The Road

The Road

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2017

sold

I am so excited about this! There is a whole situation that goes along with this painting! I have been asked to do a big commission for a lovely in-love couple. They are literally the cutest and their story is an inspiration. They came across a beautiful image by professional photographer Les Chelle and, with his permission, have asked me to create a large 40x60 inch canvas of the scene with my interpretation in paint! What?! It is a huge, blank canvas right now. This is going to be crazy! When it is done it will be the largest painting I have ever made... and I seriously want to knock it out of the park!

Interestingly enough, I made the assumption that it was the dramatic sky that drew them to the photo, but after a few email consultations it became clear that they had a real and personal connection to the road. For them it symbolizes the journey they are taking together through life; the path they are walking together to the days ahead. I love that and I want to do them right and their love story right by this painting.

I began prepping for this project by spending time on the weekend with the image and cropping it in slightly different ways, then printing each version out as resource. On Tuesday afternoon I sat down and did the above little study as I began to think about colour mixing for the project. I love painting to music, so I found a beautiful song in my CD collection called "The Road" by Eileen Laverty who is a local musician and Saskatchewan treasure. I made a little video for Instagram with that song playing in the background. Please go have a look if you have a moment (click the camera icon on the right-hand side of this page to get over there). The lyrics are lovely and are fitting to the sweet, gentle, supportive and committed love that this painting will represent.

"...And then I saw the roses in your smile

And lilies danced as hand in hand the miles passed by.

We went traveling on the road..."

(from The Road - Eileen Laverty, © 2006)

Please stay connected and follow me on this project!

Ablaze

Ablaze

16 x 16"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2017

available

I spent a good part of the day at the studio yesterday since my youngest son was feeling well enough to go back to school. My oldest, however, had his first ever high school final exam in the morning, so we had a little time together after that to debrief. It was math and he said it was easy-peasy so hopefully his grade will reflect that!

Anyway, I worked hard on the commission and it is really moving along. I spent most of the time working on the water/reflection and eventually things were just too wet to continue, so I had to stop. I still had an hour on my meter, though, so I grabbed the random sky I started on Monday and went to town on it. I have been so incredibly inspired the artists I have discovered on Instagram. Gosh there are some mind-blowing things happening. I looked at my random sky with fresh eyes and it just seemed lethargic. I didn't get a photo of it with my camera, but I did get one with my phone. Here is what it looked like before I took my brushes to it yesterday...

It was okay, but I was craving drama and more emotion. The bold reds, corals, oranges and pinks helped me get there in the final version, I think! It really is "ablaze" now!

If you are on Instagram, please check out my page. Hmmm, is it called a page on Instagram? My profile? My gallery? I am still on a steep learning curve; learning the lingo, learning the ropes. It's fun and I find I am posting more things than just paintings there. If you click the Instagram camera on the top right-hand side of this page it should get you to me. I am nicki.ault.studio.

A Time To Dance

A Time To Dance

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2016

 sold

The colours in this particular area of Bridget's acreage were absolutely spectacular! The pink and red leaves especially took my breath away.

This is the newest in the series. Elements are more abstracted, kind of like in "Flitter". I am heading to the studio right now to start working on a big one!

Oh, and I've joined Instagram! It is fun, but I am on a bit of a learning curve. Until now I had never hashtagged in my life! I would love it if you would follow me over there, just click here or on the Instagram icon on the right side of this page. Some different things will be happening as I get the ball rolling. Maybe some more real-time things as it is the only social media thing I will be doing with my phone.

Have a great day! And now it's paintin' time!