Lake of the Woods

Sun Struck Isle   oil on canvas   24" x 36"

It's been a while since you've heard from me but this post ties in nicely with the previous one where I talked about Zelda, my travelling companion to and at Lake of the Woods. This lake is over 110 kilometres long and wide containing more than 14,000 islands. It's primarily in Canada but, being on the border, it also stretches into the USA, at the western edge of Ontario where this province meets the SE corner of Manitoba.

Lake of the Woods from space

Gerry Wilson and her husband, John, were Zelda's and my hosts (in 2005). Gerry is also editor of this magazine which I am proud to have a painting published in ...

This issue (July, 2015) has an excellent article called A Shrine of Beauty; Painting at Lake of the Woods 1850 - 1930 written by Andrew Kear, Curator of Historical Canadian Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery. It is followed by this page ...

Gerry recruited images for the Artists Still Find Inspiration portion of the feature article including Zelda's, top above, and mine, centre right below.





Evening of the Summer Solstice   oil on canvas   36" x 54"

During the ten days in June (2005) that Zelda and I spent at the Wilson's gorgeous home on Coney Island we painted almost daily. John and/or Gerry would often boat us to and drop us off (with fantastic lunches) at different islands. Wanting to paint the magical light of sundown, on the evening of the summer solstice, the Wilsons took us to and stayed with us at Cat Island. John watched as we stroked paint on our canvases while Gerry swam laps around the island.  It was capped off by a divine supper picnic supper. The boat ride home at sunset was stunning.

Gerry and John with yours truly at the easel 

Zelda painting at Cat Island

After returning home from our expedition, Zelda and I produced a collection of larger studio works to add to our plein air paintings and in November we presented our joint exhibition ...





Our paintings at The Avens Gallery, Canmore, Alberta

In front of one of Zelda's oils with Gerry and John Wilson at the opening reception of Ladies of the Lake

Lake of the Woods has important significance for both Carol Picard and Robin Wade who purchased Sun Struck Isle shortly after Zelda's death on April 13th, 2015. Many thanks to the two of you for giving my painting a special home.

I wonder if anyone will recall the framed poster on the wall beside Carol?

I invite you to view my entire collection of Lake of the Woods paintings here.

Ten for the Show

They say diamonds are made under pressure. I'd like to think that when I have a deadline I can make diamonds. Here are the new works (any on cradled panels have painted edges) that I'll be debuting at the Claresholm Willow Creek Art Show this coming weekend ...

ETHEREAL BEAUTIES   oil flowers on an acrylic mixed media
background, unframed 12" x 6" x 1.5" deep cradled wooden panel

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW   oil flowers on an acrylic
mixed media background,
unframed 12" x 6" x 1.5" deep cradled wooden panel

MIDNIGHT MAGIC   oil flower on an acrylic mixed media (Gelli plate print) background
unframed 12" x 9" x 1.5" deep cradled wooden panel   SOLD

RUFFLES and FRILLS   oil flower on an acrylic mixed media background, unframed 6" x 6" x 1.5" deep cradled wooden panel   SOLD

LATIN LOVELY II   framed oil on MDF panel 6" x 8"   SOLD

EVERYDAY MAGNIFICENCE   oil butterfly and flower on an acrylic mixed media background, unframed 12" x 12" x .5" canvas

COMMON COPPER   oil butterfly on an acrylic mixed media background, unframed 8" x 8" x .5" canvas

BIG DADDY   oil on stretched linen, unframed 8" x 10" x 1.25"   SOLD

BOB   oil bobcat on natural paper background, unframed on a 6" x 6" x 1.5" deep cradled wooden panel   SOLD

MY LITTLE CHICKADEE   oil chickadee on an acrylic mixed media background
unframed stretched canvas 7" x 5" x 1.5"

If you are unable to attend the show but would like to enquire about any of these paintings, please do not hesitate to contact me ...

by phone 403 625-3006 or by email alice@artbysaltiel.com 

Willow Creek Art Sale

Heritage Seniors Social Centre

5009 - 2nd Avenue West
Claresholm, Alberta

Friday, August 8th, 5 - 9PM

and

Saturday, August 9th, noon - 5PM 

Labours of Love

As I seek out inspiration and contemplate what to paint, I offer you this, the last painting I did in 2011 ...

"Maggie" acrylic 7" x 5" (December 13th)

For Bill's sister, and her husband, I painted Maggie so that they could make a gift of it to their neighours who own her.

When Linda and Ron moved to Alberta Gunner came with them. Sadly, and only six months (to the day) after their arrival he had to be put down (cancer). At almost precisely the same time Linda met Kevin while he was walking Maggie. It is nothing short of a miracle that when my in-laws purchased their own condo, they became Wendy and Kevin's neighbours. Much to everyone's delight Maggie roams freely from one home to the other.

"Gunner" 2010 oil 12" x 9" 

Gunner was Linda and Ron's third English Springer Spaniel.  I had painted watercolour portraits of both other pets, long ago, when they were young dogs.  Linda's bids for a Gunner painting had been falling on my deaf ears for years before he passed.  Finally, and as a housewarming gift, I painted the portrait above.

They say I create wonderful likenesses and if anybody would know it would be the owners.  I have never fancied myself a pet portrait artist. These paintings are labours of love and, truth be told, they aren't really labourious at all. There is a joy in creating anything that I know will be so well received and appreciated.

Thoughts of Christmas Decorating

Here we are at the last day of November, my painting binge complete, the Canmore Market come and gone and my thoughts have turned to transforming our house for the holidays.  If these two Small Gems remain unsold, they'll be a part of the festive decorating. 

Royal Purple   oil   6" x 6"   SOLD

Golden Web   oil   6" x 6   SOLD

Unframed $100, framed $135, each.

A Surprise

Thanks, from Denise, Laura and me, to everyone who came out and shopped at the Canmore Artisans Christmas Market.  Four of the Small Gems sold.  Perhaps the mountain people are so terribly fond of their landscape that still life just isn't their thing?  What came as a complete surprise to me was when these two larger paintings went to good homes ...

Ribbon Lake   oil   10" x 18" 

Cypress September   oil   12" x 16"

After yoga class this morning I went to lunch with some of the ladies and then I brought them home with me.  I now have four less Small Gems - all still life paintings.  Many thanks gals!

Please click here for the Small Gem images:
http://www.artbysaltiel.com/Special%20Projects/special_projects.htm

I Am Weak

Time in a Bottle   oil   6" x 6"      SOLD

An artist friend approached me and asked if she could buy one of my little paintings because she won't be in the country when the Canmore Christmas Artisan Market happens at the end of November.  Recently Jeanne had shoulder surgery and she isn't able to drive so I took ten of my dry paintings for her to choose from.  Having trouble picking one, she asked me if she could please buy two.  Now, I ask you how could I say no?

 

Paired With Kari's Cherries   oil   6" x 6"   SOLD

But my weakness does afford me the opportunity to show you what you can from me expect at this sale!

Perhaps you'd like to mark this date on your calendar?

Canmore Christmas Artisan Market

November 26-27, 2011
10:00am - 4:00pm

Canmore Collegiate High School
1800 - 8th Avenue, Canmore, Alberta

Miniature Flower Paintings

I've been incubating a post on this topic for a very long time. Recently the inspiration for it came as the result of receiving an email from a gal named Shelly which included images of six, different, little flower paintings that her mother gave to her. She wrote: "I have always loved these pieces, they have been hanging in my parent's house since they were purchased".

Varnishing a number of finished flower paintings, in the staff house at The Banff Park East Gate, March 1975



The memory of how I actually conceived the notion and then embarked on this collection is lost in time. It may have been the result of finding (in 1973) cute 4" x 5" frames at the Calgary Hudson's Bay Company store and then figuring out what to put in them. For the background, using a roller, I applied a blended a gradation of raw umber and white oil paint on small masonite panels. Once the background dried the flowers were painted on, also in oil.

I first sold these floral paintings at Norrell's Art Gallery, in Calgary, and at the Tamarack Gallery in Banff. Later, the Moriane Lake Lodge gift shop became a very viable outlet, but it was Rundle Photo Shop, Banff, that sold the majority of them. Chuck Hester, then manager of Rundle Photo, became a tremendous supporter of my art and a life long friend. Back then you could purchase one of these paintings, framed, for $15. I tracked down the company who supplied the frames to The Bay. Oxford Picture Frame Company, Toronto, was willing to wholesale these frames to me at $2 each. The shop's commission was 1/3 meaning that for each one sold I received $10. Actually, $8 when I factored in the cost of the frame. Sales were brisk as folks happily collected multiples.

Wild Rose - one of the first paintings in the series   SOLD

It took me about one hour to paint one on the dried background. I could paint several a day. My record was eight in a day. Speaking of records, I'm still annoyed with myself for throwing out the sheets on which I kept track of them all. So, I can't say just how many different wild flowers I included in the collection, but I'll guess at about a dozen.

Bluebells   SOLD


With the records gone, I'll also never know exactly how many wild roses or wood lilies I painted but I'm certain that these two flowers numbered first and second, respectively. While painting larger pieces of other imagery (mountains and wildlife) I kept up production of the flower paintings for five years. During that time I also bore and delivered our two daughters.

Columbine   SOLD



When I dreamed I was eating a wood lily I knew it was time to stop. Bill wondered if maybe I couldn't just make it to 750? The answer was resounding "No". I quit at 735. By this time the retail price had crept up to $30. each, but still it was time for the gig to be over. In my wildest dreams all 735 of them are reunited in a single room ... and solidly paper one wall!

Wood Lily - the only one I numbered and kept   NFS

When I said (at the beginning of 2010) that I had joined the "Daily Painting" movement ... I had really already been there. I was just coming full circle. One of the joys of all of this is being able to show you how my painting has evolved. This is what a small lily painting, I create today, looks like ...


Saffron Lily   2011 oil   5" x 7"   SOLD