Kindness and Joy: Life on the Prairies

Kindness and Joy: Life on the Prairies

30x 48"

acrylic and oil on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2011

NFS

Sorry for my disappearance! My family and I went on a trip of a lifetime to London, Edinburgh and Paris! When we returned last week jet lag and a brutal virus hit me hard. As I regroup and get back into painting, I may revisit the archives in an effort to get the blog going again. The coming months are jam-packed so there will be lots of new art on the way, so please keep checking in! Also, I have already posted a few snippets of our trip on Facebook and Instagram so you can look over there if you are curious (links on the right-hand side of this blog).

In 2011 I had been going through a real slump feeling like every effort I made in my painting was 💩. I had been trying to no avail to get an idea out of my head; I wanted to paint beautiful, silvery Wolf Willow branches among autumn leaves. I had been blogging about my struggles and then one day I got a package in the mail. It was a comprehensive, stunning, inspirational book about Tom Thompson and the Group of Seven. Along with it my friend wrote a note expressing her support of me and her certainty that this slump would pass and my creative energy would flow again.

A few days later I started this canvas. It went so well that I returned to the studio later in the day and painted well into the night. I returned the next day and finished. It was a surreal experience. I almost felt like I was in an altered state as I worked. I finally had the painting I was dreaming of in my head.

I tear up just thinking about it because her gesture pushed me out of such a bad head space. Her kindness has impacted me to this day. My friend's initials are K. J., so I used them for the title "Kindness and Joy". Her husband actually bought this painting for her but then she really wanted another painting I had kept in my own personal collection. I decided to switch with her and I kept this one instead. I actually ended up getting a few commissions based on this painting, so my "Life on the Prairies" series was born and I used the initials of those friends/clients to title their paintings.