Calm Day, Sulphide Lake

Calm Day, Sulphide Lake

12 x 12"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2014
 http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/calm-day-sulphide-lake/249621
 

As I browsed through my photos Saturday evening I came across a shot from the "Canoeing and Painting In The Wild" trip last summer. The treeline and reflection really captivated me (which must be why I took the picture in the first place), so I stayed up late and painted my interpretation. The forest in the area had really taken a beating by the Spruce budworm and, as saddened as I was by that, I found it beautiful; the ravaged forest co-existing with new growth. I find it amazing that trees, grasses, weeds and plants can spring up on such an unlikely rocky terrain.

Reflect

 

Reflect

7x7"

acrylic on canvas

sold 

I never got around to posting this little reflection that I had in my show last November/December. I thought I would show it today because I just donated this to a silent auction at work to raise money for Haiti. Although my main gig is as a Stay-at-Home-Mom, I do work very part-time out of the house when my husband is home. The company I work for will match dollars raised by staff, so I hope someone will want it and that it will bring in a bit of money. I also donated a plate of home-made "Skor Bar" which is ridiculously good and may just bring in more than the painting! Seriously... it is dee-lish!

Hopefully one more day at the studio and I will be done my Pine Tree... stay tuned... 

Feeling Sick- In More Ways Than One

 Duck Pond in October, Forestry Farm
20x16"
acrylic on canvas
sold

The paintings I am posting today were purchased by a dear friend and her husband at my last art show. I know they make her happy which absolutely thrills me... and after this last week, I need to remember the joy art brings me and the people I share it with. The top painting is 20x16, the middle one is 8x10 (also the first abstract reflection I ever did) and the bottom one is 7x7. They are all acrylic on canvas.

 Reflection, Spruce River

8x10"

acrylic on canvas

sold

Reflection for a Writer

7x7

acrylic on canvas

sold

Whew! It really was quite was a week!

I was so fatigued this week, all I felt like doing was sleeping and in fact, three out of the five afternoons Tommy was at Kindergarten that is exactly what I did! The sore throat came on Thursday and the fever hit on Friday.... crazy shivers and heat waves. The highest temperature I took was 103. I felt like I was in some sort of altered state. Anyway, the worst seems to have passed. I slept most of today and now I will probably be up all night! In case anyone is wondering what differentiates a cold from the flu here is what I found out... headaches and fevers rarely accompany a cold, so if you have them with your stuffy nose and sore throat you have the flu. Also, extreme exhaustion never happens with a cold, but with the flu it comes early and is prominent.

Aside from feeling physically sick this week, I also felt psychologically sick after the meeting John and I had with our financial planner on Tuesday evening. This economy took a round out of our "portfolio" and although some things are recovering it got me feeling very guilty. Before we had Sammy I had a full time career and John and I had a pretty good lifestyle. After my year maternity (I love Canada) I went back to my job and Sammy went to daycare full time. I lasted 6 weeks and then gave my notice. I could not do it. Since then, for the most part, I have been a stay-at-home-mom. I know deep in my heart this has been the right choice... especially for my children, but this week when I realized the impact of the economy on our finances, I got thinking that if I had been working for the last 6 years it wouldn't be so bad. We would have been able to save more and invest more. I say that for the most part I have been a stay-at-home-mom because when Tommy was 18 months old I needed to get a break, so I got a very part time job working in a retail store when John was at home and I am still doing that now. My ideal world would be that I continue to do this and sell some of my paintings which would bring in just that much extra to keep me home with the kids while they are in school. I would love it if they could continue to come home for lunch and if they could always have a parent available to help with field trips or see their assemblies or volunteer for school activities. I would love it if they would never have to be part of a before and after school program. Unfortunately I am starting to wonder if this dream is very realistic. I'm really starting to think that when Tommy is in school full-time next year, maybe I will have to consider changing my role again.

At this rate I'll never figure out who I am!

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.  

 

A Full Day

This has been the most exciting day for me... Who would have ever imagined that I would discover comments from Edward B. Gordon on my blog?!!! I am overwhelmed that he took the time to have a look at what I have started here. And then when I realized he read the story of my sad attempt to get one of his paintings I broke into a bit of a cold sweat. Luckily he seemed to have a sense of humour about it and I am glad he was entertained. Seriously, how cool is he anyway? A master painter, a dedicated artist, an intelligent business man, a poet (in my mind anyway), and one class act.

I was so excited to find his comments that I couldn't contain my secrecy any longer. I immediately emailed "my girls"; three of the best friends a person could ask for. The email I sent them was  filled with exclamation marks and OMG's. I'm a lousy typist at the best of times ( I took art in high school instead of typing), but add in shaking hands and it becomes a true gong show. It wasn't long before they emailed back and may I just say that I love them? They were equally excited, if not more so than I was because not only were they hearing about the comments, but they were finding out about my blog for the first time. I would never have imagined that a side effect, if I can call it that, of having kids would be that I would meet the most wonderful women and they would become such a vital part of my life. I am so lucky.

I received an email from the St. Thomas More Gallery curator today wondering if I had thought of a name for my show because she is going to get started on some of the advertising later this week. She said it could be something as simple as Nicki Ault: Recent Work. It seems a bit dry and because all of the pieces are inspired by the boreal forest I feel like there should be some reference to it in the title. I'll have to think on it. My sister put in her two cents and offered up "The Boreal Fo Real". It made me laugh. I'm open to suggestions if anyone reads this.....

You Can Go Back

16x20

sold

And here is another painting that I plan to include in the show. It is acrylic on canvas and is 16x20". It is one of my favorite places to paint en Plein air. Spruce River in Prince Albert National Park. It is the subject of the other two reflection paintings I posted a few days ago. It is a glorious slow moving river that winds its way through the forest then out into the meadows and back in again. It looks different every time I am there.

I am extremely grateful to Barbara Muir, another artist I have discovered in this blogging world, for stopping by my blog and posting such kind-hearted, supportive comments. She is an excellent portrait painter who approaches her subjects in such a unique and vibrant way. Her portraits exude character and life.

Ahhh, this has been a full day. And now to go to bed... my little people register for school tomorrow. My little Tommy will be going to Kindergarten. He is so ready for school, but I don't know if the school is ready for him... he doesn't have a library voice and he likes to use the word "poop" way too much.

My Upcoming Show

What a delightful treat... I went to the studio yesterday morning and was able to stay for about 4 hours this time! Woo hoo! I worked on my big abstract reflection and then took a bit of time to tweak some other paintings and sign ones I thought were finished. I left actually feeling like I might have a handle on the show I am preparing for this fall. It was a good feeling for sure.

What show? Well, I have a solo show in an actual gallery here in town! It's all extremely exciting and feels so official! At least official compared to my other two solo shows which were held in a local coffee shop; one was in spring 2004 and the other was in spring 2008. The coffee shop was an excellent location for a newbie like myself and a great first step, but the owner really had no standard for the art she agreed to show other than the subject matter had to be restaurant appropriate. She didn't even look at my work before it went up and she wasn't even there when I hung it! Anyways, I took a painting workshop in the summer of 2008 and a fellow student reminded me of a gallery in town, St. Thomas More Gallery, that is a big supporter of student art and emerging artists. She encouraged me to approach the curator which took me 6 months to do, but in Feb. 2009 somehow I got the nerve up to talk to her. I had to submit jpegs of my work and she responded very favorably! That was one of the best emails I ever recieved; the acceptance from her gave me some sort of validation that I needed. And it really does feel more official. I am having a solo show in an actual gallery! It makes me giddy!                     

 

 The Muse

40x30"

acrylic on canvas

sold

 

 Water Striders- Big Broadway Number

40x30"

acrylic on canvas

NFS

 
Above are a couple of the pieces I will have in the show for sure. Others are still being decided upon and I will post them as they are finalized. They are both 40"x30" and done in acrylic on canvas.

Man, even though I have no readers it is still nerve-racking to post these images! I actually haven't told a soul that I have started a blog... I haven't even shown it to my husband yet! Just the remote possibility that someone would find this blog and consider commenting makes me aware that I am opening myself up to potential judgments and criticism. I am just now struck with new-found admiration for the artists I have come across in this blogging world and appreciate even more their willingness to share their art and really "put it out there".

Speaking of judgments and criticism, when I looked at my beloved Edward B. Gordon blog yesterday I was stunned to read that somebody had the nerve to tell him that his subject matter is trivial! What the...?! Seriously?!! I would like to know the context of the conversation, maybe then I would know if I actually had the right to be as offended as I was when I read that. Actually, I probably have no right to be offended at all since it has nothing to do with me, but I'm a Leo and I'm loyal, what can I say? Honestly, the only explanation that makes sense is that this is a person who has looked at Mr.Gordon's paintings, but has not actually seen them. The beauty and worthiness he sees in the moments of every day life are so far from trivial... I'm just exasperated by the notion...