Delicate Balance

Delicate Balance

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2017

sold

The fun continues with these sunset reflections.

The Last Of It

The Last Of It

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2017

sold

It's minus 30-something degrees Celsius (with the wind) where I live... it is a treat to be painting these sunset reflections; dreaming of warm summer nights, rippling water lapping at the shore, the setting sun glowing on the horizon and the sound of crickets... and maybe even the odd mosquito!

Cross Hatch Reflection And One Thousand Posts

Cross Hatch Reflection

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2017

sold

Deep Breath.

Okay. 

This day is a bit of a milestone for me.

Today this painting is marking... drum-roll.... ONE THOUSAND blog posts since I started Nicki Ault: Me, Myself and Who Am I?

That is a crazy number. Crazy!

This does not mean that since August 2009 I have painted one thousand paintings because there have been some posts that are not about new paintings, BUT it does mean I have written a lot and yes, painted a lot. And it means you are still checking in, here and on Facebook and more recently on Instagram. I am eternally grateful. That may sound dramatic, but it is true. I am truly grateful for your interest and support. I love painting. I LOVE it. Really it is all I want to do. Sometimes it is all I feel I have the energy for. I have to say that my motivation is at an all time high and I honestly attribute this to the mind-blowing artists I have found during my brief time on Instagram. I have no idea why I waited so long to join, but better late than never. Rather than being intimidated and feeling inadequate, I have felt inspired, energized and awed by what creative people are doing "out there".

Thank You! 

I am ready to take on the next thousand posts!

Late Afternoon Hot Spot

Late Afternoon Hot Spot

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2017

sold

Well this was fun to paint! So fun I had to return to the studio last night to finish it and then paint another sunset reflection!

Good news... I sent an image of the big commission to my client and he loved it! Once it is dry I will be shipping it off to Portland, Oregon! I need to get a big world map and start putting pins on all the places where my art is hanging.

Uncertain Sky

Uncertain Sky

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2017

available

For this, I partly used a really bad reference photo I found in my pile of pictures at the studio and I partly made it up. It was fun regardless of its reality.

When I Saw The End Of Day

When I Saw The End Of Day

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2017

sold

I think the day has come! I think I very well just may be done the big commish! I made some final marks yesterday morning and now I need to get a good photo to send to my clients this weekend. We will see if they like how it turned out as much as I do.

In the meantime I had the rest of the day to play at the studio, so I used the remaining paint on my palette to create this little sky as well as another which I will show you tomorrow. After all the struggle I had at the end of the commission, wiping-painting-wiping-painting, wiping-painting, I made my goal for this l'il fella to put a mark down and leave it. No muss, no fuss. I like how it turned out. It packs a bit of a punch in person!

The Long Day Is Over

The Long Day Is Over

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2017

sold

I have been plugging away at my big commission. Unfortunately the wheels fell off last weekend. I have been painting and wiping and painting and wiping ever since. The water has been extraordinarily difficult for some reason. At the end of today's session I wiped it all off again and decided that I need to simplify. Forget what my resource photo looks like, forget what my studies look like- just make this painting work. Today I know I will settle this thing once and for all!

In the meantime, yesterday I painted this little sunset reflection. Hope you enjoy!

Rusted Out Pine

Rusted Out Pine

16 x 20"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2017

sold

Based on my 6x6" study "Northern Reflection", I painted this over two days while my big commission was in limbo.

The Big Commish

© Nicki Ault, 2017

I am working on a big commission... it is on my mind 24-7: when I am at the studio, when I am home, grocery shopping, driving my kids places and when I am at my part-time job. It is almost finished and then I will have to reveal it with bated breath to the lovely people who have asked me to create this skyscape for them. It has taken a few twists and turns- especially today when I made a few large, eleventh hour adjustments to the overall feel of the thing. Two steps forward, one step back, but at least moving in the right direction... and getting really close to the final brushstroke.

Ablaze

Ablaze

16 x 16"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2017

available

I spent a good part of the day at the studio yesterday since my youngest son was feeling well enough to go back to school. My oldest, however, had his first ever high school final exam in the morning, so we had a little time together after that to debrief. It was math and he said it was easy-peasy so hopefully his grade will reflect that!

Anyway, I worked hard on the commission and it is really moving along. I spent most of the time working on the water/reflection and eventually things were just too wet to continue, so I had to stop. I still had an hour on my meter, though, so I grabbed the random sky I started on Monday and went to town on it. I have been so incredibly inspired the artists I have discovered on Instagram. Gosh there are some mind-blowing things happening. I looked at my random sky with fresh eyes and it just seemed lethargic. I didn't get a photo of it with my camera, but I did get one with my phone. Here is what it looked like before I took my brushes to it yesterday...

It was okay, but I was craving drama and more emotion. The bold reds, corals, oranges and pinks helped me get there in the final version, I think! It really is "ablaze" now!

If you are on Instagram, please check out my page. Hmmm, is it called a page on Instagram? My profile? My gallery? I am still on a steep learning curve; learning the lingo, learning the ropes. It's fun and I find I am posting more things than just paintings there. If you click the Instagram camera on the top right-hand side of this page it should get you to me. I am nicki.ault.studio.