The Crevice- A Comparison

 

                                               Before                                 After

 The Crevice

10 x 24"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2010 

sold

Before the Open Studio at the end of November I did a bit of tweaking and one of the paintings I fiddled with was this one, The Crevice. The bottom always read a little dark, so I tried to create a bit more depth by making a stronger suggestion of the fungi that were deeper in the crevice. I lightened up the bluish fungi as well and now I wonder if I did too much. I will have to look when I go back to the studio. I think this photo is a bit on the light side, so it is playing with my memory a bit.

I have been painting, but I am working on something I can't show for awhile. It is a piece that is really stretching me out of my comfort zone- big time. I think I have already put more hours into this than anything I have ever done. I am extremely excited about this project, so I am having a hard time not writing about it, but patience is a virtue, so I will keep my trap shut. As much as I would love for this piece to be mind bogglingly brilliant, I think at this point I will just settle with not completely embarrassing myself! (hint... because it is so not a landscape I am painting).

I Wish You Well

Santa's Snack Christmas 2007

chocolate milk, cookies and apples

Whatever you believe, I wish you peace, love, happiness and safe travels. I wish you time with those that mean the most to you. I wish you a warm place to rest and good food to nourish you.

I wish you well.

Fire In The Belly II

Fire In The Belly II

24 x 36"

oil on canvas
© Nicki Ault, 2010 
sold

I finally got a decent picture of this painting, which now feels finished. I think the colours are a bit brighter in person, but overall this is pretty accurate. This tree jumped right out at me when I was painting en plein air at Kenderdine Campus this past August. I was merrily working on my little board (the one that was not taking the paint well at all... read this post to find out more) when for some reason I looked to my right and saw the most spectacular sight. The sun was hitting this tree so that the exposed resin, sap and raw wood were lit up and glowing. It took my breath away. I had to stop and take photos! I was so excited that I started working on a canvas in the studio that evening which raised a controversy you can read about here. 

I have had some mixed reactions to this piece. A couple of people have found it to be scary, which surprises me because I saw the tree as a beautiful treasure and I tried to paint it that way. I do agree that the composition is maybe a bit "in your face", but at the same time I think that adds to it's power and impact. I have decided that I am happy with it, and that is all I have the energy to care about right now. I am thrilled with the brushstrokes- I tried to make each one interesting and fresh. This painting doesn't have the same intense, smoldering feeling that "Fire In The Belly I" had, but I was never going for that anyway. The underpainting for this piece is similar though! 

My opening at Moka Coffee Bar was a wonderful, intimate evening with friends and family stopping by. Unfortunately the weather didn't co-operate, so several people decided not to venture out. And I think they were smart- the roads were not particularly safe. Thanks to everyone for your well wishes!  

Dappled Light

Dappled Light

40x30"

acrylic and oil on canvas
© Nicki Ault, 2010 
sold

This painting is at Moka right now. It is hanging near some tables right by the front window and let me tell you, looking at this painting is the polar opposite of what you see when you look out that shop window... It is cold here!!! And the snow! Brrrrr!

As I worked on it, this painting took on many forms. It began as an acrylic painting, the horizon line was lower, at one time there was a birch tree near the middle and a few more small dead trees cutting into the open space, the top left corner had no branches so it felt wide open, the grass at the shoreline was taller and more straight across, and the colouring of the entire painting was completely different! There were many smaller changes made besides the larger ones just mentioned--- this one was a work in progress for a very long time! It feels great to have it at a place I am happy with... it was a long time coming and I wasn't entirely sure I would get it there.

My opening is tomorrow evening and I am looking forward to visiting with some friends that said they planned to attend. I'm not expecting much in the way of sales as the pieces are quite large and there are only seven of them, but I am happy to have my work in a place that can be viewed and enjoyed (I hope) by many.

Big Day Tomorrow

 

Here it is.... the invitation to my show at Moka Coffee Bar! My most excellent brother-in-law helped me out once more. What would have taken me hours and hours to pull together, he did in a matter of minutes. His super cool program picked the colours right out of the painting which we then used for the other areas of the invitation. I was not hip to this kind of technology so I was quite dazzled by the end of our design session.

If you happen to be in Saskatoon in the next two months check it out and let me know what you think. More specifically if you are here on Sunday, December 12 stop by and say "hi" at the opening. I'll be there from 6:30-8:30 p.m. trying desperately, and probably unsuccessfully, to avoid the peanut butter pie and yummy fancy coffees! 

Kingfisher Trail, Waskesiu

Kingfisher Trail, Waskesiu

22x 28

oil on canvas
© Nicki Ault, 2010
sold 

I did this painting last month for my upcoming show at Moka Coffee Bar. I took the reference photo for it on the September long weekend when we hiked the trail with our kids. It was a fantastic afternoon- some really great memories were made that day. I'm happy with the way this painting turned out. I tried to stay loose and free with the underbrush and foliage. I love some of the marks in those areas. The whites of the birch do come across quite white in the photo, but in reality you would see soft pinks, blue grays and soft purples in there. I actually may switch up my plan for Moka. Initially I had planned for the work to be entirely tree related, but the woman who approached me at the Open Studio is organizing a group show for the new year with the theme of trees. Now I believe I will make the Moka collection a bit more diverse and keep some of my tree canvases available in case I end up participating in her show.

Upswept Sky

Upswept Sky

(shown above after 20 minutes)

8x8"

oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2010
For Twenty Minute Challenge

I needed a break a couple of weeks ago from the focus on larger work for my upcoming solo show, so I pulled out a little panel and did a quick start on a sky for 20 minutes. I highly recommend this exercise for anyone. I worked on it again the next day and below is the finished piece.

Upswept Sky

8x8 

oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2010
finished

The Open Studio was busy! I met some really great people and received some extremely positive feedback about my work. Several new names are now on my contact list for anything that I do in the future and I was approached by a gallery/store owner to be part of a group show in the new year with the theme of "Trees" . Apparently she has done this the past couple of years with artists but this year participation is by invitation only. I also sold ten paintings off my "grid" so that was exciting. With eleven artists sharing the studio and invitations going out to all of their contacts I definitely felt like I hardly knew anyone that came through. I felt quite shy and awkward so I will have to work on that for next year. And the big question on my mind that entire day was, why on earth did I wear high heeled boots and contact lenses??? Did I learn nothing from my show last year? And why did I not do the math to realize that unlike an art opening which is usually 1.5-2 hours long, the Open Studio was, in fact, 6 hours long!!?? Standing on concrete floors, I might add! I was so tired when I got home that I fell asleep twice between 6 and 9 p.m. at which point I just went to bed. 

As a side note, I was very proud of my boys for coming to the Open Studio. They didn't want to and resisted when I mentioned it. I was quite surprised and, I will admit, a little hurt. After a bit more talk it came out that they didn't want to go because they were afraid we would be in another car accident which is what happened a year ago after my last opening. My heart dropped when they brought this up. I was shocked that they had made such a strong connection between the two events. We talked a bit more and they asked if we could take a different road if they decided to come and my littlest said, "Mommy if we are in another car crash this time, you won't do anymore art shows, will you?" Bless them both. My husband brought them right at the beginning of the day and I am proud they were so brave.

Open Studio Tomorrow

I just got home from putting the last touches on my studio space. It looks really good and I took photos to share with you. If you happen to live in or near Saskatoon swing by and say "hi". All 11 artists will be there from 11-5 and we'd love to show you our work and where we create it. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. It's my first Open Studio and I want it to go well... I am hoping I will get a real positive response to my work from all the artsy types that may come through. I really want them to like me... sales schmales... I just want to be liked!

Standing in the doorway looking into my space.

You can see the wonderful sculptures of another artist

in the space just beyond mine...

Starting at my shelves and working clockwise around my workspace...

 

 

From the far end of the studio this wall looks pretty dramatic...

Standing by the sculptors space looking back at mine

toward the door where I took the first photo...

A close up of my "grid" of small work...

 

My drafting table/desk area with my awesome

Mastercraft rolling work station...

And finally a close-up shot of the top of the work station.

That's all folks! I have a bit more work to do for tomorrow and then I am hitting the sheets!

River Fire

River Fire

4.75 x 4.75"

acrylic on paper
© Nicki Ault, 2010 
private collection

In my previous couple of posts you saw the series of three abstract reflections that I painted for a housewarming gift for a dear friend. I painted three others around the same time and "River Fire" is one of them. I think it is my favorite of all six - not sure why, maybe just because it is quite different from any other reflection I have done. The darkest marks you see are more purpley than they come across on the screen. I am pleased with the energy in this one. I put it in a black frame today and it looks great! Really dramatic.

It has a been a crazy few weeks getting ready for all of the art events that are happening right away. Tomorrow is the opening of the small works juried show called "Little Gems" in which I have three paintings. There are about 40 local artists participating and it is a fundraiser for the Food Bank. Then on Sunday it is our Open Studio, so I have been madly wiring, hanging, organizing, tweaking, varnishing, framing for that. I will have photos to show you of my space soon. I'm very excited to be a part of this- it's like a dream come true! A reporter and cameraman came today from Shaw TV Channel 10, so tomorrow a short piece will run approx. every 45 minutes in a continuous loop throughout the day.

I will quickly sigh with relief after the weekend, but then I will have a shot of espresso and start pulling together work for my solo show at Moka which goes up Dec. 8!

The Joy of Another

The Joy of Another

4.75 x 4.75"

acrylic on paper
© Nicki Ault, 2010 
private collection

Here is the last painting in the series of three I gave my friend. This one is a little different from the others, but the colour palette was basically the same. This one had a lot more movement in it and to me it feels like happy energy. The title comes from me contemplating my friend's family again and thinking of her other true love- her daughter. This little girl exudes pure joy and innocence. She is kind, thoughtful, artistic and has this truly happy energy. She lights up a room and she is only in Grade Three! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of my boys will marry her!

 

 

The Strength of One

The Joy of Another

Three Loves 
© Nicki Ault, 2010 
private collection
 

Theses are the three pieces all together. Again, sorry the picture quality is not the best. They are brighter than these in reality. Thanks for stopping by to have a look.