DEATH OF AN ARTIST COLLECTION
It’s What’s on the Inside That Counts,
1 of 65 pieces
It’s What’s on the Inside That Counts,
Each Piece Tells a Story
– Be Part of the Journey
The first finished piece in this series, It’s What’s on the Inside That Counts, embodies everything this exhibition stands for. It draws from the old adage, but it is more than a cliché. In an era of social insecurity, digital overwhelm, and external validation, this piece calls us back to something deeper.
It is a reminder that, at our core, we are still deeply human. Our DNA, our thoughts, our creativity—these are things that algorithms cannot replicate, that social trends cannot erase. The challenge today is not just to create, but to find meaning in a world that increasingly tells us to look outward rather than inward.
Death of an Artist
It’s What’s on the Inside That Counts
(red based collage mixed media with skull)
Medium: Mixed Media
Size: 36" x 48" or
91.44 cm x 121.92 cm
Status: Complete
Edition: Original | 1 of 65
Follow along as each new piece comes to life, leading up to the full reveal at the Exhibition on Saturday, June 7, 2025 in Calgary.
"If you're not quite connected with what you're actually doing, I think people can struggle to then connect to what you're putting out there."
If Languages was the moment where words started creeping into my work, Death of an Artist is where they take center stage. The transition is complete. Every piece in this exhibition starts with a name, a phrase I write on a sticky note that stays with it through development. When the painting is complete, the note moves to the back—an imprint of its origins, a testament to its meaning.
This piece, like the exhibition itself, is a reflection on what we allow the world to see versus what we keep hidden. It is about vulnerability and value. About breaking the structures we have built to keep ourselves protected and allowing something real to emerge.
Past Collection
Languages Series
Languages Series
In 2017, I presented Languages, a body of work that captured a moment of profound transition in my life. Each piece in the series was a reflection of change—shifting from a long career in manufacturing into government, preparing to begin my MBA, and adjusting to a professional world where everything felt unfamiliar. The title Languages represented more than just words; it spoke to the process of learning a new way to exist in a world I had not yet mastered.
At the time, I was selling well, and my work was gaining momentum. I had become a member of Motion Gallery in Calgary, an artist-run space that gave me a home to showcase my work. The Languages series was successful—23 of 25 pieces sold at $1,650 each—but its significance to me wasn’t financial. The shift happening in my career mirrored a shift in my creative process.
The Byd Newydd Ddewr
(Welsh for Brave New World, orange abstract piece pictured,)
Languages was the first series where I named my pieces.
Languages was the first series where I named my pieces. Before then, I had numbered them, letting them exist without the burden of explanation. But something in me knew I had to evolve, to embrace words as part of my art. Yet, I hesitated. I used Google Translate to convert the titles into Welsh or Italian, inserting a layer of separation between myself and my audience. I wasn’t ready to let words fully into my work, but I knew they needed to be there.
One of the standout pieces from the show, Byd Newydd Ddewr (Welsh for Brave New World), embodied this transition. It was abstract, layered with acrylic, and full of motion—uncertain, exploratory, and deeply personal. It sold in 2017, like most of the series, yet its impact lingers with me. Languages was an important step, but it wasn’t the final one.
I used Google Translate to convert the titles into Welsh or Italian, inserting a layer of separation between myself and my audience.
Now, standing on the other side of that transition, I see Languages as the beginning of my work embracing storytelling. It was the moment I acknowledged that words mattered to my art, even if I wasn’t yet ready to let them in completely. It took another seven years to reach that point. Death of an Artist is the next step—where words no longer exist in the background but are an essential part of the work itself.
If Languages was the moment where words started creeping into my work, Death of an Artist is where they take center stage. The transition is complete.
Every piece in this exhibition starts with a name, a phrase I write on a sticky note that stays with it through development.
When the painting is complete, the note moves to the back—an imprint of its origins, a testament to its meaning.
So, what’s on the inside? Maybe it’s time we all start looking there for the answers.
Unlike in Languages, where words were masked by foreign translations, the work in Death of an Artist does not hide. It is raw, exposed, and deeply personal. This is not just an art show; it is an exercise in confronting what is true. Some pieces have words embedded directly into them. Others will be accompanied by narratives that allow for interpretation, but also reveal their deeper layers.
This exhibition is not just about the evolution of my art, but about the evolution of how I see myself as an artist. It is about embracing the full self—the artist, the businessperson, the storyteller. Death of an Artist is not an ending; it is the moment where everything that was once separate finally comes together.
Silent Auction: Your Chance to Own a Piece of the Story
Be part of the Death of an Artist collection by bidding in our Silent Auction. This exclusive opportunity allows you to take home a one-of-a-kind piece from Tom McCaffery’s (Joseph Ross) powerful body of work.
Rules & Regulations:
Bidding Period: Opens February 21, 2025, and closes June 6, 2025, at 11:59 PM (local time).
Eligibility: Bidders must be 18 years or older.
How to Bid: All bids must be submitted through the official online bidding form.
Winner Selection: The highest valid bid received by the closing time will be declared the winner.
Payment: The winning bid must be paid in full within 48 hours of the announcement.
Collection: The winner must collect the artwork at the event on June 7, 2025, or arrange for delivery at their own expense.
Non-Winning Bids: Non-winning bidders may receive exclusive offers on other pieces or commission opportunities.
Don't miss your chance to claim a piece of the journey—place your bid and become part of the story.
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