Delayed But Sincere Reaction - Thank You!

Open Studio Show and Sale 2016

© Nicki Ault, 2016

Sunday, November 28th is a blur! Our Open Studio was soooo busy- it was packed right from the get-go! Thank you so much to everyone who came to support us at Studio On 20th!

Thank you to those who came to see me and look at my artwork... and to make a purchase! The thrill and joy of having someone say they love what I have created so much that they actually want to spend their hard-earned money on a painting is a feeling I will always cherish and never take for granted. I am stunned to report that I sold 19 paintings! Several of those were my 6x6's - at one point it was almost frenzy-like around them! My heart was pounding and I felt a bit flustered! I am so grateful! And my new series was extremely well received which gave me a special validating push to keep exploring my ideas.

two pictures of the long wall

© Nicki Ault, 2016

I managed to take a few shots of the studio room that I share with Bridget Aitken. We had it all cleaned up and looking presentable for the day. I loved how it looked this year. It was so pretty; the long wall was gorgeous. I always like how we hang our work together, but for some reason this year it especially came together.

a different angle of part of the long wall

© Nicki Ault, 2016

small wall opposite the long wall and above one of our work tables

© Nicki Ault, 2016

back wall and corner

© Nicki Ault, 2016

Bridget loves painting cows, horses and abstracted still lifes. Our work is not the same, but somehow we show well together. We love interspersing our work instead of splitting the room in half and putting my art on one side and hers on the other. This way seems far more visually interesting and we have the room to do it, so why not? I also think it helps to show people how you can make work by different artists pull together aesthetically.

Again, huge thanks and appreciation from me to you, both those who found time to come on the weekend and those who support me here in this virtual world!

Thank you!

Another Sound Bite!

Bridget's Lane

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

Why am I still up at 11:30 at night sipping wine, eating left-over pizza and listening to iTunes? Because I feel better, that's why!

I just spent the last week flat out in bed with a brutal cold/flu/sinus thing. The week I thought was going to be spent at the studio after a long summer hiatus did not materialize. I did not get much farther than my dark bedroom and a cold cloth on my eyes for about five straight days. NyQuil and I are now on a first name basis.

But that was then, this is now. 

Today, finally feeling more human, I decided to jump-start my week, so I drove out to the country, destination: Bridget's acreage. On the way I saw hundreds of cranes in the fields along Valley Road.

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

It was a gray morning, but the warm fall colours popped against that backdrop. The twenty-five minute drive was stretched a bit with all my photo stops, but when I got there Bridget and her menagerie welcomed me with open arms. I spent the next few hours enjoying the scenery and her company.

When I decided to venture out Bridget stayed back at the homestead while I wandered and took photos. She had warm tea and conversation waiting for me when I returned. Please enjoy a small collection of the pictures I took on my solitary hike which invigorated all my senses; the smell of sage and wild juniper was the perfect medicine as were her trusty companions, George and Pepper, who joined me for part of my walk.

the homestead

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

a spot of vibrant colour

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

from the height of land

photo © Nicki Ault. 2016

fall colour

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

George and Pepper

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

the lookout

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

And lastly, as we chatted and drank tea with horses as the backdrop...

 backyard horses

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

Today life was good.

And tomorrow I will paint.

Sweet dreams!

Bridget's View

Bridget's View

12 x 12"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2016

(commission)

Oh my, how much fun was this project?! It was actually a year in the making! Last September my art buddy, Monika Kinner-Whalen, and I were both part of the Solar Gardens Art Show and Sale in the country out near Pike Lake, Sask. It just so happened that my studio mate, Bridget Aitken, had recently bought a beautiful acreage in that area so Monika and I dropped by to take photos and enjoy in the scenery. That experience was fun and productive, so we decided to prolong the creative energy by agreeing to collaborate with each other. We selected a photo from that excursion (it was one of Monika's) which we would then each interpret in our own medium- mine being oil paint and hers being fibre!

Above is my effort... a painting which now belongs to Monika; we traded art on Friday. My wish is that she loves it and finds hope and friendship in this piece every time she looks at it. I am happy with the neutral, grayed-down backdrop with the brighter orange and red foliage in front. I so desperately wanted her to love it when she saw it. I do think she was pleased because as the day went on I kept getting Facebook messages with her "auditioning" it in different rooms of her house!

I am so thrilled with the piece she created for me. It is called "September Three Sixty" which is fitting because Bridget's acreage has a height-of-land where Monika and I stood and literally turned in a three-sixty while taking resource photographs.

September Three Sixty
5 x 5"

© Monika Kinner-Whalen

In her version she decided to edit out the branches in the foreground because they would have taken away from the delightful stitch-work that developed along the bottom of the piece. I agree and I love looking at her type of "mark-making".

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

Please do yourself a favour and browse through Monika's blog and website. I also wrote a "spotlight" on her a few years ago which you can read here. As it turns out, in that bog post I mentioned how much I hoped to have a piece of her work someday! I actually now have not one, but two of her pieces because I bought a gorgeous, abstracted yarn work from her solo show at Hues Art Supply in June called "A View From Shelby's Garden". Yay me!

photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

Thank you Monika! It was fun and I will always cherish both of these unique pieces created by you!

Note: Here is a link to Monika's blog where she writes about our swap!

Still

Our current show is well underway and I am very much looking forward to the reception on Saturday afternoon. Bridget, Jackie and I will be at Hues Art Supply from 2-4 and we would love to have a bit of company. Please come if you have some time- it will be exciting to share our new, still life work with you. Bring the family- it is fun to look at, and buy, art supplies too!

Walk In The Meadow

Walk In The Meadow

30 x 30"

oil on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2015

I have really been enjoying myself at the studio these days. I have been trying to paint new and different prairie landscapes (for me)- I feel energized in a way that I haven't felt for awhile. "Walk In The Meadow" is another attempt to be bold and interesting with my brushstrokes and mark-making, while at the same time thinking about some of the things I have learned at Atelier 2302. I am well aware that this painting is nowhere near what the masters would have produced, but for me it represents the fact that I am thinking about things that I never even understood pre-Atelier 2302. For that I am grateful. I have a long way to go, but I am willing to play the long game.

Aside from this experimenting, I am also stretching my wings for the group show I have at Hues Art Supply in June with Bridget Aitken and Jacqueline Faye Miller. We are all trying to paint out of our comfort zone and that has me vibrating a bit. I have painted some real duds for this show (they will be on the cutting room floor), but a few have worked out and that has me really excited. I think this is exactly what I needed to get me out of my slump and I thank my colleagues, Bridget and Jackie, for pushing me to a new place and I thank Paul Trottier at Hues Art Supply for giving me a reason to do so. I will show you the work that makes it to the exhibition once it is decided.

Georgian On My Mind

Georgian On My Mind

36 x 36"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2014
sold

The show is up!

Linda Stark, curator extraordinaire, took the diverse work of Bridget Aitken, Jacqueline Faye Miller and myself and created a wonderfully cohesive exhibition for us at St. Thomas More Gallery. I am so relieved it came together. And so proud of us gals! The trip to Georgian Bay last October was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Happily we made the most of the experience and, with this show, it continues.

Georgian Bay: Three Takes will be up until the end of October with the artists' reception being held on Friday, September 12 from 7-9 p.m. All are welcome. I am particularly excited to share our "three takes" work. The three of us got together with all of our photographs from the trip and, after a lot of narrowing down, chose one iconic image that represented our experience in Georgian Bay. We then each painted our own take of the picture resulting in three very different points of view. Fun! Above is my "take" which I have not shown until now, but I have done a couple of smaller paintings with a similar feel. I love the drama and colours- it is definitely better in person. As usual it is hard to capture the dark hues in a photograph.

If you have time in the next couple of months to go to the gallery (it is on the second floor of St Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan), please let me know what you think or leave a message in the guest book. Better yet, come to the reception and say "hi".

The Mann Gallery Winter Festival Juried Show and Sale

The Shield, La Ronge

48 x 36"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2013

The Shallows, Georgian Bay

30 x 30"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2013

Two years ago my goal for the year was to organize and be part several shows and to work hard at getting my name and paintings "out there". I think I did something like three solo shows, four group shows and participated in a handful of artisan markets. I was tired by the end of all that! Last year my goal was to take the time to learn and find new inspiration, so I took classes at the new Atelier in town and went on some fantastic adventures to paint and take resource photos; a plein air painting and canoe trip to the La Ronge area of northern Saskatchewan, a week-long painting trip to Georgian Bay with two friends and a day of four-wheelin' it through the prairie country-side with another friend. A lot was accomplished in those two years.

With the beginning of a new year I have decided, with hesitation, that this will be the year of taking chances, taking risks and challenging myself. I say that with hesitation because I do wonder if I have the guts to follow through with some of my ideas. Time will tell. The good news is that I have already taken on a risk... yesterday I submitted two paintings (the ones you see above) to The Mann Gallery Winter Festival Juried Art Show and Sale. This is the 38th annual show and sale for the public gallery in Prince Albert, SK which is about an hour and a half north of Saskatoon where I live. I know several people who have submitted work over the last few years- some of them with great success, winning prizes and awards and even having their work purchased for the gallery's permanent collection. At any rate, the risk involved is that this show has jurors who may or may not like what they see! Ack! But I don't want to be a chicken and take the safe road all the time. It is uncomfortable to be put in the position of judgment, especially in front of your peers, but I think it is the next step on my journey. So I did it, despite my initial attempts at finding excuses as to why I couldn't send anything.  My friends Bridget Aitken and Jackie Miller (who I traveled with to Georgian Bay) took a car-load of submissions to the gallery yesterday, including mine, and there will be a big opening on February 7th. I hope to go, but my husband will be away, so we will see if I can work something out.

So now that I have stated that this will be a year of taking on challenge and risk, I guess I better follow through or you might call me on it in December!

Sunday Spotlight - Bridget Aitken

 Amy's Garden

© Bridget Aitken

I have been anxious to introduce you to my friend, studio mate and one of my all-time favorite people! Please tip your hat to this week's spotlight artist, Bridget Aitken. This spotlight is taking on a slightly different format than the others; after my brief introduction you will find many beautiful images of Bridget's work and then at the end you will find a delightful letter written from her to you.

I met Bridget several years ago, but have really had the pleasure and privilege of getting to know her when I got my own space in St. George Studio in December of 2009. Our work spaces are next to each other so friendly chit chat and banter naturally occur and it didn't take long before we became close friends. Bridget has a great analytical eye and provides excellent constructive criticism; she has been called over to my space to lend a hand many-a-time when I have been stuck on a painting. She doesn't need me nearly as much as I need her! As you go through her images you will quickly realize that she is a versatile and multi-talented artist. Her talents don't stop with painting and sculpture, Bridget is also a wonderful singer/songwriter, curator and decorator. She is the reason "Family Tree", the show I had with my dad in the Spring of 2012, came together so beautifully. I love her gestural, loose style and I find her paintings exciting and energetic. This past Spring she took a class on abstract painting where she really embraced the new processes and ideas that were presented, despite being pushed out of her comfort zone. I think moving to abstraction is a natural progression in her growth as an artist- her "representational" work has always had a loose and abstract approach anyway. I adore my Bridget Aitken abstracted landscape...

Bridget's sculptures always seem to find a way into my heart, especially her female figures. I LOVE Esme and Market Lady, they make me extremely happy. I was so proud of Bridget as I watched them develop at the studio. She had a strong vision for both pieces and she kept manipulating the clay until what she saw before her matched what she saw in her head.

Bridget is very active in the Saskatoon arts community. Among other things, she is a member of The Mix Artists' Collective, St. George Studio, Prairie Sculptors and she sat on the planning committee for Art Trek: Studio Discovery Tour.

Now, grab a coffee, relax and please enjoy the work of Bridget Aitken. 

Market Lady

© Bridget Aitken

 

Emerald

© Bridget Aitken

Blue Jar

© Bridget Aitken

 August

© Bridget Aitken

 Jars

© Bridget Aitken

 On The Way To Perdue

© Bridget Aitken

 Mustard Fields

© Bridget Aitken

 

 Prussian Blue Angus

© Bridget Aitken

   Esme in the studio

© Bridget Aitken

 Esme 1

© Bridget Aitken

Royal Conference

© Bridget Aitken

 Bridget's Flowers

© Bridget Aitken

 Three Holsteins

© Bridget Aitken

 Mauve Hills

© Bridget Aitken

 

 

 Equus

© Bridget Aitken

 

 Equus II

© Bridget Aitken

Blue

© Bridget Aitken

 Circus

© Bridget Aitken

 Snow Bales

© Bridget Aitken

 Sunday Morning Girl in the studio

© Bridget Aitken

 

Spring Field

 © Bridget Aitken

 Summertime

© Bridget Aitken 

 Windy
© Bridget Aitken

 Temptation

© Bridget Aitken

 Clouds 'n' Cattle
© Bridget Aitken

My current aesthetic interests lie in the countryside surrounding Saskatoon. I love horses so when I set off on my photographic jaunts I look for my equine muse. It turns out that there are a lot of lovely cows leading what look like pretty idyllic lives, albeit short lived. So I have produced a number of cow paintings in the last couple of years. I cannot rely on a lot of action from my subjects as I am sure the ranchers would not appreciate me stirring them up. I like energy in my paintings so I find it in the sky or the grass and fields. I represent the cows as I see them, stolid, pure of heart and observant.

When I was a girl I loved a little Black Angus calf that I called Gus. He would gently butt at my knee in play. He got bigger and bigger and I would sit on his back as he walked around; I so desperately wanted to ride.  I eventually traded him for a pony and I remember watching him through the slats of his pen being fattened up with grain by my riding instructor with whom the exchange was made. Poor Gussy, I gave him up for my beloved pony. I see him in one of my Black Angus - or painter’s prerogative - Prussian Blue Angus paintings.

I have ventured a little bit into landscape painting. Most of these works have originated from the subconscious, similarly the horse sculptures, Esme and Sunday Morning were born without model or photograph. Market Lady, however, was inspired by a photograph given to me by Jaqueline Fay Miller. 

I have also painted a number of abstracts in the last two years. With these I don’t usually know that I have anything until long after the fact. The painting, propped carelessly, maybe even disdainfully against a wall is suddenly viewed with new eyes and I think, “Well that’s not bad, I think I like it”. It also helps to have friends in the studio whom offer encouragement boosting one’s morale and confidence when needed. 

In a few days I am travelling to Ontario on an adventure with Nicki Ault and Jackie Miller. We will be painting en plein air in the Owen Sound area of Georgian Bay where I spent much of my time as a youth. I am so looking forward to painting with these two friends. There will be plenty of inspiration.

Bridget V. Aitken

September 19, 2013

Note: Bridget does not have a website, but is working on it. When it is ready I will provide a link.