A Place of Peace
10 x 8"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2017
sold
(commission)
There have been two hundred posts in 2017 and now we are at the last before we ring in 2018. Here are just a handful of the amazing highlights of what was an incredible year:
1) After many conversations through emails and phone calls, this past summer I finally met in person the lovely couple from Portland, Oregon who commissioned me to paint a vast evening sky for them. Getting to know them and the reason behind why they wanted me to do this painting shifted my entire mindset on being a landscape painter. I am forever grateful that they shared their personal story with me. I actually believe through this experience a new friendship was born.
2) The true love of another beautiful couple came knocking on my door and asked me to do a huge painting for them... a challenge for sure- the largest canvas I have ever attempted (40x60) and a subject with which I was not that comfortable (a road). Their confidence in me helped to build my confidence in me, something that has not been my strong suit. Their kindness, patience, enthusiasm, generosity and, most of all, their love story made the experience one I will never forget.
3) The family of a dear, dear friend of twenty-five years asked me to create a painting for her to help celebrate a milestone birthday. The tears she shed when she received her painting touched me deeply.
4) A woman I had never met before came to the Open Studio in November and we had a lovely chat about art and her career before she retired from teaching. She was quite interested in one of my large paintings, but had never invested in art before, so she had to really think about it and wrote down the dimensions before she left. Later that afternoon she returned, which was overwhelming in itself because that meant she fought through the worst traffic day of the year to get to the studio for a second time! She had gone home to measure and take a photo of where she would hang the painting- she wanted my opinion. I honestly believed it was a perfect spot. She went on to tell me that she wanted to do something special with this money; apparently it was a small inheritance she had recently received. She said there was one other time she had received a bit of money and it disappeared into groceries and bills. She didn't want that to happen this time. By the end of her story I was in tears and felt honoured that she chose my art to as a remembrance of this person.
5) This fall I received an email from a well-known artist, which was a delight in itself, asking me if I would create a small painting of a scene in northern Saskatchewan. It was to be a gift for a very ill friend who could no longer travel to his beloved cabin in La Ronge. We met at my studio where this artist showed me some of his lake inspired photos and I showed him a few from my canoeing and painting trip (2013) to La Ronge. He was excited about my Jack Pine photo and my ideas for it as a painting, so that became the plan for the commission. This story brings me to today's image, "A Place of Peace", which is the painting I created with this loving friendship and a very ill man in mind. I hope this scene provides hope, beauty, memories and peace as he finds strength to fight his battle. I hope the day will come when he is able to return to the place he loves in northern Saskatchewan once again.
As you can see, the highlights of my year are not about numbers or sales or galleries or art shows or the yurt retreat or even my favourite paintings. Those things certainly made 2017 awesome, but the actual highlights, when I really think back on this year, come down to the connections I made with humans through my art. It comes down to my deeper understanding of how art touches people and how art can affect actual lives.
1) After many conversations through emails and phone calls, this past summer I finally met in person the lovely couple from Portland, Oregon who commissioned me to paint a vast evening sky for them. Getting to know them and the reason behind why they wanted me to do this painting shifted my entire mindset on being a landscape painter. I am forever grateful that they shared their personal story with me. I actually believe through this experience a new friendship was born.
2) The true love of another beautiful couple came knocking on my door and asked me to do a huge painting for them... a challenge for sure- the largest canvas I have ever attempted (40x60) and a subject with which I was not that comfortable (a road). Their confidence in me helped to build my confidence in me, something that has not been my strong suit. Their kindness, patience, enthusiasm, generosity and, most of all, their love story made the experience one I will never forget.
3) The family of a dear, dear friend of twenty-five years asked me to create a painting for her to help celebrate a milestone birthday. The tears she shed when she received her painting touched me deeply.
4) A woman I had never met before came to the Open Studio in November and we had a lovely chat about art and her career before she retired from teaching. She was quite interested in one of my large paintings, but had never invested in art before, so she had to really think about it and wrote down the dimensions before she left. Later that afternoon she returned, which was overwhelming in itself because that meant she fought through the worst traffic day of the year to get to the studio for a second time! She had gone home to measure and take a photo of where she would hang the painting- she wanted my opinion. I honestly believed it was a perfect spot. She went on to tell me that she wanted to do something special with this money; apparently it was a small inheritance she had recently received. She said there was one other time she had received a bit of money and it disappeared into groceries and bills. She didn't want that to happen this time. By the end of her story I was in tears and felt honoured that she chose my art to as a remembrance of this person.
5) This fall I received an email from a well-known artist, which was a delight in itself, asking me if I would create a small painting of a scene in northern Saskatchewan. It was to be a gift for a very ill friend who could no longer travel to his beloved cabin in La Ronge. We met at my studio where this artist showed me some of his lake inspired photos and I showed him a few from my canoeing and painting trip (2013) to La Ronge. He was excited about my Jack Pine photo and my ideas for it as a painting, so that became the plan for the commission. This story brings me to today's image, "A Place of Peace", which is the painting I created with this loving friendship and a very ill man in mind. I hope this scene provides hope, beauty, memories and peace as he finds strength to fight his battle. I hope the day will come when he is able to return to the place he loves in northern Saskatchewan once again.
As you can see, the highlights of my year are not about numbers or sales or galleries or art shows or the yurt retreat or even my favourite paintings. Those things certainly made 2017 awesome, but the actual highlights, when I really think back on this year, come down to the connections I made with humans through my art. It comes down to my deeper understanding of how art touches people and how art can affect actual lives.
The highlights of my year are the stories that I was invited to be a part of, through my art.
Thank you!
2 comments:
Dear Nicki,
Wonderful stories, and your art certainly touches my life. I am always so delighted when I open up one of your posts.
XOXOXOXOXO Barbara
Happy New Year!
What a beautiful thing to say. Thank you, dear Barbara.
XO Nicki
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