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 

Back in the Saddle

This autumn, Bill and I have enjoyed the company of some remarkable people in stellar locations from local haunts to NYC and the Appalachian Hills of Virginia and North Carolina, but, there comes a point when it is time to come home and hunker down for the winter. Back at the easel I'm focusing on marrying the adventure of working in mixed media with my fine art painting. I'm pleased to present my latest pieces ...

DANCING QUEEN   unframed 8" x 8" on a deep cradled wooden panel, acrylic and oil mixed media   SOLD 

My love affair with irises is no secret and so into the wet paint of the top right hand corner of Dancing Queen, I scribed "Oh iris, most exotic of flowers, how you dance!" For this background, I mixed sap green with a Daniel Smith luminescent acrylic called Duochrome Oceanic. The nondescript writing in the lower left is rubber stamped on. Knowing that I can achieve the luminosity I crave, I painted the flower with oil paint. When I was done I felt the top left was terribly blank looking so, with Golden moulding paste and a stencil, I added the scroll work. When that was dry I painted over it as I had the rest of the background.
  

CHICKADEE SONG   framed 8" x 8" acrylic mixed media on a MDF panel   $295.   SOLD 

Chickadee Song is worked entirely in acrylic over which I placed torn pieces of antique sheet music and pressed leaves.  The top leaves are from the autumn-turned willow tree next door and the Japanese maple leaves are from a tree Win's Creston, B.C. backyard. And, for those who will ask, to the best of my knowledge, the sheet music is Traumerei Op. 15 No. 7 by Robert Schumann and as I understand it, it's a set of thirteen pieces of music for piano written in 1838.   

SKIMMERHORN GRAPES  unframed 6" x 6" acrylic mixed media on a deep gallery wrapped canvas   $150.

The background of Skimmerhorn Grapes (Creston, B.C. winery) was created using a rainbow of acrylic colours (some irredescent) painted over top of stretched and manipulated cheesecloth. When this was dry the peeling off of the cheesecloth left this magnificent patterning. For a long time I wondered what I would paint on it? I had an ah-ha moment when I found my photo of these grapes and thought "They'll be perfect!" the way that they echo that rainbow background.

CARDINAL   framed 5" x 7" acrylic on MDF panel   $150.

Taking art supplies out of the studio can be epic. Last week I was looking for a portable, clean and easy medium that I could take to the Claresholm Art Club's Create-In. I opted for a pan set of gouache paints and began this Cardinal there. At home, I sprayed it with a fixative so as not to disturb the water-soluble gouache colours when I painted over them with acrylic colours to further develop and enrich the bird.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to sell Dancing Queen at the Kinette Christmas Sale here in town! The other three pieces are available at Willowtree Designs, in Claresholm 403 625-4567  

A Peacock Called Win

Some of you reading this will know that I have a thing both for peacocks and collecting rubber stamps. In my travels I found an amazing overall-patterned peacock feather acrylic stamp measuring almost 5" x 6". By using a cradled panel I could continue the pattern around the edges and the piece can stand as shelf art. To compliment the colour of the peacock head I chose Golden's quinacridone/nickel azo gold for the background.

A PEACOCK CALLED WIN   acrylic painting on a cradled wooden panel 8" x 8" x 2" deep

I use StazOn stamp pad inks because they are acid free, archival, fast drying solvent inks and the only brand which is permanent. They don't smear when made wet, as in painted over with any water media.  I'm not sure if the other colours will do this but the purple bled through the white which I had used to paint over the area that would be the head. It took many, many coats to stop that. For months, I left this background with a ghostly white head but today I finally finished it!

A PEACOCK CALLED WIN   acrylic painting on a cradled wooden panel 8" x 8" x 2" deep

Yesterday, I consigned several of my small gems (oil paintings) and a few mixed media pieces, including the two below, to Galleria Inglewood. I am proud to say that this Calgary store has been carrying my work since 1988. The selection at Galleria is by far the most extensive and unique you'll find simply because they are the largest independently owned retail arts and crafts store in Canada. And now, fully decorated for Christmas, they are a sight to behold. I strongly recommend you pay them a visit!

             FLY AWAY  framed 8" x 6" $100.                                 WE'LL SING IN THE SUNSHINE  framed 12" x 9" $250.