I Could Only Take So Much

image © Nicki Ault

It was bitterly cold yesterday. I had hoped to spend the day painting at the temporary studio, but despite layers of clothing and two space heaters propped inches from me, I could only take so much. It was cold! I got a good start to a new painting from Sulphide Lake in La Ronge, but I had to leave the studio after a few hours. My hands were soooo chilly and the paint was very stiff. It is supposed to be a bit nicer by the weekend, so I will have to take advantage of it. Let's hope!

Wild Grasses

Wild Grasses

16 x 16"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2014
sold

Here is another new painting that you will find hanging at Hues Art Supply for the month of February.

It Was A Fun Night

The Shield

Mann Art Gallery, Prince Albert

The Shallows, Georgian Bay

Mann Art Gallery, Prince Albert

Whew! My nerves survived the night! I really wanted to bail out, but I pushed through and made myself go. When my friend Bridget Aitken and her husband picked me up, she let me know that she had received one of the coveted phone calls earlier in the week to say that she would be getting an award! I perked right up and at that point I just knew it would be a great evening.

I was very nervous to see the layout of the galleries and to see where my paintings were placed based on the hierarchy I had been told about. As you can see above, one of my pieces was in the main gallery and one was in the secondary gallery. The main gallery was curated beautifully and it felt great to see "The Shield" hanging in that space. Unfortunately the secondary gallery was somewhat jammed- there was more work than there was space- and it was really hard for any of the pieces to be properly seen or appreciated.  In some ways I was not surprised that "The Shallows, Georgian Bay" was there. As much as I like the painting, it is an odd composition and has a very unique feel to it. Initially I was going to send a different painting, but then I settled on it because it was a bit more of a risk- and this is the year of risk and challenge! In the end I felt no disappointment- I actually felt proud that I put myself out there in an uncomfortable way. In some respect there did not necessarily seem to be a rhyme or reason to the galleries, although the third gallery space did seem to be a bit more of the "novice" work- however an award winning piece was hanging in that space, so who knows? It all messes with your head a bit!

One of the best moments from the night was when a young woman and her friend came over to see if I was Nicki! It turns out she is an artist and watches my blog/Facebook page! We had a wonderful chat and I was so happy to meet her. She seemed genuinely excited to meet me and was pumped that her painting was hanging right beside mine (to the right of The Shallows). The sky in her piece had the most ethereal glow to it- really lovely.

Another great thing about the night was simply hanging out and talking art with friends. Several artists I know had submitted work and made the drive from Saskatoon to Prince Albert for the opening. They were all veterans of this show and were the reason I knew about it in the first place. One of them, Cam Forrester, also won an award last night, so that added to the joie de vivre!

On the drive home I was able to reflect on the evening and I came to some conclusions about this new experience. Number One: take it all with a grain of salt. While it can be a valuable learning experience and important to have your work adjudicated, the decisions are made by educated opinion, but are not absolute truths. A different pair of adjudicators might have come up with an entirely different show and awarded prizes to completely different work. It's fascinating really. Number Two: there are some fantastic artists in this province. Number Three: taking risks can be stressful, but can also be rewarding. Number Four: it is great to see friends succeed and be there to support them in their accomplishments. At the same time, it is really great to be with friends as support if there are disappoints. Number Five: they do not put submitted paintings outside under rocks!

The show runs until March 22- check it out if you can.

Why, Oh Why?

The Shallows, Georgian Bay

30 x 30"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2013

Why, oh why did I decide to have a year of risk and challenge??? The months ahead could potentially be very stressful! I entered these two paintings in the Mann Art Gallery Winter Festival Show and Sale which is a big public gallery in Prince Albert, Sask. This is a juried show and apparently after the pieces are adjudicated they are curated into one of three galleries. I hear, from colleagues who have entered other years, that you want to find your work hanging in the "main" gallery; it is okay to be placed in the secondary gallery, but you really don't want your work in the third gallery. UGH! 

 

The Shield, La Ronge

48 x 36"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2013

sold

Here is how I can tell this scenario is stressing me out... I had a bad dream about it the other night. I dreamed that the adjudicators hated my paintings so much that not only did the paintings not make the third gallery, but the judges actually put them outside under some rocks! ARGH!

I have planned, with a friend, to drive the one and a half hours to go to the opening gala tonight, but my nerves are getting the best of me. Whatever fate my paintings have received is already done- I just feel like keeping my eyes wide shut about it!

Sweep

Sweep

16 x 16"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2014
sold

Sometimes I am my own worst enemy, both by the negative self-talk that happens in my head and by the expectations I put on myself. I definitely put pressure on myself to come up with some new paintings for my show at Hues Art Supply; "Sweep" is one of them. In part I felt like the work I had on hand didn't necessarily come together to create a show (not that it needs to be a specific theme per se, but I do think a show needs some element of cohesion) and, in part, I really wanted to have that draw of never-before-seen work. I hope the show will be a success for Paul and his store. For me, a successful show is not just measured by sales, but also by attendance. I really hope I can generate some traffic for him and awareness for his new art supply store.

On that note we have planned a date when I will be at the store for part of the day... Saturday, Feb. 22, so mark your calendars... more information and invitations will follow.

The Best Surprise Thanks to Hues Art Supply

I announced on Saturday that I just put up a show of my work at Hues Art Supply, a great new art store in town. Well, the next day in the afternoon my doorbell rang and to my delight it was a friend with her six year old daughter, Phoebe. She and her dad had been at Hues on Saturday afternoon and happened to see my artwork. While they were there Phoebe got a great new set of double-ended markers and went straight home to make me this colour wheel!!! What a great surprise to have it hand-delivered. Already good things are coming from the show at Hues!

I Have A Show at Hues Art Supply!

Last Morning, Sulphide Lake

16 x 16"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2014
sold

Whew! What just happened?! One minute I was going about my business and the next minute a text came in and I had an art show! You never know what the day will bring, do you? 

 Hues Art Supply

1818 Lorne Ave., Saskatoon

(on the corner of Lorne and Taylor)

306-653-1900

A week ago I was invited to be the first "featured artist" at a fantastic new art store in town, Hues Art Supply. This is going to be a place that is about the artist, the community and coming together to learn, so... did I want to be the first artist that they feature? Heck yeah! But there was a catch... the first featured artist was planned for February! From the time I got the message to the time the show went up (this morning) I had exactly one week. A sane person might have said, no, that was too quick, but what did I do? I said YES! Of course being the way I am it wasn't long before I decided that I needed new, never-before-seen work for the show, so over the last week I painted madly. 

Today I hung the show with seven new works plus a few that were in my inventory. It looks good! I left feeling happy and now people need to know... not just about my show, but about this store.

Hues Art Supply has been open less than a month and supplies are still rolling in, but already it has a great atmosphere and I just know inspiring things are going to happen there. The owner, Paul Trottier, is a friend and paints a mean picture his own self! (Check out the link to his website by clicking on his name.) I want to wish him all the success in the world as this adventure gets under way. I am honoured to be the first artist he is showing in his store. 

 

 

 

Just look at all of those delicious art supplies!!! Swoon! He is carrying Princeton brushes, Daniel Smith oils, Nitram charcoal and much, much more! He even has some fun things for kids. If you are in Saskatoon please stop in to meet Paul and see what he is offering. You won't be disappointed.

Oh yeah, about the painting... I got sidetracked by excitement over the store. "Last Morning, Sulphide Lake" was painted late into the night on Thursday evening. It was inspired by photos I took on the last paddle across Sulphide Lake when I was on the "Canoeing and Painting In The Wild" adventure in August. It was the most beautiful, calm, sunny, glorious morning. I will always remember that breathtaking day; just the thought of it can still bring tears to my eyes. I hope you like the painting and I hope it conveys the feeling of awe I had that morning on the lake.

Bargue #2- Complete!

Bargue Drawing #2

graphite on Stonehenge paper

© Nicki Ault, 2014

It was a long road and that was a heck of a time-consuming beard, but I got there. My second Bargue drawing is finished! It was a love/hate relationship, but in the end love prevailed. A huge shout-out to the most patient and inspiring instructor I have had in awhile, Craig Berry at Atelier 2302 in Saskatoon. Next week I move on to a new challenge and start Bargue #3.

* If anyone has tips on how to get good photographs of drawings, please share them in the comments below. Thanks!

Winter on Meewasin and Winter Layers

Winter on Meewasin

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2013

available exclusively at Lifestyles by Darrell Bell Gallery

Winter Layers

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2013

available exclusively at Lifestyles by Darrell Bell Gallery

Both of these paintings were at Lifestyles for awhile last year, but I brought them home for the summer and then kept them a bit longer than that. :) It is time to let them go again, so I took them back to the store last week. I think they are the only two winter scenes I have available right now.

Tree Line

Tree Line, Waskesiu

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2014

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

This is the last of the new paintings recently delivered to Lifetsyles. They have a 3x3 grid of my paintings on a feature wall in the store and it looks great! I dream of the day when someone says, "I'll take them all and can you install them just like that for me?!"