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.

Day For A Drive

Day For A Drive

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/day-for-a-drive/401828
sold

A soft day- fresh and calm, perfect for a drive in the country.

Cloud Swell Over Canola

Cloud Swell Over Canola

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/cloud-swell-over-canola/401601
sold 

Again, the clouds were fun to paint, but it was the canola that initially caught my eye.

Blue Corner

Blue Corner

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2015
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/nicki-ault/blue-corner/401182
sold

On the drive up to the lake the canola fields were glowing. It was quite the site- it made me wish I was the passenger so I could be taking pictures along the way. This painting was a playful experiment - the clouds were fun.

On another note, the other day I learned about an unfortunate and creepy website (wallpart.com) that is stealing artwork from the internet, then making and selling posters of the art which they have not received permission to use. Some of my work came up on the site as well as the work of many other artists I know. NOT COOL. The thing is, it actually seems like anyone who has ever put an image on the internet could be affected if that image can be found in a search. They are selling posters of personal images, too. Like I said, creepy. Big time. I have signed a petition to hopefully have the website removed. Seems like a long-shot, but I really have no other idea how to express my feelings on this. If you feel so inclined, here is a link to the petition and here is an article about this website. Thanks!

UPDATE: Please read this article for further information in regards to what the wallpart site is really about. Avoid that site altogether.

Rock Face

Rock Face

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2015

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

The landscape of northern Saskatchewan's Canadian Shield is breathtaking. I am still in awe of some of the sites I saw on the canoe trip in 2013.

A Corner Of Mekewap

A Corner Of Mekewap

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2015

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

I revisited the photos I took from the canoe trip two summers ago and found some more I wanted to paint. Mekewap is a lovely little fresh water, spring-fed lake that we had to portage into. There was a sweet tiny island where we had lunch and spent time painting. I kept thinking how fun it would be to camp there over night- it was so peaceful and isolated, and you wouldn't have to worry about bears!

On another note, we didn't end up fishing on the morning we planned. We woke up to strong winds- the lake was rolling...

... it sounded and looked like the ocean.

"The sea was angry that day my friends" ~ George Costanza (Seinfeld)

Pre-Sunset

Pre-Sunset

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2015

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

That soft, smokey, pinkish light that appears when there are forest fires happening north of your city...

Over The Canola

Over The Canola

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2015

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

I drove to the lake with my kids yesterday (my husband hasn't started his holidays yet) - what a spectacular show of clouds and canola! I painted this one for Lifestyles last week from an old photograph I took a few years ago and now I am really excited to paint from the handful of new images I took haphazardly through the windshield. The fields were glowing lemon yellow in some places and right before Rosthern I even saw a field of flax! Beautiful. Somewhere along the way was a gorgeous patch of canola with some sort of cluster of fuchsia wild flowers growing beside. It came and went so fast there was no time for a drive-by photo, but I may be able to recreate the impression if I get my paints out ASAP. But first things first, the kids want to go fishing and try out the new hooks Grampa bought them!

Before I forget, here is a picture of the display at Lifestyles with the new paintings I just dropped off...

Blue And Blonde

Blue And Blonde

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2015

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery
sold

We've finally had some rain... those blue puddles signify sweet relief to a parched land. We've been needing it here in the prairies, but even more so up north in the forests where the fires have been relentless. The good news is they have had rain as well. Some of the evacuees have recently been able to return home and more will go in the next forty-eight hours. I am so happy for them. I can't imagine how difficult it has been. I think of those who have had to stay in the soccer centre with three hundred other people sleeping on cots just feet apart. It's hard enough for adults, but can you imagine if you had babies or small children? Very hard times.