconnect the viewer with Christian art. The average person has not had the privilege to see Christian art outside of a Renaissance art history text book. I wish to show them that Christian art is not dead. Like Jesus, it is very much alive, you just have to seek it out.

The show contains large mixed media paintings that I have done over the past year, each speaking about different stages of my recent walk with God. There will also be prints available for purchase so that even more people may enjoy the art for years to come. 10% of the sales will be going to the Jane and Finch Mission run by Christian Centre Church in Toronto. For more information on their programs and the wonderful things God is doing through them please visit their website: www.christiancentrechurch.com.

If you have any questions pertaining to the art or the show, please feel free to contact me via e-mail: corrinadilella@gmail.com.

Located at the Station Arts Centre, 41 Bridge St. West, Tillsonburg
July 1st-July 27th 2009
Monday-Saturday 9am-4pm 519-842-6151

The Dances

The Dances

The Dances are a series of abstract paintings that tackle certain issues or experiences I was having at a specific time pertaining to my walk with God. Once I had a theme I looked for a song that I could relate it to that would assist me in capturing on canvas the particular emotion (or emotions) I was feeling. I would also seek out picture references that related to the emotion(s) I would try to convey. On a blank canvas I would start by drawing out the picture references while listening to the song I had chosen for the piece. Once I’m feeling the music, I begin to dance to the music across the canvas with the charcoal in hand. This part must look a bit like modern dance in a small space so I prefer to do it when no one is in the room so that self-consciousness doesn’t get in the way. Whatever emotion I am feeling will then come out in charcoal lines. After this I take a step back and look long and hard at the canvas to see what I have done and to determine where to go next. With Acrylic washes I begin to add colour to the canvas and in the process eliminate some of the line work. Once I have finished all the washes I enter the painting with either thicker acrylic or oil paint to create spaces, shapes, and shadows. A lot of careful consideration goes into the composition and colour choice. In all, each of these paintings take anywhere from 18 to 52 hours of solid work.

Click on the label "The Dances" to see them all.

The Breakthrough

The Breakthrough
Acrylic, Charcoal, and Oil on raw canvas
SOLD

This painting is about a breakthrough, something every Christian experiences a few times in their walk, especially at the beginning I’m finding. They happen for me when I’ve been convicted by the Holy Spirit of sin in my life. God shows me the whys and hows of this sin. This realization is huge and sometimes painful, ending in repentance and then ultimately God's awesome redemption. These breakthroughs are what help us grow as Christians, bringing us closer and closer to God as more and more sin is eliminated from our lives.

seek, and ye shall find

Seek and ye shall find
Acrylic and Oil on canvas, Magazine Ads and gel medium, permanent markers
36" x 36"
$500

Luke 11:9-10 KJV: "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." This painting captures the journey of a person who is looking for the Truth among all of today’s lies, tearing away at all the layers of lies until finally finding the Truth: Jesus. In the centre of the painting is the Sacred Heart (which traditionally represents Jesus) transformed into a human heart, just like God became human for us. All the traits of Agape (True Love) are listed around the heart, a pure love that only Jesus could possess, a pure love that He has for each and every one of us. Around the heart are the remnants of many many layers of magazine advertisements representing our material driven culture, which feeds us lies about who we are and who we should be. My friends and I at Christian Centre Church did the honour of first writing on the magazine adds and then tearing our way to the centre of the painting. It took a while to get through all the layers but all that looking, all that searching, led us to the one and only Truth. God promises us that if we seek Him out we will find him. I did 

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them
The Dances Painting #5
Charcoal, Acrylic, and Oil
3.5' x 5'
$1500

In this painting I was trying to capture Christian fellowship and worship. At this time in my walk with God I had found a church in Toronto and a group of strong Christians my age from the church and from Campus for Christ on York University Campus. They supported me, encouraged me, and challenged me to be a better me through God. Friends who pray together stay together. I now realize the importance of having fellowship with other Christians. I was also trying to capture the feeling of worshiping God and used the song “Till I see You” by Hillsong United to help me capture that emotion.

Glory be to the God of the Galaxies

Glory be to the God of the Galaxies
The Dances Painting #4
Charcoal, Acrylic, Oil
36" x 48"
$950

This painting was made in preparation for Christmas. I’m always in awe how a God so big, who made a universe beyond our measurement, humbled Himself and appeared for us on earth in the form of a small baby so that we could be forever forgiven of all our sins. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus we are presented faultless to God so that we may have a relationship with Him and enter into heaven where we can be close to God for eternity! Wow! This painting was all about capturing the awe I feel when I think of that. I used two different colour palettes: One of outer space and one of skin (the God of the galaxies becoming flesh and blood). To quote Father Mike of St. Mary’s Church in Tillsonburg, who will always remine in my heart, “And the baby was God! Wow!” The song I used to capture the emotion I felt was a version of “O Come O Come Emmanuel” by Nicole C. Mullen.

Praise

ooo....awe....Watermarks! Thanks Shanny :)

Praise
The Dances Painting #3
Charcoal, Acrylic, and Oil
36" x 48"
$950

This painting was just to praise God for all that He is and the thrill I get from just being near to Him. When I’m really happy and praising God I love to sing and dance so I tried to have that come through the painting. In this painting I abstracted the form of a dancer to help me get that emotion across. I also feel really close to God when I’m hiking or kayaking so I tried to use sky, water, and greenery as inspiration for the colour. The song I used to capture the emotion I felt was “Learning to Breathe” by Switchfoot.

Temptation

Temptation
The Dances Painting #2
Charcoal and Acrylic
36" x 48"
$950

Temptation itself is not a sin. We are all tempted by something. It is only a sin when we give in to it. I was struggling with the same temptation over and over and I just kept giving in. Even though I knew I was breaking God’s heart and destroying our relationship, I just couldn’t shake the need for this sin. I see temptation as a hallway that lures you down, pulling gently at first and before you know it you are wrapped in its clutches, facing a door of darkness. It’s so easy to just go with the flow and open that door into sin. So easy. But God promises us a way out: 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” I had seen these ways out along my walk down that hallway to the door of sin and chose to ignore them. This was a painting of my frustration at my sinful nature and pleading with God for the forgiveness I knew I did not deserve, but already had through Jesus. The song I used to capture the emotion I felt was “Uninvited” by Alanis Morrisette.

Lake Erie Beach

This watercolour I did in 2007 for the show "Imprints of Our Thoughts" put on by Carolyn Amorine and myself. It is not one of my most successful watercolours, but many people have commented positively on it. It was recently given as a gift to friends of my family.

Duty

This pen and ink drawing I did as a project in second year. It turned out quite well. My parents bought it for a friend of theirs that happened to be a retired fireman. I hope he likes it :)

Approaching Prairie Storm

This oil painting is part of the cloud series from 2006. I recently traded it with a local artist for a piece of her pottery.

Even though I walk

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow if death I will fear no evil

The Dances Painting #1

Charcoal and Acrylic

36" x 48"

$950

York University: Huge and scary. Toronto: Even bigger and scarier. I did this painting in my first month and a half living in residence at York University in Toronto. I was on edge. I started to hear terrible things about the violence in the local community. The residence where I was living was bombarding us with safety tips to protect oneself from muggings and rapes. Coming from a small university in Thunder Bay, where the only life threat were the bears that sometimes made their way onto campus, to a huge Toronto campus of 60,000 students where “incidents” were to be expected, was petrifying! I lived in fear for the first two months of school and this painting was the product of my fear. In this painting I’m expressing my need for God’s protection, expressing my fear, but at the same time reassuring myself that God will take care of me and that I should not fear at all. Psalm 23 was the passage that got me through. The song I used to capture the emotion I felt was called “Dancing” by Elisa.

Bed Time Story: The Beach Scene

This is a large watercolour I was commissioned to do. My commissioner posed quite the challenge. It took a long time and a lot of cross referencing with pictures from gettyimages.ca to pull it off but I did it, and just in time too. Happy Birthday Martha!

Great Horned Owl

This was a commission peice that I did. It was a struggle to complete as I had never done a painting of an animal before in oil. It took me afew weeks to wrap my head around how to start. I tried a few different methods before coming up with the right one for this painting. Two months later I am finally done this 12" x 9" painting. My persistance certainly paid off.

Sheet and Clothes Pin

Storm Clouds over Lake Superior

This is another one of the Cloud series that I also wish I had done bigger. I really love how it turned out. Apparently someone else did too because it just sold for $175 at the Station Arts Centre in Tillsonburg.

SOLD @ The Station Arts Centre, Tillsonburg

Thunder Bay Skies

This was another go at a different sort of cloud formation: patches of clouds over the bay. It was a bit challenging but I think I pulled it off successfully. This one is framed and for sale at $150.

Corn Field

This painting was inspired by my childhood in Tillsonburg. We have a field behind our house that gets planted with either corn or soybean every year. My brother and I would play touch tag and hide-and-go-seek when it was planted with corn. It was alot of fun running down those hallways of corn, especially in the fall when the corn stocks were 8 or 10 feet tall! It's a multimedia painting using paper, fabric, string, and acrylic and oil paints. $750

SOLD @ The Station Arts Centre, Tillsonburg

Dancing in the Wind

I LOVE THIS PAINTING!!!! And I'm still sad that it is gone. In the Lakehead University Juried show in March 2008 it won the Lakehead University Student Union purchase prize of $500. I was so excited! but at the same time really sad to part with this painting. It hangs in the LUSU president's office now, which is quite the honour, but I miss it. It began with layers and layers of acrylic washes, and then different thicknesses of oil paint. In real life when you look up at this painting you feel like you are hugging this swaying tree. It's wonderful!

Garlic

This small white still life in oil usually resides in my mother's kitchen, but like "Winter Garden" it will temporarily be at the Station Arts Centre for the month of July 2008.

Winter Garden

This oil painting I gave to my grandma, but will soon be displayed for a month outside of her house in a tiny show. It will be displayed at the Tillsonburg Station Arts Centre for the month of July 2008 along with a bunch of other oil paintings I've done in the last year. If you want information on the SAC go to www.stationartscentre.com.

Thunder Cloud

Nothing really to say about this oil painting except I wish I had done it bigger and I love its intensity! SOLD @ The Station Arts Centre

Sunset

This is one of the smallest paintings from the cloud series. I absolutely love sunsets and sunrises (who doesn't?), but it's hard to paint them without them looking cheesy. I think I managed to paint this one without cheese. $50

SOLD @ The Station Arts Centre

Last Light

Last year I fell in love with painting storm clouds. I did a series that I still occasionally add to. This one is called Last Light and was very well received at a show my friend and I put on last spring. It was really hard to let this particular painting go because I loved it so much and was the first piece I did of the series.

SOLD @ The Station Arts Centre

Thunder Bay Landscape in the style of Lawren Harris

I've always loved the Group of Seven style of painting, especially Lawren Harris, so I tried applying his style to one of my oil landscape paintings. Just for fun!

Finding What You're Looking For

I felt a need to do this painting, as though I needed to praise God literally in a painting. I thank Him for giving me this talent, but I usually don't have obvious religious content in my artwork. This was the first portrait I had ever done in oil and it worked out quite well. I think it really captures that moment of serenity, realization, and humbleness that comes with being close to God and finding Him or finding in Him the answers you were looking for all along. At least for me it does. I hope it spoke to others as well.

SOLD @ The Station Arts Centre

My Soccer Cleats

Haha! This is an ink drawing of my soccer cleats. People in the past have commented that the drawing looks like it has been done in charcoal. This is partly due to my poor paper choice in this case. I used Mayfair (a thin paper with no tooth). Bad move. It sucked up the ink right away and caused the paper to buckle. It also gave a very different effect than ink on a thicker watercolour paper. It still worked alright, but I recommend if you are going to work in india ink washes invest in some good paper. It's worth it.

Nude Woman #2

This picture was sold before I finished, and for good reason. It was an experiment that actually turned out very good. This is india ink and white ink on coloured paper. Give it a try! But be very careful not to mix the two inks as you will end up with a grey (unless that is what you want). In this case I didn't want to to make sure that the middle tone was the paper colour.
SOLD

Freedom: White Pine

I've always loved these wind swept trees. They look as though they defy gravity yet are visually molded by the weather. Their bows curve up in a gesture of freedom or praising God. Through rain or shine those bows stay the same. Most people probably think that is only natural for their gesture to endure, but I think it's faith. This painting was done in acrylic.

SOLD @ The Station Arts Centre

Cork Screw

I mostly work in oil paints now, but I only started in oils 2 years ago. This cork screw painting was my third oil painting. I used a black base coat for this painting, which helped create the dramatic effect.

SOLD

Sunroof

Well, to start off this Blog I thought it would be appropriate to post one of my first really good peices I did at university. This is a large drawing of my friend's feet sticking out the sunroof of a car on our way back to Thunder Bay, Ontario from visiting our families in the Toronto area for Thanksgiving. It's done in India Ink washes. March 2006.

SOLD