Midnight Blues

Midnight Blues

4.75 x 4.75"

oil on watercolour paper

© Nicki Ault, 2012

This is the last of the little paintings I did for the Ikea frames. Maybe I will find some takers on the weekend of Art Trek. This one was based one one of my recent daily paintings, A Dream Before Sleep. I like how it appears that the moonlight is illuminating the tops of the clouds.

A Simple Life

A Simple Life

4.75 x 4.75"

oil on canvas paper

© Nicki Ault, 2012
sold

This is another painting I put in an Ikea frame... white frame with a white matte... and it looks sharp. I still have another to show you and then I will post the larger work that I created for (and sold at) the Family Tree show earlier this month. I really have to kick it into gear because Art Trek is in 10 days and I have not really got much in the way of larger work to show- mainly just my daily paintings. I planned to be at the studio all day today, but my son woke up sick and it looks like he has Strep throat. But once again, there is always a positive in each situation... after being at home all day (except for the jaunt to the doctor's office) my house is a bit cleaner than it was before!

Layers of a Prairie Storm

Layers of a Prairie Storm

4.75 x 4.75"

oil on watercolour paper

© Nicki Ault, 2012

Late last week I painted 4 little landscapes (one won't see the light of day) to put in some awesome frames I picked up at Ikea two years ago. I thought they would be good to take to the show at the Forestry Farm. They actually look quite sharp all done up, but sadly the weather was quite miserable and therefore the park was not very busy. The good news is that now I have paintings for Art Trek on the weekend of June 8,9! There is always a positive in every situation! The buzz for our first annual Art Trek: Studio Discovery Tour is really building... lots of press coverage happening this week and the posters around town are getting noticed. I'm very excited! Here is a link to our Facebook page...

Art Trek: Studio Discovery Tour

Head on over and hit that "Like" button! :)  And while you are there check out the albums of each participating studio.

Art Show Eve and Some Tweaks

This is where I'll be tomorrow and I am getting excited! For those that are not familiar, the Forestry Farm Park is home to a beautiful picnic area with a fishing pond and a fantastic new playground. There are many trails to bike or walk, there is a small butterfly sanctuary and also beautiful (and I mean beautiful), peaceful Japanese-style garden. As if that wasn't enough, Saskatoon's zoo is located at the Forestry Farm and I hear there are two new little lion cubs this spring! It is a great way to spend several hours with family and friends.

The art show and sale is in the historical Superintendent's house; I will have my 30 daily paintings there with a few larger pieces. There will be eight other local artists besides me, one of whom is the spectacularly talented fibre artist Monika Kinner-Whalen.

I spent some time in the last couple of days tweaking four of the daily paintings that I was not 100% happy with- I knew exactly what I wanted to change...

   

The first one is the new version of #20- Good Night Sun. I added more branches, toned down that yellow background and added depth to it, and darkened some areas of the hill. (sold)

On the left is the revised version of #21- Waterlogged. The treeline bugged me- it looked like it was dropping off in an odd way on the left side, so I brought the trees up into the sky a bit more. 

 

The revision of #27- Loom is mostly in the colour of the water. I like the blue more than the green. I also tweaked the clouds a bit.

Finally, I thought the tree on the hill in #28- Unmade Beds and Buttercups was too dark and imposing, so I softened it and brought the Wolf Willow a bit higher. There were a few other small changes here and there throughout.

I'll post some pictures of my set-up at the art show tomorrow evening. My fingers are crossed for good weather.

Northern Curtain Call

#30- Northern Curtain Call

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2012

(30 paintings in 30 days - Project II)
sold

The last day of the project has arrived. As I sit here feeling quite proud of myself for doing 30 paintings in 30 days, I have to pause. Yes, some days it was a challenge not only to paint a little painting every day, but also take photos and blog about it, but compared to what some are doing it is peanuts! I say that because one of my favorite artists, Edward B. Gordon, is closing in on his 2000 daily painting. Today he posted #1988. Totally. Amazing. And I would say he pretty much nails it every time. I, on the other hand, have pumped out some duds between this project and the last one. :)

I took the reference photo for this painting last summer at Waskesiu Lake. It was probably about 9:00 at night and the half moon was glowing despite the fact that the sky was still quite bright. I took a little artistic license with the photo and I think the composition ended up working pretty well (I was worried it would have been better in a rectangular format).

At any rate, thank you so much for joining me over the last month to see what inspired me each day. I will be taking these paintings and a few others to an art show and sale on Sunday, May 27. Here is the poster for that event. I'd love to see you if you can come!

Thicket

#29- Thicket

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2012

(30 paintings in 30 days- Project II)
 sold

Since I am so close to the end of my project I kept changing my mind on what I wanted to paint, but I finally settled on a grasslands painting. Many people that came to the Family Tree show really loved the big prairie landscape that was hung over the fireplace and want to know when I have similar work done. I think this will be a study for a larger piece- it is quite possibly my favorite little (6x6") prairie scene to date.

I already know what I will be doing for painting #30... and it will be called "Northern Curtain Call". It's something I have been wanting to try for a long time. I'm slightly concerned because it could be better suited in a rectangular format rather than a square- we will find out tomorrow!

Unmade Beds And Buttercups

#28- Unmade Beds And Buttercups

6 x 6"

 oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2012

(30 paintings in 30 days- Project II)
sold

I've mentioned before that packed-down grassy areas at the Grasslands usually means that a group (pack? tribe? school? cluster?) of deers were resting there at some point. These areas are called Deer Beds. I came upon one such area last week, but I still don't know what the yellow flowers are. I've decided, for the sake of this title, that they are Buttercups!

Loom

#27- Loom

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2012

(30 paintings in 30 days- Project II)

Having this much fun painting should perhaps be illegal, but I am very glad it is not!!! 

This painting began in a very different way and about 20 minutes in took on a whole new direction. I don't know why that happens. I mean, in reality, most often the painting in my head is usually not what ends up on the canvas, but it is usually in the near vicinity. But every now and then the painting takes over and I guess you just go with it. This painting began with significant bushes and a shadowy field in the foreground, then the clouds started to emerge and it became about them. I was looking at one of my photos, but couldn't resolve the enormity of the sky with the original activity of the land, so I had to simplify. I am on a small quest to figure out how to make clouds look illuminated by light and this painting became about that. As I worked I was thinking about how storms at Waskesiu often look like they are swallowing up the distant shore, so besides the illumination of the clouds, I also wanted to try to create that effect.

Good clean fun!

At The Hill Top

#26- At The Hill Top

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2012

(30 paintings in 30 days - Project II)
sold

I wanted to keep this one light, loose and sort of impressionistic. I loved the little rock nestled into the grasses with the Wolf Willow growing behind it. I think little Easter eggs would be right at home hidden in this scene.

Four more left 'til #30!

Bird Song

#25- Bird Song

6 x 6"

oil on board

© Nicki Ault, 2012

(30 paintings in 30 days - Project II)
sold

In an effort to get myself motivated I took a little drive to the Saskatoon Natural Grasslands right after getting the kids to school this morning. I ended up walking one of the trails, but stayed smack in the middle of the path to avoid the long grasses that could be harbouring ticks. I realized that every time I have gone to the Grasslands it has been in the fall, so being there in the spring was definitely motivating. I saw it in a new, much greener, light! Some of the trees and bushes already have almost full sized leaves, but others have hardly started. The Wolf Willow I love so much were just sprouting their leaves which actually looked quite gray- not the silver I am used to seeing. Lots of green growth was coming up through the dead, dry, pale yellow grasses. And little yellow flowers were blossoming all over! Another thing that was different? The birds! They were singing their hearts out!