Artwork

Click on images to view larger

Isolation, Zen wellness retreat for Tadpoles

Size: 24″ x 30″
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Wood
Status: Available

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind the painting

In this wellness retreat for stressed tadpoles, two tadpoles swim in isolation in a preserving jar. Within frame, on one side, there is a statue of a praying Buddah with burning incense. On the other, there is a framed piece of glass with the saying, “Just be you”.

Aggressive Carnivorous Plant debate, mediator, Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko

Size: 24″ x 30″
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on oxidized copper leaf on board
Status: Available

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind the painting

To me, pitcher plants look as if they’re vocal, in a way. Here, two pitcher plants face each other in front of a microphone, appearing to be in a debate. In the middle of the two, acting as the mediator, is a master of camouflage, the Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko, typically found in Madagascar.

The Last Supper, Conflict of Interest

Size: 30″ x 48″
Price: $4,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Available

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind the painting

A mottled owl flies in from one direction and a frog eating bat flies in from another. They’re object of interest is a red eyed tree frog on a hercules beetle suspended on a string stretched across the picture. For one of them it will be their “last supper.” A painting of the last supper is on the wall behind them. There are no disciples present just Jesus. Most organized religions don’t care about nature or ecology. Since the church does not believe in evolution, nature does not register and is not acknowledged. Hence the “Conflict of Interest.”

Undercover, Amazon Horned Frog

Size: 25″ x 37″
Price: $5,000.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Available

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind the painting

The Amazon Horned frog is an ambush predator. It sits patiently and waits for unsuspecting prey to wander by and then eats them. In this painting the Horned frog sits among a group of ceramic frogs thinking he’s unnoticeable awaiting for an unsuspecting victim.

Knocking of Heaven’s Door

Size: 24″ x 30″
Price: $3,000.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Available

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind the painting

In a spring like setting a tree stump is carved into the head of Jesus. On the carved likeness of the head is a pileated woodpecker. Hence the title “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”

Species at Risk

Size: 24″ x 30″
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold – Junos “Art is Art” Permanent Collection

The story behind the painting

The story behind the painting: In a gallery type setting a head pokes through a wall with a Fowler’s Toad on his head. The head in this picture belongs to drummer Sonnie Bernardi. He has played in Canadian bands Crowbar, Guess Who, Cameo Blues Band etc. I consider musicians a species at risk due to downloading, lack of venues to play etc. The toad on Sonnie’s head is an endangered Canadian amphibian.

The Sopranos #1 Poison arrow frog, Red eyed tree frog, Harlequin frog by Bob 'Omar' Tunnoch

The Sopranos

Three small frogs are displayed together surrounded by lichens and moss. I envisioned them all singing at the same time hence the title “The Sopranos”

#1 Poison arrow frog, Red eyed tree frog, Harlequin frog

#2 Clown tree frog, Clown tree frog, Fringed toed tree frog

#3 Poison arrow frog, Poison arrow frog ,Clown tree frog

Price: $500.00 for each frog triplet
Size: 29″ x 12″
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Available

Find The Golden Toad - Front by Bob 'Omar' Tunnoch

In Session, Carnivorous Plant Choir

Size: 30″ x 40″
Price: $4,500.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Available

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind the painting

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants that eat insects, small rodents, etc. Their prey is attracted by the smell the pitcher emits. When they crawl into the pitcher, they fall into a liquid at the bottom that digests the prey, and the downward pointing hairs prevent the prey from crawling out. To me, the lids on top of the plant look like open mouths, which suggested they were singing. That is why I decided to place them singing around a microphone.

Find The Golden Toad – Front

Series: Finding The Golden Toad
Size: 4 feet x 6 feet
Price: $8,500.00 (front)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Available
Both paintings (front and back) are available as a single double sided painting.

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind the painting

This is an extension of “Life Under the Halogen” series. As in songwriting I find most inspirational ideas come literally out of nowhere. Kind of like a bolt of lightning. I had the idea of three bald heads poking through a wall in a gallery type setting. They are illuminated by halogen lights. There are plastic cups on each of the heads with a frog in two of them. There are name tags under each head. The first one reads “Red Eyed Tree Frog” price inquire, the second reads ”Golden Toad” price, priceless. The third reads “Blue Poison Frog” price inquire. There is no frog in the “Golden Frog” cup because they mysteriously disappeared overnight. They were native to Costa Rica. The title came from the game where you have three cups and one has a ping pong ball in it. A person moves the cups around and another has to guess which cup the ball is under hence the title “Find the Golden Toad”.

Find The Golden Toad – Back

Series: Finding The Golden Toad
Size: 4 feet x 6 feet
Price: $8,500.00 (back)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Available
Note: Both paintings (front and back) are available as a single double sided painting.

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind the painting

On the other side are the bodies of the people poking their heads through the wall. On their behinds are clown masks and each one has their hands over the appropriate areas referring to “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil”. On the floor is the lone golden toad from the cup on the other side. This is a comment on how we ignore and pretend that we as humans have no impact on the creatures that live here and our environment.

Find The Golden Toad – Single Double Sided Display

Both Finding the Golden Toad paintings may be displayed as a single double sided painting as shown in this short art installation video.

The Makeover (Roswell Beauty Salon)

Size: 3 feet x 5 feet
Price: $8,000.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Sold

The story behind the painting

This was a commissioned piece and I was allowed to create whatever I wanted. I asked the client what he liked and he said abandoned buildings etc. I found this picture of an abandoned hair salon from the 50’s. I put this New Guinea native in the fore front. I love the fact they decorate themselves with natural items found in the jungle to achieve these incredible looks. In photographs of them you never see them smiling so I used this fellow because he seems to be very pleased with the costume. He’s had ”A Makeover” in this abandoned hair salon. Since the image is surreal I added Roswell Beauty Salon”. Roswell was the site of the much documented alien space ship crash. Hence the title “The Makeover, Roswell Beauty Salon”

What Climate Change

Size: 20 inches x 30 inches
Price: $1,500.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Sold

The story behind the painting

In this painting I placed a New Guinea Native with a somewhat puzzled look on his face in a winter scene. Hence the title what climate change.

Ambition

Size: 24.5 inches x 37 inches
Price: $1,500.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Sold

About this painting

Red eyed tree frog jumping through a pane of glass. This is a tribute to all my musician/artist friends who continue to create in spite of the difficulties and barriers in the current arts atmosphere.

“Leave of Absence” State of the Arts

Size: 3 feet x 3 feet
Price: $3,500.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Sold

The story behind the painting

A friend phoned me up and told me of a gallery in New York that was selling blank white canvases. They were charging a million dollars for each of them. The artist said you were supposed to imagine what you see on it. I thought to myself “is this what it’s come to, this is ridiculous”. This piece is my answer to this. There was obviously some activity in this scene. The lone smoke coming from the ashtray in the stark surroundings. This represents the “Leave of Absence”. The empty picture frame represents my view on the State of the Arts.

Eco-tourism

Size: 24 inches x 30 inches
Price: $3,000.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Available

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind the painting

My father would take me the War Museum in Ottawa. I would stand in front of the underwater mine and just stare at it. I was fascinated by the look, their apparently benign nature and the stark image of WWII underwater mines. Looking towards the surface we have a group of mines with a jellyfish serenely floating between them. The beauty of nature mingling with the destructive nature of mankind. With all the eco-tourism travel adventure offered out there I decided to call this one “Eco-Tourism”.

Fishing by Levitation

Size: 4 feet x 6 feet
Price: $15,000.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Available

For inquiries, click here (please reference artwork title)

The story behind this painting

This was inspired by a photo of a friend who was throwing food to seagulls from his boat. To me it looked like he’s trying to levitate something so I put him in a scene with a swimming pool and a levitated jellyfish. I still wasn’t satisfied with the outcome so I did another larger one. The sunset was inspired by a photo I took in Costa Rica. Between the ocean and the sky is a golden line done in gold leaf. Apparently when the sun sets and the conditions are right there’s a bright flash of light that shoots across the horizon. Hence the line of gold leaf. In this one he has levitated a weedy sea dragon, ghost pipe fish and angler fish. There is a second horizon line in which you are looking above and below the water surface.

Hummingbirds in the Boiler Room, Adagio

Size: 4 feet x 6 feet
Price: $8,000.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Sold

The story behind the painting

My wife (and chaperone in life) was the superintendent in a small apartment building we lived in. We had access to the whole building for maintenance and this was the boiler room. It was dark and creepy and the lighting was dramatic. In this bleak atmosphere I put natures flying jewels (humming birds) to put some life into a drab environment. I put them around a microphone with a metronome underneath set to the measure of “Adagio”. On the sides in the audience are the Red Eyed Tree Frogs enjoying the concert.

Fetch

Size: 32 inches x 28 inches
Price: $6,000.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Sold

The story behind the painting

This image came into my mind of a dog swimming through a coral reef. In this painting I’ve added a lionfish in the fore ground that appears to be fleeing the swimming dog. This inspired the title “Fetch”.

Late for the Barbeque

Size: 24 inches x 30 inches
Price: $1,500.00
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Sold

The story behind the painting

As I mentioned earlier I’ve always been fascinated by decorative faces of New Guinea tribe’s men. In this photo I’ve put the native in a setting I can’t even figure out. He was in the pose that looked like he was waiting for something. The rest of the painting just happened. The fire breather is the BBQ cooker, the fellow in the sky with the panicked look on his face is the person arriving late. The New Guinea native is impatiently waiting with a hot dog on his arrow. I had trouble painting the hand holding the bow and arrow so I painted this cactus looking plant in front of it.

Giant Monkey Tree Frog

Series: Life Under the Halogen
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series Life Under the Halogen

This series was inspired by a halogen ceiling light that left an ellipse illuminating an empty wall. It looked like it should have something displayed under it. I started painting different wildlife displayed under the ellipse. I like to paint species that are out of the publics radar. There are some amazing creatures out there that I feel need to be brought to the public’s attention. These ellipse series progressed in the “Find the Golden Toad” painting.

Tarsier

Series: Life Under the Halogen
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series Life Under the Halogen

Puss Moth Caterpillar and Red Eyed Tree Frog

Series: Life Under the Halogen
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series Life Under the Halogen

Coquille Tuffed Hummingbird on Nest on Ostrich Egg on Antique Egg Cup

Series: Life Under the Halogen
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series Life Under the Halogen

Bat and Pitcher Plant

Series: Life Under the Halogen
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series Life Under the Halogen

Eyelash Viper and Doctor Bird

Series: Life Under the Halogen
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series Life Under the Halogen

Leafy Sea Dragon

Series: From the Depths of the Dining Room
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series From the Depths of the Dining Room

As a compliment to “Life Under the Halogen” I decided to do a series called “From the Depths of the Dining Room”. It’s an alternate group of painting’s featuring sea creatures rising up from below in front of a damask styled wall paper.

Leafy Sea Dragon
In front of a wallpapered dining room wall floats a Leafy Sea Dragon – a seahorse with unusual appendages used to blend in with the environment and an inhabit of the Australian coastline.

Bloodcomb Jellyfish

Series: From the Depths of the Dining Room
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series From the Depths of the Dining Room

Flowerhat Jellyfish

Series: From the Depths of the Dining Room
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series From the Depths of the Dining Room

Deep Sea Angler Fish

Series: From the Depths of the Dining Room
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $2,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold

About the series From the Depths of the Dining Room

Fried Egg Jellyfish and Friends

Series: From the Depths of the Dining Room
Size: 30 inches x 24 inches
Price: $3,500.00
Medium: Oil on Board
Status: Sold