Saturday, August 27, 2016

Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery - The Last Day Is...

Earlier this year I shared with you that Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery was going to be closing. Well, the day is fast approaching. Their last day of business will be on Saturday, September 3. All inventory, excluding artist-owned work, has been reduced by 50%. My 8x8 inch original artwork is still on display and for sale until that time and my three large floral pieces are also available in the back room.


 
I am beyond grateful that I had the opportunity to show and sell my art in this stunning shop that Darrell created. He has been wonderful to work with and someone I now consider a friend and mentor. I am so excited for him and the next chapter of his life, which I do believe will include much more painting time!

Thursday, August 25, 2016

One Week Left!

The Kingsmere
36 x 30"
oil on canvas
© Nicki Ault, 2016
available

Thank you so much to the University Club (formerly the Faculty Club) at the University of Saskatchewan for showcasing my art for the last four months! And thank you for the sales that have taken place! I will be taking the show down on the morning of Friday, September 2nd so if you haven't had an opportunity to see the show you have one more week to get there.

Walk In The Meadow
30 x 30"
oil on canvas
© Nicki Ault, 2015
NFS

Morning Paddle, Sulphide Lake
24 x 48"
oil on canvas
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold
 
 Sky Over Canola
24 x 36"
oil on canvas
© Nicki Ault, 2015
sold

The Birch
48 x 30"
oil on canvas
© Nicki Ault, 2015
sold


These paintings and more...!


Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Island Reflection, Heart Lakes

Island Reflection, Heart Lakes
6 x 6"
oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

Another lovely view I enjoyed from the pontoon boat tour I took earlier this month. The reflections were clear and slightly distorted by the rippling of the water.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

The Point, Heart Lakes Marina, Waskesiu

The Point, Heart Lakes Marina, Waskesiu
6 x 6"
oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

If you have ever been to the marina at the Heart Lakes you have seen this point of land. In fact a trail goes through the forest and ends at this very spot where a couple of old homemade, wooden, moss covered and weathered benches sit overlooking the lake. I was able to take a photo of them from the pontoon boat when I took the tour of the lakes.

 
benches at the point
© Nicki Ault, 2016

I am so thankful that my friend and neighbor at the lake loved this painting when she saw it right after it was painted. She told me that she has taken many many photos of this very place, but none of them made her as happy as this painting. So she bought it!

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Road Closed

Road Closed
6 x 6"
oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2016
won by Cindy Gillet (DPW contest)

When I drove out to Aberdeen last month I came across this old road. There was something very appealing about it to me; its disheveled, over-grown, leading-to-nowhere state juxtaposed against the bold, under control canola fields on either side struck me as something I wanted to try to paint. There was actually a sign posted nearby that said "road closed" so that seemed like the natural title for the painting.

Friday, August 19, 2016

The Channel, Heart Lakes

The Channel, Heart Lakes
6 x 6"
oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

My pontoon boat tour of the Heart Lakes earlier this month was a real highlight of the summer. It was an absolutely gorgeous day on the water and I was able to get many great reference photos to use for my my art. This view is of the channel that will take us from the second Heart Lake back to the first where the marina is located. On the way back I was lucky enough to see a Great Blue Heron standing on the shore. At first glance and from a distance it looked like a big ol' dead tree stump, but then it moved. Now that was a big bird!

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Clouds Rising Over Flax And Canola

Clouds Rising Over Flax And Canola
6 x 6"
oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2016
 sold

This painting is a bit made-up, although inspired by my trip out to Aberdeen last month to check out the fields of canola and flax. I love the lone tree that sits on the border of the two fields.

As usual I am having trouble getting an accurate photo of the colour of the purpley-blue field of flax. I think it is time to investigate getting a new camera. I love how compact my little point-and-shoot Canon Powershot Elph 100 HS is, and it has served me well, but I am wondering if I could be getting truer images with a more professional camera. I don't want to break the bank, however. Any thoughts and suggestions would be most welcome. I have heard lots of great things about Canon Rebels (I am a bit of a Canon fan), but really have not been keeping up with the newest cameras out there. Several artists at the studio where I paint have a photographer who comes in every few months to take pictures of their work, but I post on my blog frequently enough that it is not a practical option for me. I would love to know, if you are an artist what kind of camera do you use to get great photos of your work?

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Dusk Above Main Beach, Waskesiu

Dusk Above Main Beach, Waskesiu
6 x 6"
oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

Well, this one presented some challenges! How do you paint the edge of water on the shore? How do you paint the wet, smooth sand that remains after the water recedes? How do you paint dry sand that is churned up by footprints? How do you balance this particular viewpoint in a composition? How do you capture the feel of dusk? How do you resist the urge to wipe the board clean when you feel like giving up?! These answers and more to be found on another day!

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

A Show In St. Catharines, Ontario!


paintings heading to St. Catharines, Ont.
photo © Nicki Ault, 2016

I am so excited to tell you that I have been invited to participate in a show in St. Catharines, Ontario! This is my third time showing my work out-of-province and I am so appreciative of this opportunity. I was contacted last month by the Producer of the show and once I got the details I knew I had to find a way to make it happen. With her more-than-generous offer to allow me to ship my work directly to her and then her offer to return any unsold work back to me, I knew my answer had to be "yes"! She certainly didn't owe me any such kindness- we have never met or spoken before. She is just an artist doing another artist a solid. I am most humbled by her generosity of spirit.

The show is on Friday, September 16th as part of the HandMade Market running that same weekend at the 13th Street Winery in St. Catharines, Ontario. The show is called "A Square Affair" and is comprised solely of 12" x 12" pieces of original artwork. I am so honoured to be invited along with about twenty-nine other artists to have my work offered in this unique show; artists such as Kim Rempel, Jennifer Elliotson, Jennifer Woodburn, and Barbara-Jean Lovell. Wow! You just never know where each day will lead you! 

Here are the paintings I sent for the show:

Golden Reflection, Lynx Lake
12 x 12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

Prairie Layers
12 x 12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold
 
Severe Weather Warning
12 x 12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
available
 
The Riffle, Waskesiu River
12 x 12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold
 
Thistles And Wild Spaces
12 x 12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold
 
If you happen to live near St. Catharines try to see if you can make it to the show on Friday, September 16th. All of the pieces are being sold at a set price of $195.00 + HST and are on a first come first served basis. There is a viewing of the art starting at 11:00 a.m. but work is not officially for sale until 7:00 p.m. with a queue starting at 6:30 p.m. It sounds like so much fun!
Note: This is a really great price for many of the works in the show. My 12x12's usually sell for $300.00.

Friday, August 12, 2016

The Riffle, Waskesiu River

The Riffle, Waskesiu River
12 x 12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

I love painting this river. It is amazing how it has changed over the last few years. Not that long ago it was so high and rushing so fast that there was no tall grass at all to be seen near the edges let alone in the middle of the river. And now the rocks and "riffle" are exposed. There is a beautiful hike I have done with my kids that starts along one side and goes deep into the forest, then comes back toward the river to a boardwalk that passes over the river and continues on the other side. One section of the trail has several signs that warn of wolves. I have seen wolves on two occasions in all my days at the lake and one time actually was at the edge of the forest along the road approaching the river. Makes me think those signs on the trail are legit!

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Golden Reflection, Lynx Lake

Golden Reflection, Lynx Lake
12 x 12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

A scene from the 2013 canoe trip which I interpreted from a photo shared with me by my paddle buddy, Erica Bird.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Prairie Layers

Prairie Layers
12 x 12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

This is a soft, subtle interpretation of the fields on the Saskatchewan prairies in July. A bold strip of canola in the distance, a softer ripening green field in the middle ground and a fringe of wild grasses and weeds in the foreground. The gentle theme is continued in the mostly clear, big Saskatchewan sky.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

By The Boat Launch, Lynx Lake

By The Boat Launch, Lynx Lake
12 x 12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
available

Here is the second of two paintings recently delivered to The Black Spruce Gallery at Northside just before Christopher Lake. I really love creating these reflections. This particular viewpoint was right where we launched our canoes and started our somewhat epic journey to the fishing camp on Sulphide Lake in 2013. Three lakes, two portages and a death defying storm later certainly made it feel epic to moi who had never canoed before, ever. Here is a link to "Canoeing and Painting In The Wild". The 2016 adventure is about to kick off this Thursday! I hope they have fun.

Monday, August 8, 2016

East End, King's Island, Waskesiu

East End, King's Island, Waskesiu
12 x12"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

I almost forgot to post the two recent paintings I delivered to The Black Spruce Gallery on the August long weekend (actually my parents kindly delivered them for me). I was asked by the gallery owner to create a couple of paintings along the lines of "Revisiting Lynx Lake", so this is the first one. I do love the challenge of creating a watery refection.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

As They Drive Away, I Settle In!

off they go!
© Nicki Ault, 2016

I rarely make blog posts that don't involve showing you a painting, but today is an exception. I am on holidays! Like actual holidays. Like holidays from real day-in-and-day-out life as I know it!

You see, I have four days at the cabin to myself. My family was with me on the weekend, but they left for home yesterday and I stayed behind. Don't get me wrong, I will miss them. I love my boys. But I am embracing the quiet. And, people, it is quiet. Not silent, but quiet. There is nobody arguing about who is sitting too close to who on the couch, or making poop and fart jokes (when does that end?), or squirting water from a water bottle at an unsuspecting brother, or not answering me when I ask a question (cue husband). The cabin is tidy; I cleaned right after they left and it will stay like this. And I am not responsible for feeding anyone. Just me. And there are enough cooks in the restaurants up here who would like to feed me that I may just take advantage of that!

As I type this morning, I am sitting on the deck lake in my jammies and fleece jacket (it is a bit cool), drinking coffee (unfortunately I make a lousy cup of joe) and listening to trees rustle, birds chirp, and people jog and bike by (probably what I should be doing instead of blogging). I feel calm and relaxed. This is what I needed. For awhile now I knew I needed something and now I know what. I needed me. The me that is the other side of being a wife and mother. The me I used to find at the Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus. The me that slowly gets tucked away in the daily operations of life.

Yesterday afternoon, when my holiday got underway, I gassed up the van and took a drive to McPhee Lake, the Waskesiu River and a few other scenic places I enjoy. In the evening I set up and began painting for an upcoming show- more to come on this exciting opportunity.

my lake studio
© Nicki Ault, 2016

I felt giddy and silly. I rarely take selfies, but last night the mood struck.

no make-up, no hair product, no worries
© Nicki Ault, 2016

awkward angle back of head selfie
© Nicki Ault, 2016

looking up at the trees from the deck
© Nicki Ault, 2016
blurry, starting-to-lose-my-light shot
© Nicki Ault, 2016

end of evening fire pot
© Nicki Ault, 2016

I will get the paintings I need for this particular show done today and tomorrow because they have to dry in time for shipping, then I will get my little boards out and go on a few painting adventures! Please come back to see what comes of my holiday!

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Flax, Canola And Popcorn Clouds

Flax, Canola And Popcorn Clouds
8 x 8"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
available exclusively at Lifestyle By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

Here is the last of the four new paintings I delivered to Lifestyles last week. As I have been posting them here and on Facebook I have received a lot of interest, inquiries and comments. Thank you!

Monday, August 1, 2016

Top Heavy on Sulphide Lake

Top Heavy On Sulphide Lake
8 x 8"
oil on cradled panel
© Nicki Ault, 2016
available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

The forest on Sulphide Lake was put through the wringer after the Spruce bud worms made their rounds in 2013. I haven't been back since my canoe/painting trip that summer. Some areas were ravaged. What I am wondering now is what remains after the massive forest fires of 2015?

me canoeing
 photo © Erica Bird, 2013