Dreaming Of Spruce River

Dreaming Of Spruce River

48 x 36"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2015
sold

For this one, I revisited an old plein air painting and took inspiration from that. "Dreaming Of Spruce River" is the same but different, and also much larger. I've been puttering around with it for awhile at the studio and finally just decided to call it a day.

The subject is a beautiful, murky, quiet, winding river in northern Saskatchewan. This particular location on Spruce River happens to be a picnic rest stop just inside the old park gates at Waskesiu. It is here that the river curves out of the forest and touches the edge of a small meadow, then retreats back into the shelter of the trees. It is a place that is easy to dream about, especially in the winter.

Spruce River

Spruce River

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/spruce-river/33445
sold

I haven't painted anything of this river since 2012. At one time I considered it my muse. It is a place I would like to go back to this summer- to visit and to paint. It is a beautiful, slow, winding river that many people canoe. This particular section is just inside the old gates in Prince Albert National Park at a picnic/rest spot. This was a favorite location of artists taking classes at the Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus; many an excursion was planned for a day at this site. All of my abstract reflections were inspired by the water of this river and the large canvas I am about to start will be about this river as well.

Day Four- SOGOTP

SOGOTP

20 x 16"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2012

Ta Daaaaaa!

The morning of Day Four was spent doing a bit of a critique and talking about inspirations; things that get the ideas flowing or get us in the right zone or mood to paint. For me it is obviously nature- especially wild spaces with little sign of human presence. I take a ton of photos and use those as tools to inspire my work. Many of us also said that music was an important part of our inspiration/mood setting process. (Here is a link to Jonas Gerard painting to music- I love it). And of course other artists inspire me- including many of you who read this blog (thank you!).

Our exercise idea for that day was to shift and exaggerate, perhaps with the scale, colour, value or maybe with blending or not blending. We were to shift something dramatically in the painting, possibly heightening the intensity of a colour.

As I mentioned in the last post I was determined to step beyond my comfort zone and get a little crazy with the abstract business, but I needed to get away from the studio and find solitude. I decided to drive to Spruce River which is a place of endless inspiration for me and although I intended to go alone I came across another artist who was having a tough time. At first I was blathering on about what a gorgeous day it was and then when I actually looked at her face I realized she was upset. Who hasn't been there? Man, I think in 2007 I cried the entire week when I went back to the campus after a six year hiatus! You gotta release it! Anyway, it seemed that she was in need of some Spruce River therapy, so I invited her to come with me. We had a wonderful time and each found our own quiet place in the forest along the river to do what we needed to do.

And what did I do? A really horribly awful, brutally ugly reflection of horizontal branches in the river. BAD! When I got back to the studio I really couldn't have hated it any more than I already did so I decided to SOGOTP (shit or get off the pot)... pardon my language :o) . No more messing around- I decided to go abstract all over it!

I tried hard not to care about the outcome and just tried to enjoy the experience of experimenting. I began blocking areas with dark colours and isolating a few of the marks I didn't mind- mainly the green/yellows. Really I just mucked around and played, which was obviously very fun. I actually painted this horizontally, but when I was finished a new artist friend came over and started turning it from side-to-side to see how it "read" from different positions. We settled on it this way. Thanks B.C-W.!

And that, my friends, is as wild and crazy as I got all week! The last day produced probably my favorite painting of the week, but it was actually more based in realism and I will show it to you next time.

Day Three- Painting On Fire

On Fire Revisited

16 x 16"

acrylic on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2012
sold

I did a painting two summers ago at one of my favorite painting locations, Spruce River, P.A.N.P. and I always loved it... but I let it go... and I know it is loved in it's new home. It was called "On Fire" (below) because on that particular day the way the sun was illuminating the rotting leaf debris under the water's surface honestly made it look like the river was on fire. It was beautiful. Stunning, really. The images in my mind and the photos I took that day still roll around as possibilities for paintings. I have always wanted to try "On Fire" on a larger scale and since we were given a bit of freedom on Day Three I decided to do just that- paint a larger version. 

On Fire

8 x 8"

acrylic on board

© Nicki Ault, 2010

sold 

As the day came to an end I was pleased with what I had painted, however quietly inside myself I kind of felt like I took the easy way out. I really hadn't challenged myself in the sense that I had a certain comfort level with what I painted that day- and I didn't come to the class to be comfortable. My goal was to challenge myself and I hadn't really done that, so at day's end I secretly felt like I had let myself down. Sure enough after looking at my work that evening a friend (kindly) made a comment that he had seen this type of work from me before.

Dang! Busted!

I said he was right and I already knew that, so get off my back already!!! Ha! No I didn't say that, but I did say I was aware and that I was already planning to push myself big-time on Day Four. 

And I think I did... you can judge for yourself when you see my next post... so come back ya'll!

Sunlit Meadow

Sunlit Meadow

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011
sold

The other day I realized I had never put this painting on my blog. It is one of the small boards I did on my plein air painting getaway to Waskesiu Lake, P.A.N.P. this past September. I drove to my favorite painting location within the Park where the Spruce River winds out of the forest into a small clearing by a meadow and picnic area. To get this angle of the glowing grass behind the stand of  Birch trees I had to set up in front of a not-so-scenic part of the picnic area.... the outhouse! The palette is simple, but I think the contrast makes this little piece sing.

On Fire

On Fire

8x8"

acrylic on panel

If you are an artist, have you ever felt like you were "in the zone" and everything was just clicking? You were on fire, so to speak? That's how I felt on August 8 when I was painting at Spruce River. I drove up to Waskesiu, Prince Albert National Park the night before so that I was that much closer to the Kenderdine Campus. I was by myself and I spent my first evening alone priming my new boards, taking reference photos around the lake and then I went for an evening swim. The water was as calm as glass and very warm. It was peaceful, relaxing and just what I needed to shift gears and get ready for a week of painting. I got up early on Aug. 8 and took the old road (more scenic) to Emma Lake which took about half an hour. Along the way, I saw 7 deer and one fox which put me into an even better mood. I swear I get more excited than the kids whenever we see wildlife. Anyway, I checked in at the campus, found my cabin and quickly set up a spot in the studio. Then I was off to paint. I decided that since I still had a valid park pass I may as well use it, so I went back the way I came on the old road and found one of my favorite spots about 15 minutes later at a picnic area by Spruce River. Here the river winds away from the forest and comes into a meadow, and immediately turns back into the forest again.

Everything felt right. I grabbed a board I had gessoed and painted with black latex then settled into a great little spot under the cover of tall pines. The above is the first painting I did that day and the three previous reflections I posted came after. I think this is my favorite. I really love how it turned out. It is the most zoomed in I have ever painted a reflection and therefore it is likely the most abstract. When I painted it there was this little patch of the river near the bank that was glowing orange. I was spectacular. It must be the way the sun was shining and illuminating the dead leaves and debris on the river floor. I love the shots of orange with the blues. Hours later as I was packing up I glanced at the river and it seriously looked like it could have been on fire! What I saw was spectacular and absolutely messed with my head. I am including a few photos to give you an idea. 

 

Anyway, that first day of painting was, as it turned out, the most content I ended up feeling all week. The paintings from that day may or may not be the best I produced, but the feeling of peace and happiness was there with me and it felt so good. 

Now a small bit on another topic unrelated to art. It is the morning and both my boys are at school! It is so hard! When I walked away from the school all I could think of was, "Now what?". I know most people are thinking, "GO PAINT SILLY!" but somehow I didn't want to head to the studio. My life for the last eight odd years has been so entirely about these little loves of my life that I don't really know what I will do with myself now that they are both in school full time. Maybe part of the problem is that there are so many things I could do with myself that I don't know where to begin: go back to school, find another career, get a thousand odd jobs done that have been put on the back burner, work a few more hours at my part-time job, paint with more focus, the list goes on. For this morning, however, I decided to write on my blog and have a good cleansing cry! ...Now I have to come up with something to do this afternoon when the kids go back to school after lunch.

The Forest Above

The Forest Above

8x8"

acrylic on panel

This is number three of the four reflections I painted while I was at Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus earlier this month. Again, this is from my first day at the workshop when I drove to Spruce River. I've been finding it hard to photograph these reflections. Not sure why.

I'm feeling a bit melancholy tonight. Tomorrow morning I will register the kids for school. I can't believe summer is coming to a close. And here on the prairies it really hardly felt like summer, weather-wise anyway. Very cold and wet and humid. But the climate is not the reason I am melancholy. The kids are getting older and it is happening too fast. My little morning partner is going to Grade One and will be in school all day- no more half days for him. When I said I would miss him he told me that if I got lonely I could snuggle his Stuffies. He is such a doll. And my oldest is starting Grade Three... he had a Dictionary on his school supply list! This is going to a bit of a difficult adjustment I think. For me, not them. I am going to have more time on my hands than I have had in years and years, which raises the question.... What now?

What I See

What I See

8x8"

acrylic on panel
sold

Over the next several weeks I will be posting the work/studies I painted while at the Kenderdine Campus at Emma Lake. As always it was a dreamy week that went by all too fast. I met some wonderful new artists and had a great time catching up with those I already knew. Mmmmm, and the food! Glorious home cooked food that seems to get better every time I go. The experience wouldn't be the same if the food was mediocre. Thank goodness the "Powers That Be" seem to understand that as fact.

I actually went a day early because I had to leave a day early. I didn't want to lose any precious painting time as I'm sure you can understand. I stayed at Waskesiu Lake the first night which is in Prince Albert National Park, then got up early and drove a half hour to the campus. This way, once I checked in, I had the day ahead of me to paint. I decided to head to Spruce River which is one of my favorite plein air painting locations. It was a beautiful day and all I my attention went to the beautiful colours and patterns in the river's reflections. I painted four panels while I was there... and may I say I love my panels!!! What a different feel than canvas; smooth and slippery. This painting was done on a panel which I gessoed, then coated in black latex. I settled into a state of complete and utter happiness as I painted for hours in a little nook under the pine trees. A little squirrel kept scurrying by and eventually got so comfortable with me in his environment that he laid down on a branch above me and had a snooze!

The Crevice

I thought I may as well post the last of my fungi paintings (to date)... it won't be seen at my show, so it may as well be seen here. I thought it would be fun to post the photo I worked from, as well. The picture was taken at my favorite painting location, Spruce River, P.A.N.P. and I had wanted to tackle it for about a year. This summer when I was at the Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus we had a couple of rainy days so that is when I found my chance.

These glorious little fungi were growing down in the crevice of an old rotting tree stump near the river's edge. It was like a little enchanted world of it's own... a fairy land. I wanted to shrink down and go exploring! I painted it with acrylic on a canvas measuring 10x24 and for the first time I worked on a gray underpainting. This gray was the big colour mixing revelation of the week at the class for me. One of the other students said that mixing alizarin crimson with phthalo green (and white) made the best gray. Up until this point I had never used my phthalo green... I had no idea what to do with it. Well, she was right, it can make a great gray and it was a good base for this painting. If anyone reading this has other tips on ways to mix phthalo green I would love to hear them. I think the fungus on the lower left side is a bit bright  and maybe pulls the eye down too much, but I like how the brush strokes look in person, so I think I might leave it. I haven't varnished it yet, so any feedback on this piece would be appreciated.

I'm posting a sign I found along the roadside that follows Spruce River for awhile before it winds back into the forest. It's one of many poetically written signs throughout the national park. (Click on the image to see the words). 

Well, my little partner in crime has been a very good boy for me while I was hunting and pecking away at this entry. Mr. Potato Head was a helpful source of entertainment, as was the animal hospital we made for Tommy's stuffed animals, but I do believe it is now time for some of mommy's undivided attention. Thanks to those that look in today and please leave any helpful tips... I love to learn!

A Good Weekend

We had a really great visit with my brother-in-law and his family. They have one little fella who is about 20 months old. Oh what fun my boys had with their one and only cousin! It was such a treat to see them all together. They were thoroughly entertained by each other, however Tommy did have a bit of a melt-down on Saturday night. It was a moment of  true despair. He thought Sammy didn't love him any more because he was paying so much attention to little Georgie. Tommy sobbed and sobbed until finally my dear sweet Sam realized why Tommy was so upset. He went straight over to his little brother, put his arms around him and said, "Oh Tommy, I still love you it's just that I have you for my whole life and I only have Georgie for two days. Do you understand now?" Yup, you guessed it.... mommy cried too!

 

Water Striders- Foxtrot

7x7

acrylic on canvas

sold

Here is a little 7x7 abstract reflection that I did one afternoon when a neighbor had the boys over for a play date. These reflections make me so happy when I do them, especially when they go as smoothly as this one did. It is acrylic on canvas and will likely be in the show. It was inspired by a photo from one of my favorite Plein air painting locations, Spruce River, P.A.N.P. Unfortunately the large reflection I am working on at the studio right now is not going as well. Rats. But I am not giving up on it yet. I am determined to make it work... Why you ask? Because I jumped the gun and had it framed before it was finished. I thought I would save time and take it to the framer with the batch I had ready to go. Lesson learned.