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.

I've Been Tagged

Well this is fun! My pal, talented artist Suzanne Berry, has tagged me! Let the games begin...

A blog called TripBase (a travel blog) began the "My 7 Links" project with the goal of uniting "bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again."


To participate I need to link to seven of my previous posts based on the following categories:

- Your most beautiful post
– Your most popular post
– Your most controversial post
– Your most helpful post
– A post whose success surprised you
– A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved
– The post that you are most proud of

Basically this is an opportunity to dig these posts out of the archives and allow them to be revisited. So here goes!


My most beautiful post....

 The North Side

Although this is the painting that went with the post, I chose it as the most beautiful not because of the painting but because of the words. It's about my mom. Please follow this link to read what I had to say. 


My most popular post...

You Can Go Back

I wasn't sure whether I should judge "popularity" based on comments or blogger stats, but this one got quite a few comments and is by far the most viewed post in my repertoire. It blows all the others out of the water! The post was called "A Full Day" and the above is the painting I posted with my story. Here is the link. And here is the link to the backstory of that link! (Feel free to have a chuckle at my expense!).


My most controversial post...

 Fire In The Belly

I'm not really about controversy on this blog and this post wasn't controversial in itself, but it raised a debate in my own mind that I shared in this post. 

My most helpful post...

30 Paintings in 30 Days Project

FFFH Art Show and Sale

I think this post on how to make a portable display wall could have been my most helpful.


The post whose success surprised me... 

 Waskesiu River

This was from the very early days of blogging and I was thrilled to get the support for this little painting (7 x 7") and the story, which you can see/read here.

The post that didn't get the attention it deserved...

Hmmm, how to choose? I have had a few posts that have only received attention from crickets! ;o)  I'm just going to go with an early post when I hadn't yet been discovered by any other bloggers and therefore didn't get much attention. This post explains my blog title "Nicki Ault: Me, Myself And Who Am I?" Here is the link. 

The post I am most proud of...

In My Aura

Hands down this is it. I am proud of the painting and that it was accepted to the International Women Celebrate! project. I am proud that it was posted on a U.K. website. I am proud that the experience stretched my skills, gave me more understanding of my family history, and pushed me to face some fears. I am proud of the amazing women and artists I collaborated with and met at the artist's weekend in Ayr, Ontario.


Thanks Suzanne, that was fun. A little trip down memory lane is good for the soul. I am going to tag:

My Sweet Prairie

Eat Drink Paint.

Barbara Muir Paints

all images, © Nicki Ault

Blossoms By The River

Blossoms By The River

10x10"

acrylic on canvas
private collection

The forecast predicted a beautiful day for today, so last night when I went to bed I decided I would head out and paint as soon as I woke up. I felt the need to work on something smaller that I could complete and post. This piece still may be tweaked at the studio, but at least it is something to show. I have been trying to get work done on my large canvas, but it has been slow going. I am hoping to get to the studio a few afternoons this week and push the progress along, but today was definitely a plein air day. We have finally had a bit of heat after quite a number of rainy days and as a result the trees are blooming in full force and the grass is becoming more and more green. It was a glorious morning- birds chirping, people jogging and cycling and me out there pushing paint around. It was so relaxing and, as always, the time went by too quickly. As I worked on this piece it dawned on me that I have rarely used the colour pink. Humph... could be because there is not that much pink in the boreal forest which has been the subject of a lot of my work. And I do find it to be a bit of an intimidating colour. Odd, right? Anyhoo, I had my eye on the clock because I needed to get home before noon. Why, you ask? Well, for very good reason....

detail

I had to check the status of my bid on an Edward B. Gordon original!!! Yup- you heard me! For those few of you that have been reading my blog since (almost) the beginning you will recall this post where I described the event of my first attempt at a bid on one of Edward's paintings. I was rather tentative to get in on the bidding process again, but just recently I decided to take a deep breath and test the waters. Sadly I lost several auctions due to swoopers (people who bid at the last possible second and steal the "highest bid" spot from you). And there were a couple of auctions where I was flat out of the running straight away. But I was determined to continue to try- otherwise I would never end up with one of Mr.Gordon's daily paintings and the thought struck me...  what if he stopped producing them before I had a chance to obtain one? There are no indications that he is getting tired of the exercise, and it has become very successful for him, but still, the "what if" was in the back of my mind. So I have been bidding here and there, desperately hoping that no high rollers show up. Much to my complete shock it turns out today was the day! I won the auction! I actually won!!! So I am now the proud owner of "Savignyplatz 15:30". I love all of Edward's work, but I seem to be drawn to his rendering of the female figure and now I will have one to admire and learn from in person. Yay!

It was a good good day.

The Reality Of It All

 Portal

7x7
sold

I found out earlier this week that another painting has sold! So that makes fifteen and I couldn't be more thrilled or appreciative. I don't think I will ever get used to the incredible feeling I get when I discover that not only does someone enjoy viewing my work, but actually loves a piece so much that they would want to spend their hard earned money to own it and live with it on a daily basis. It fills me with gratitude. When the Curator and I hung the show we both agreed that the space needed a few more pieces just to make it look full enough, so I zipped home to get a couple of abstract reflections that we had not included at our final cut meeting and I also brought two paintings that I was keeping for myself. This was one of them. Well the day of the reception came and a lovely couple that bought a painting at my last show wanted another painting to put with it. This is the one they wanted and with a bit of gentle persuasion (she was good at it), I agreed to let them have it. I'm a bit sad it isn't mine anymore, but I know it will look good with the one they have which is of the same dimension and called "Low Storm". Here is "Portal" shown at the gallery above the table with the guest book and you can also see on the wall the three paintings from my last post.

So the accident has affected me much more than I initially realized and that is why I haven't posted anything for over a week. I spent so much of the first week hyper-aware of the kids and how they were doing; making sure they felt safe and not too disrupted by the events that I forgot about myself a bit. Also, I think I have been feeling that because we survived such a horrible crash with very few injuries, I really shouldn't complain or feel anything but thankful when there are people that have been so much more worse off in accidents. In the end, however, the emotional side of my brain has won out and the rational side of my brain has been put on the back burner. I have had difficulty stopping the tears for the last few days and more aches and pains have appeared this week. The air bag and the impact have done a bit of a number on me and there have been moments where I just feel desperately sad. My boys are doing well, but they are nervous at intersections and ask often, "Mommy, is this where we had the crash?" and Tommy has been so teary at bedtime. They have both had bad dreams, but don't want to talk about them. I cannot believe that they had this frightening experience and it has been sobering to realize that John and I can't necessarily protect them from horrible things. I feel utterly panicky when I allow my head to go awful places, like what if something happened to them? What if they weren't here with me anymore? It is too much to even imagine and yet I know that there are parents who have been in this tragic position.

So after an emotional week I couldn't get through a four hour shift at my part-time job on Thursday night. I ended up leaving after two hours... in tears and in pain. I saw the Chiropractor on Friday (yesterday) morning and she put it into words... as she watched me cry through the entire session. She said I had a near death experience with my family and I needed to take care of myself. She said my body would not heal until I got rest and some sleep. So a new game plan was made. I went home that very day and slept all afternoon when the kids were at school. I took today off work without guilt (I usually work Thursday nights and all day Saturday). I went for a massage this morning and slept again this afternoon. Tonight some of my most wonderful girlfriends are gathering at one of their homes to eat yummy food with me and let me cry... and I am pretty sure they will also get me laughing. I made the painful decision to not be part of the studio's Open House tomorrow. I have always wanted to be part of it, and this year I thought it could work out, but this turn of events has got me too low on energy and I was unable to paint in a productive way the last two weeks.... and the majority of my work is at the gallery right now. It just isn't in the cards. I am trying to put a positive spin on it by saying to myself that next year I will have my own space in the studio to showcase my work the right way. And now this means that tomorrow I will be free to take the kids to the Santa Claus Parade! For the remainder of November I will not go to the studio. I am going to take my afternoons to rest, nap and do any treatments that seem necessary for my recovery. December will bring better things and a studio space of my own in which to create. I hope I will feel better and be able to approach my art with freshness at that time.

I still have lots more to share... like how I spoke with Irene this week, the wonderful woman who was there with her husband at the scene to help me and my family before the emergency crews arrived. She confirmed that we rolled one and a quarter times. And some amazing things the kids have said about the accident. And about the outpouring of friendship that many people have shown my family since this happened. And about my grandma's necklace. And so much more... but my husband has BBQ'd a delicious steak dinner for us, so I must go enjoy it and appreciate him.

Thank you for reading my blog and stay safe...please wear your seat belts and make sure the kids in your life are in the right car seats.

A Painting...Finally!

Elevated Blues

7x7"

oil on canvas

I went to the studio today! Yay! It felt great. My goal was to get something done so I could actually post some artwork. I pulled out this 7x7" canvas, did a quick base coat of cobalt violet (never tried that before) in acrylic and then painted some sumptuous clouds in oil over top. You can especially see some of the cobalt violet above the left cloud at the edge of the painting. So much fun. I think if you click on the image you will get a really large close-up of the colours and brush strokes in the clouds. I think this is done, however, after seeing it on the screen I am not sure about the diagonal line of sky between the clouds. Feedback is always appreciated if anyone sees a problem zone.

After I finished playing with this one I worked on the large canvas I started awhile ago which I am doing in acrylics. What an entirely different sensation going immediately from oils. I actually think it caused me to treat the acrylics in a more loose manner. I think the layers of this painting are starting to come together and by the time I left today I think there was a real sense of depth happening in my two-dimensional forest. And I listened to a disc I haven't heard in awhile... it was greatest hits by Simply Red. I loved that band back in the day. Hmmm...Mick Hucknall- not a conventional singer to have a crush on, but I did. I see from their website they are doing a farewell tour that would be pretty fantastic to see, but it doesn't look like they are coming to Canada. They have pumped out some great music in their time.

Although I was away from the studio, my creative spirit was in full gear the last couple of weeks, albeit in an entirely different way than usual. As I mentioned the other day it was Tommy's 6th birthday and for months now he has asked if he could have an Indiana Jones party. I thought that was so funny because he has never seen the show, but he knows about  the Lego toys and we saw the stunt show at Disney Hollywood Studios when we took the kids last year. I had the goal that for the first 6 years I would do parties for them at home as opposed to going out somewhere. Until they were about three the parties usually just involved family and maybe a litttle playmate, but for birthdays 4, 5 and 6 they have always had a theme and more friends. Although they have not been particularly expensive to do, they have been about putting our imaginations to use and as a result the planning and execution of them has been time consuming! So Tommy's request for an Indiana Jones party felt like the last "kick at the cat" so-to-speak. Tommy is six and this is the last creatively intense party I will do. It was bitter-sweet. 

Here is the low-down (just so you don't think I completely slacked off on my blogger vacation):

The invitation (which was made by my brother-in-law) set the whole thing up...it was Tommy's face photo-shopped onto an image of Indy with all of the details about the party, which was called "Indiana Ault and the Quest for the Black Widow's Cave".

A clue was included with the invitation and the kids had to bring it with them to the party. When they arrived we went to Barnett College (our basement) to see "Indiana Ault's" office (our desk area jazzed up with maps artifacts, and worldly postcards- thanks Auntie Karen) and do a scavenger hunt for things they would need on their adventure. They found things like a satchel, a piece of a map, markers/stakes for the archeological dig they were going to do, a flashlight, Indy's whip, a container of "bow darts",etc. We also put all the clues together that they brought with them which spelled "Black Widow's Cave" and that got them excited. 

Next stop was base camp which was set up on our deck in the back yard. That's where they found the big map that had the missing piece which they found on the scavenger hunt. From there we did the "adventures"  coming back to base camp after each one.  They had to:

1) swing over Snake River:

2) do an archeological dig for copper (rolls of pennies which became part of the loot bags) and mark where they found their treasure:

 3) shoot blow darts at Mola Ram (Q-tips with one end dipped in paint and then put in the end of a straw and blown at a poster):

 4) knock over a Tiki tribe (aluminum cans covered in paper with tiki heads drawn on) with the whip:

5) Retrieve the golden Buddha from the Temple of Doom (fort with green crepe paper strewn about for vines) and try to escape the boulder (exercise ball rolling down the slide after them):

6) discover the Black Widow's Cave (Little Tike's house covered in camo tarp with Halloween spider stuff around) where the final treasure would be found (loot bags):

After that it was cake, presents and playtime! Speaking of cake... thank you Auntie Jannie for your fantastic creation:

I was super stressed last week wondering why I put myself through all of this...especially a party that is so dependant on decent weather... and we had a crazy gale force sleet storm on Friday, two days before the party. However, it all came together in the end, even the weather, and it was sooo worth it. Tommy and Sam loved it. I hope these parties will be a source of great childhood memories. If the boys don't completely remember them I hope they will still enjoy the photos and scrapbook pages I will make of these memories. Like I said, it was not an expensive party to put on (thank you Dollarama)... it was really dependent on creative use of things I already had, imagination, the power of play and the rare commodity of time to plan and execute it... plus a bit of help from family!

And now that I am done tootin' my own horn I will make a disclaimer for any die-hard Indy fans that may read this... I realize this party in no way followed the true Indy adventures.... this is where the imagination thing came in! :) 

This Day

This Day
(revised)

7x7

oil on canvas

This was how I felt today. I felt like these colours. I felt like these marks. I felt light and I felt dark, but mostly I felt blue. This was my mood. 

So much was right today. I went for a wonderful brunch with two of my best friends at Calories which is one of my favorite restaurants. When I got home, all my boys were out. My husband left a message saying I should do my own thing; maybe paint or read my book (yes, I am now on the third book of the Twilight series- I could only stay away for a pathetic 24 hours). To top off all of this wonderfulness, I picked up my Edward B. Gordon painting, Savignyplatz 15:30, from the post office! (More on that in a bit). It all sounds idyllic, right? And yet I have been near tears for most of the day.

I ended up painting two 7x7 pieces in the quiet and solitude of my backyard on what was a beautiful summer's afternoon. I needed the "exercise", so first I did a painting for the Twenty Minute Challenge which I will post next time. Then I just played with oils. I tried to paint from an emotional place, but to give myself a bit of direction I envisioned the swirling reflections that I love to paint. This painting is what I ended up with. I have no idea if it is any good. But it is what I felt, so at least it is that. For me, it is this day, in oil paint.

 

Savignyplatz 15:30 is beyond my wildest dreams. It sounds impossible, but it is a thousand times better in person! I think I gasped when I took the lid off the perfect little box and saw it there in full living colour. It was packaged so beautifully in a box especially designed for it's size. Tied around the crisp white box was a citrus orange ribbon printed with Edward's name. Alongside this, I unexpectedly received an assortment of postcards which I will pin up in the studio for inspiration. The painting is a jewel. I have already stared at it several times exploring the brushstrokes that you just can't see clearly enough on a computer monitor. It is amazing and I can't believe it is mine!

Canoeing and Painting in the Wild - Day One, August 15

On August 15, 2013 I embarked on a CanoeSki adventure... a canoeing and painting trip that would take me farther north in this province than I had ever been. I was definitely nervous, I had never canoed before; well, I did once many years ago when I was at a conference in Muskoka where I had to participate in a team-building exercise involving a race through an obstacle course. My part of the race was to canoe with a partner, a guy I didn't know, out onto the lake, around a buoy and back to shore. We did not do well. Mostly because of me. At some point while we spun in circles we discovered that we had more success paddling backwards, so that is how we finished our leg of the race! We had a weak start, but we finished strong... albeit backwards. But I digress.

I was quite certain that whomever I got as a canoe buddy on this trip would not likely want to paddle the whole thing in reverse, so I hoped my co-ordination was better after about fifteen years of general life experience under my belt. Thankfully it was.

After a five hour drive and a delightful picnic lunch at a nearby campground, we made our way to Lynx Lake in the La Ronge area. This was the site of our launch and departure. We saddled up the canoes and took flight, or something like that. My canoe buddy, Erica, was a friend from Saskatoon who had much more experience than I had in the paddling department and I had more experience than her in the painting department, so we decided to tutor each other when needed. She took on the role of steering the canoe while I provided all of the brute strength up front. :)

Our journey to base camp was approximately seven kilometres with two portages. As we approached the first portage at the end of Lynx Lake I turned to take a photo of Erica only to discover a really dramatic sky behind her. It seemed far away at the time.

With one portage complete we paddled across Duck Lake and continued to see more beautiful scenery. The landscape was so much more rocky than I was used to; Erica and I kept raving, "Oooooh, it's sooooo pretty!"

As we were waiting for our turn to approach the second portage, the dramatic sky was nearing... at a somewhat alarming rate. Right around the time I took the below photo we saw a rapid firing of forked lightening in the sky behind me. Time to get off the water!

 The rain began when we had half of our gear across the second portage. It started off slowly,

with soft, gentle drops, but by the time all of the bags and canoes were across the portage things started to get quite interesting. The lightening arrived in full force and was hitting trees around us... and I mean all around us... we could see smoke and ash rising after a strike and the thunder was incredibly loud! Our assistant guide advised us to spread out and make ourselves as small as possible. The rain came in sheets and we were pelted by pea-sized hail. I remember sitting under the bushes watching the surface of the lake swirl and dance with the wind-blown rain. Because we were on the sheltered side of the portage none of us had a grasp on just how powerful the wind was, that is until trees started falling.

At one point I heard a crack and a snap only to see a tree right across from me go down.

And then there were more crashes... and then screams...

Our assistant guide, Lori, was hit on the arm and side of the head by falling trees and debris. I am not sure I have ever felt so freaked out by the weather. We were in the eye of the storm, so-to-speak, and we had nowhere to go. Finally after about forty-five minutes the down-pour subsided, but it was hard to know if the storm was truly over. After a bit of debate we decided we needed to take our chances and press on, we still had to get to the other side of Sulphide Lake. 

Our safe arrival on the shore of base camp was a relief. We were so thankful that everyone made it through the ordeal and that Lori, although bruised, was not seriously injured. The owner of the fishing camp, Vern Studer, had been concerned for us and didn't know where we might have been when the worst of the storm hit. He said that in all his years (50+) at the camp homestead he had never seen anything like what had just passed through! He had been in touch with the RCMP and they were on high alert for forest fires.

We unpacked and then acquainted ourselves with our surroundings. We walked a short path that took us through to another part of Sulphide Lake- a beautiful bay filled with lily pads where Vern docked his plane. Oh, and by the way, Vern is eighty-eight!

Finally we relaxed and enjoyed an absolutely delicious meal before we settled into our cabin for the night.

I think we were all still a bit shell-shocked by what we had been through. The whole "in the wild" part of the canoe trip had taken on a new meaning!

NOTE: All photos © Nicki Ault unless otherwise

Studio Buddy

my studio buddy 

© Nicki Ault, 2017

The plan for the day took a bit of a turn when we woke up yesterday morning and my youngest announced he had a sore throat. I had every intention of sending lunch to school with both my boys so I could take the full day to work on the commission. Painting has been going really well lately and I want to stay in the zone. Anyway, when he said he wasn't feeling well I stopped in my tracks. In my head I heard tires screeching to a halt. Or maybe it was the sound a record makes when someone lifts the needle, but kind of drags it along the record before fully lifting it off. Either way it was a sound you might hear in a cartoon and then silence as I scanned my brain for options. I actually said to myself  "recalculating".

In the end he came to the studio with me for a little while. I decided I to make lemonade from the small batch of lemons his sore throat handed me. We got him all set up with two chairs, a blanket, ginger ale, and his DS (he is under the blanket so he can see the screen better). I figured he could do this on the couch at home or he could do it in my studio. I was able to make a bit more headway on my painting which made me happy. I will have to make up for the lost hours in the coming days. I see some night-time sessions in my future.

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.