Walk In The Meadow

Walk In The Meadow

30 x 30"

oil on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2015

I have really been enjoying myself at the studio these days. I have been trying to paint new and different prairie landscapes (for me)- I feel energized in a way that I haven't felt for awhile. "Walk In The Meadow" is another attempt to be bold and interesting with my brushstrokes and mark-making, while at the same time thinking about some of the things I have learned at Atelier 2302. I am well aware that this painting is nowhere near what the masters would have produced, but for me it represents the fact that I am thinking about things that I never even understood pre-Atelier 2302. For that I am grateful. I have a long way to go, but I am willing to play the long game.

Aside from this experimenting, I am also stretching my wings for the group show I have at Hues Art Supply in June with Bridget Aitken and Jacqueline Faye Miller. We are all trying to paint out of our comfort zone and that has me vibrating a bit. I have painted some real duds for this show (they will be on the cutting room floor), but a few have worked out and that has me really excited. I think this is exactly what I needed to get me out of my slump and I thank my colleagues, Bridget and Jackie, for pushing me to a new place and I thank Paul Trottier at Hues Art Supply for giving me a reason to do so. I will show you the work that makes it to the exhibition once it is decided.

The Mann Gallery Winter Festival Juried Show and Sale

The Shield, La Ronge

48 x 36"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2013

The Shallows, Georgian Bay

30 x 30"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2013

Two years ago my goal for the year was to organize and be part several shows and to work hard at getting my name and paintings "out there". I think I did something like three solo shows, four group shows and participated in a handful of artisan markets. I was tired by the end of all that! Last year my goal was to take the time to learn and find new inspiration, so I took classes at the new Atelier in town and went on some fantastic adventures to paint and take resource photos; a plein air painting and canoe trip to the La Ronge area of northern Saskatchewan, a week-long painting trip to Georgian Bay with two friends and a day of four-wheelin' it through the prairie country-side with another friend. A lot was accomplished in those two years.

With the beginning of a new year I have decided, with hesitation, that this will be the year of taking chances, taking risks and challenging myself. I say that with hesitation because I do wonder if I have the guts to follow through with some of my ideas. Time will tell. The good news is that I have already taken on a risk... yesterday I submitted two paintings (the ones you see above) to The Mann Gallery Winter Festival Juried Art Show and Sale. This is the 38th annual show and sale for the public gallery in Prince Albert, SK which is about an hour and a half north of Saskatoon where I live. I know several people who have submitted work over the last few years- some of them with great success, winning prizes and awards and even having their work purchased for the gallery's permanent collection. At any rate, the risk involved is that this show has jurors who may or may not like what they see! Ack! But I don't want to be a chicken and take the safe road all the time. It is uncomfortable to be put in the position of judgment, especially in front of your peers, but I think it is the next step on my journey. So I did it, despite my initial attempts at finding excuses as to why I couldn't send anything.  My friends Bridget Aitken and Jackie Miller (who I traveled with to Georgian Bay) took a car-load of submissions to the gallery yesterday, including mine, and there will be a big opening on February 7th. I hope to go, but my husband will be away, so we will see if I can work something out.

So now that I have stated that this will be a year of taking on challenge and risk, I guess I better follow through or you might call me on it in December!