Early Morning, Late September- Meewasin

Early Morning, Late September- Meewasin

36 x 60"

oil on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2014
sold

This was hard to photograph, but hopefully you get the jist. This is the largest canvas I have painted to date- it is BIG. I spent a lot of time ruminating over the image and the canvas size and finally I decided to get off the pot and just do it! The three Meewasin studies I showed you over the last month led up to this painting. It had been awhile since I painted from my Meewasin reference photos, so the studies helped me feel more confident in tackling this three foot by five foot bad boy.

We are so lucky in Saskatoon to have such a stunning riverbank. The Meewasin trail follows both the east and west side of the river and the bridges connect it. The colours in the fall are spectacular, but it is beautiful in all seasons. Right now it is green and lush. After the Winter and Spring we experienced this year people are out enjoying the parks and paths, making good use of this public space. I hate to think about it, but it won't be long before the colours change and we see the oranges, golds and yellows again.

Viewpoint, Georgian Bay

Viewpoint, Georgian Bay

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2014
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/viewpoint-georgian-bay/246874

I continue to distill the experience from my trip to Georgian Bay last October. The date of our show is looming and last week we, Bridget, Jackie and I, met with the curator of St. Thomas More Gallery where the exhibition will be held. All seems in order and the next stage is for the invitations to be made. We have decided that the artists' reception will be on September 12 from 7-9 p.m., so mark your calendars. Everything is coming together and it is all quite exciting.

Our Show at Green Ark

Tomorrow is the reception at Green Ark (see address in above poster) and most of the artists will be in attendance. Please come if you can.

Pre-Cambrian Beach, Georgian Bay

Pre-Cambrian Beach, Georgian Bay

36 x 48"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2014

Things are going down- life is happening! Tonight Bridget, Jackie and I meet with the Curator of St. Thomas More Gallery to preview our work for the upcoming show based on our October 2013 trip to Georgian Bay. I feel excited and optimistic about the work we will have to offer and I can hardly wait to see the entire show hung together. I'd be lying if I didn't also say that I felt nervous and somewhat insecure, but never-the-less I will suck it up and put myself "out there" once again.

Above is my most recent work for the Georgian Bay show based on "Moody on Flat Rock Beach, Georgian Bay" which sold earlier this year. I loved that painting and I decided I wanted something similar to be shown with my collection of paintings for our show, so I painted a new version that expanded the scene and expressed a different mood.

This was the beach right in front of our home-base, our cottage on the bay. I spent precious, quality time by myself on this beach thinking about life, love, people, the future and the best two things in my life- my boys. It is here that I scoured the rocky beach looking for perfect fossils to take home for them so that they would know they were in my thoughts while I was away and that I had missed them. In the end, although my kids thought the fossils were cool, I think the emotions behind the gifts were lost on them. C'est la vie.

Prairie Dugout On A Magazine Cover!

I've been sitting on this news for awhile. I've been waiting for my copies of the magazine to arrive, but I can't wait any longer. One of my 8x8" paintings, "Prairie Dugout", is on the cover of the Spring 2014 issue of The Canadian Organic Grower Magazine! The theme of the issue is dugouts and watersheds, so when the editor found my painting while searching online she requested a one-time use of the image. How cool is that? 

*I believe "Prairie Dugout" is still available at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery.

Prospect Point Storm, Waskesiu

Prospect Point Storm, Waskesiu

6 x 6"

oil on board

 © Nicki Ault, 2014
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/prospect-point-storm-waskesiu/243915

Painting number two from my time at the lake. I had hoped for three times that, but that seems to be the way painting has gone for me lately. Too many distractions, too much time procrastinating, too many little things that need to get done. Basically life stuff. I am going to be on a painting mission for the next two weeks because the kids are signed up for some day camps which means I am going to get serious! It will be all business for me.... unless anyone wants to meet for coffee.

Wind and Whitecaps, Waskeisu

Wind and Whitecaps, Waskesiu

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2014
sold
 http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/wind-and-whitecaps-waskesiu/243733

I brought my boys and paint supplies up to the lake the other day. Waskesiu is where I spent my summers growing up and it is really quite captivating watching my kids develop a love for the place. They are so free-spirited up here; the townsite/park is their backyard and they can explore freely without me feeling the need to hover and check on them constantly. I have come along way as a helicopter mom... which is kind of my generation. I am more and more of the opinion that we don't give our kids enough credit and they are capable of much more than we think. At any rate, up here at the lake we all relax a bunch and the rules loosen up. I think it feels good for all of us.

We have been here for a few days and I had planned to paint each day, but procrastination got the best of me and then when I finally got ready to paint last night, with the encouragement from a friend, a storm blew threw and the power went out leaving us in the dark for a few hours. By the time the lights were back on the mood to paint had passed and I just went to bed. Today, however, I was on a mission to get something done. The wind was blowing hard across the lake, many trees came down in the last 24 hours and the water was absolutely rolling! It sounded like the ocean. Waves were crashing over the breakwater near the main beach, but it wasn't really stormy anymore. The water was a wild green/yellow colour. The sky was slightly cloudy and also hazy due to the forest fires further north, but overall it looked quite calm juxtaposed against the "surf". 

A Group Show!

The Shield, La Ronge

48 x 36"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2013
sold

My colleagues at the Studio on 20th and I are hanging a group show on Monday, July 14 at The Green Ark, a lovely furniture boutique a few doors down. We will each have one piece in the show and The Shield will represent me. I look forward to seeing this eclectic group of work and if you are around please stop by the reception on Thursday, July 24 from 7-9 p.m.

Canoeing and Painting In The Wild

Last August I went on the first ever "Canoeing and Painting in the Wild" trip to Lac La Ronge Provincial Park. Aside from experiencing an epic storm as we crossed our last portage, the adventure was peaceful, stunningly beautiful and quite productive. The food was ridiculously delicious and far exceeded my expectations. Among other tasty things, we had coconut rice pudding, homemade stew and some sort of delicious fried cheese as an appetizer one night. So good. It was hard to believe it all came out of backpacks and coolers. Our homebase was rustic and cozy- I slept so well after all of the fresh air and exercise and painting. I loved the feeling of seclusion- there was nobody around for miles, just sounds of nature going about its business. The opportunity to escape from the city was just what I needed and I returned feeling strong, proud and like I accomplished something not many people have done.

Cliff is in the process of taking registration for the second "Canoeing and Painting in the Wild" adventure which will run in August. If this sounds like it might be up your alley, really think about it. If you have any questions he would be happy to answer them for you (his contact info is in the above poster) or if I can help in some way, you can always contact me through this blog, my Facebook page or at nicki.ault@shaw.ca. You will be awed by the beauty found on Sulphide Lake.

P.S. In the poster I am the first person in the canoe on the right.