Black Cloud

 Water Striders series:

Quick Step  sold

Hip Hop  sold

Jive  sold

each 10x10"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2009

My show at STM Gallery will be over in seven days which is hard to believe. It has gone extremely fast, but then again it has been a month of unusual and surreal circumstances that have shifted my mind's attention. These three paintings are in the show and two of them have sold to separate buyers. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of painting them. I actually worked on all three at the same time. I had never done that before and haven't tried it again since, but would like to if I can find suitable inspiration. I had the canvases lined up and I would move from one to the other making marks and laying down the paint to create the mood of each piece. In the show they are exhibited by one of the largest Water Strider paintings I have done to date.It was posted early on when I started this blog, but here it is again:

Water Striders: Big Broadway Number

30x40"

acrylic on canvas
© Nicki Ault,2009
NFS

I really enjoy the layering process in these paintings... on this largest one I prepped the canvas with really runny washes and let the paint naturally drip and streak. As I worked up the paint and layered with more opaque strokes I would consciously leave some of that underpainting showing through. I love the effect of finding these little surprises of dripping paint as your eye moves around the canvas.

This black cloud is getting to be a bit of a joke... seriously... not a very funny joke... but if I don't laugh at it I might cry! I was feeling like my posts had been a bit gloomy so I didn't want to share the fact that we had more illness in our house last week. John had a funny bug at the start of the week, then on Tuesday after supper Tommy started saying his tummy was not feeling good and by bedtime he was throwing up, etc. He had a rough 12 hours and then it was gone, leaving him exhausted, but otherwise okay. On Thursday at about 4:30 I was about to have a shower and get ready for the Jann Arden concert (one of my favorite Canadian singers that I have always wanted to see live), but I started getting this feeling in my tummy. I remember thinking, "Humph, that's funny" and then by 5:00 I was phoning my best pal Nancy to take my ticket for the concert because I was pretty sure I would be barfing, etc. within the hour. Yup, I called that one! I had a rough 10 hours and then it was over leaving me exhausted the next day. Now today John had to go out of town for work and what happens??? Tommy is cranky after school and has a fever by suppertime with a sore throat!!! Luckily my sister was visiting so she stayed with Sammy and I headed to the doctor with Tommy. Diagnosis: Strep Throat. I do believe that I need to start a new blog which I will call "Nicki Ault: My Life As Schleprock".

However, a ray of sunshine broke through the black cloud....today my newest treasure, "Tattooed Bridge" by Pierre Raby arrived. It is spectacular! When I got home after my ultrasound (to check my innards post-accident), I was so excited to find the box in the front porch that I tracked through the house in my snowy winter boots to get the scissors so I could open it immediatement! (a little French in honour of Pierre) It is even more stunning and mind blowing in person. I really can hardly stop looking at it. Honestly... do yourself a favour and win one of his auctions on Ebay. You will not be sorry. His painting recently posted on Dec.9 called "Winter Solstice" is crazy good and is calling to me, tempting me....

Take care everyone and buckle those little ones up!