Dusk, Main Beach, Waskesiu

Dusk, Main Beach, Waskesiu

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/dusk-main-beach-waskesiu/408939
sold 

This one challenged me and although it may not be my biggest success story, I am very happy I persevered and did not wipe the board the many, many, many times I felt like wiping it during the process. It's an attempt to capture that gray time of day when all the world's colours are muted and slipping into the night.

Silver Sky, Waskesiu

Silver Sky, Waskesiu

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/silver-sky-waskesiu/408510 
sold 

​Sometimes sunsets are spectacularly otherworldly... and sometimes they are subtle, soft and silver. This was one of those times.

This seems to be the year of small paintings. I recently looked through my file of paintings completed so far in 2015 and I am a bit shocked to realize that the majority of the work is 12 x 12 or smaller. Not that there is a problem with that per se, but it explains my desire to get a big canvas on that easel. I feel like I have been painting in snippets- at least for the past two or three months. That is how it is in the summer when the kids are out of school. It is hard to commit to a large piece because although I might be able to get it started, it could be days or even weeks before I could put more time into it. At least with small work I feel like I can accomplish something. Aside from the factor of time, I also have to make sure Lifestyles has inventory to sell and I have to get ready for the Solar Gardens show (September) and those are both require small paintings.

Anyway, the bottom line is I am beginning to feel impatient with myself to produce something big! Maybe you are too!

Out On The Grids

Out On The Grids

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
(commission)
sold

Happily, this painting is actually a commission requested by a collector who already has two of my 6x6's. It is now en route to Edmonton to join the others.

I am extremely grateful to those who have found a way to support me in my artistic endeavors, whether by generous comments here or on Facebook, by attending my various shows and events, by stopping in to see my work at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery, by messaging me or emailing to express a connection to what I am doing and, of course, by purchasing something I create. I value each and every form of encouragement and support. It makes me want to power through the rough spots. It makes me want to get better, to learn, to grow. It makes me want to show you I am worthy of your time.

As a side note, I have to pinch myself to realize that I actually have "collectors" and I am not just dreaming! What?! Who knew that was possible when I began this adventure six years ago?

Moss Illuminated, Boundary Bog

Moss Illuminated, Boundary Bog

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/moss-illuminated-boundary-bog/407595
sold 

Boundary Bog is a hiking trail just inside the park gates of Prince Albert National Park on highway 264. I hiked it with my family as a young girl and now it is fun to walk the trail with my kids. The moss beds found here make you feel like you are in another world. Every time I see them I want to lay down; to sink into that plush ground in a warm sunbeam and take a nap. When the sunlight hits the green of the moss it glows a luscious chartreuse and I feel compelled to capture that feeling in paint. It very well might be one of my favourite things.

Speaking of favourite things... the other day, Friday, my family and I had quite a scare. My dear Dad fainted while doing some yard work at the lake- he landed hard and broke his hip. It was a crazy, stressful weekend with doctors and emergency and hospital rooms and surgery, but thankfully one of my very favourite people on this planet is now home and doing well. Any positive thoughts you might have to spare would be greatly appreciated.

Purple Rain At Sunset, Kapasiwin

Purple Rain At Sunset, Kapasiwin

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2015

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

Break In The Clouds, Fairy Island

Break In The Clouds, Fairy Island

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2015

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

Option number two for the Lifestyles customer. I am curious to know which one she will choose. Maybe neither!

Soft Day At Fairy Island, Emma Lake

Soft Day at Fairy Island, Emma Lake

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel 

© Nicki Ault, 2015

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

I got a call from lovely Moira at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery saying that a customer was interested in my paintings, but she wanted one from Emma Lake. Since none were on hand at the store or at my studio it only made sense to create a couple of new ones. I painted two options for her and hopefully she will be happy with one. Above is the first.

Kingsmere River

Kingsmere River

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/kingsmere-river/40609
sold

My family and I hiked several trails in the Waskesiu area this summer. The Kingsmere River Trail was interesting for the kids to see because for part of it there is a long portage with rail tracks and little carts for canoes and small boats. The Kingsmere River Trail is not a loop, the way you walk in is the way you walk out. We turned around at Southend where there were actually several people camping... lots of canoes on the shoreline of Kingsmere Lake (where the river leads). Slightly away from the camping area was a tall structure with a platform at the top for food storage and a hinged ladder that could easily be moved to and from the platform. Seeing this made me happy that the kids wanted to get a bear bell for our hikes! There must be a name for this structure, but I don't know what it is. Anyway, we did not encounter any wildlife other than an aggressive male deer who did a fake-out lunge at our van as we passed him. It freaked us all out- I have never seen an animal do that and I was glad we weren't biking when we passed him.

Path To The Beach, McPhee

Path To The Beach, McPhee

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/path-to-the-beach-mcphee/405830
sold 

I haven't had any time to create in the last week. That is until yesterday. In fact, it looks like I will be able to paint every day this week while the kids are in day camps. I spent the day organizing, prepping a large board for a commission, painting two 6 x 6's and having a visit with my studio mate, Bridget Aitken. It felt great to accomplish a list of things.

Above is one of the results of yesterday's efforts. I really like it! I was not sure I could pull off the effect of the shadow side of the path against the light side, but I think it worked fairly well.

I am anxious to paint on a larger scale, and I will soon, but I also have to get a bunch of 6 x 6's ready for the booth I will have at Solar Gardens in September. I did the one day show last year, but this year it will be both Saturday and Sunday. There is always the fear of no sales. When you commit time and money to these things you want to feel like it was worth your while and one of the best measures of that is sales. In the end, however, all you can do is be prepared and ready to talk to the wonderful people who attend. I've just ordered new business cards from Vistaprint, so if nothing else I will hand a bunch of them out!

Waskesiu River Reflection

Waskesiu River Reflection

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/waskesiu-river-reflection/404033
sold 

I was at the lake with my boys for a glorious two and a half weeks last month and the 6x6's I have been posting recently were all done in that time. They are such a manageable size to travel with and to store in a small cabin (in a dish rack under the couch!). I am, however, getting anxious to bring out some larger canvases, some bigger brushes and squeeze more paint onto the palette. Ideas are starting to brew and I look forward to getting back to serious studio work next month. Can you believe September is looming?

Farewell July

Farewell July

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/farewell-july/403613
sold 

It is not an easy thing painting sunsets and I am not sure I hit the mark with all of them, but for some reason I can't stop trying. The thing is that sunsets can come off cliché or cheesy- the colours can seem unreal or made up. However, if you saw the sunsets I saw at Waskesiu Lake in July you would know that the intense colours are very much real. There were one or two sunsets that had me shaking my head in disbelief. At days end it is such a beautiful gift to wander down to the beach, quietly wait for the changes in the sky and be witness to such breathtaking loveliness.

*as a side note... (something that is no big whoop to anyone but me)... this is my 800th post! Thanks for continuing to stop by!

The Sun Settling Down

The Sun Settling Down

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/the-sun-settling-down/403428
sold 

There have been so many gorgeous sunsets in Waskesiu this summer; no two are alike. I love the look of the colourful light passing through the pine trees lining the beach. Dreamy.

Island - Third Heart Lake

Island - Third Heart Lake

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/island-third-heart-lake/402981
sold 

This is where we dropped anchor on the third Hanging Heart Lake and my kids began to fish. Sadly a handful of casts later and my dad spotted lightening. That ended that, but we still enjoyed the adventure even if it was short-lived.

Serene Day - Hanging Heart Lakes

Serene Day - Hanging Heart Lakes

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/serene-day-hanging-heart-lakes/402593
sold 

A day in the boat. It involved a trip down memory lane as I enjoyed visiting the Hanging Heart Lakes in Waskesiu with my dad and my two children. I hadn't been there for probably two decades or more- my memories were vague, but new ones were made. They now involve a scenic ride through two channels to the third Heart Lake, unfortunately hitting some rocks with the propeller along the way. We set up anchor by the island on the third lake; my kids cast their fishing rods a handful of times but then my dad spotted lightening. Bleep! Not wanting to take any risks we packed it in and headed back to dry land. No fish, wet everything. Bent propeller. Bleep!

Funny thing is, my kids will never forget that day. Grampa was a champ showing them how to cast and slowly reel the line in to try to trick the fish. Better yet he showed them how to handle risky weather in a smart way and also how to be a class act when something you love is damaged unexpectedly. It was a really good day by unconventional standards.

Canola In Sunbeam

Canola In Sunbeam

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/canola-in-sunbeam/402184
sold 

Canola, if all goes well, is a gorgeous, glowing beacon of all things good on the prairies. When the sun lights it up, there is nothing like it. July gave us some great canola moments this year.