Helping a Budding Artist

A few weeks ago, Judy invited me over to play mixed media along with her granddaughter visiting from Toronto. I think the intention was that we'd all create a piece of our own but, as sometimes happens, the afternoon took on a life of its own and instead we focused on helping Jackie create this mermaid painting.

Yes, the reward was a fine glass (or two) of Amarone

Mermaids hold a fascination for most young girls - well aren't we all somewhat intrigued with these mythical creatures? Since I've had some experience portraying them (see here and here) I was in demand. 

Jackie requested that I draw the mermaid while I insisted she transfer the drawing onto the panel. What I don't have are images of the stimulating, fearless flurry of energy we all spent employing the cobwebbing technique. for the background. This is when you stretch artificial, store-bought, Hallowe'en cobwebbing over your support, saturate it with water and go into a crazed frenzy of spritzing and splashing colours into/onto it. To hasten the drying process we used a hair dryer. Peeling off the cobwebbing leaves you with gorgeous, random marks all over the place.

  

Using white gesso, the silhouette of the mermaid had to be painted back on so that we'd have a clean slate on which to paint her fresh skin tones and hair. 

Here, using heavy gloss gel medium, Jackie is applying the miniature starfish, that I gleaned from a shop in Hawaii 

As it was a collaborative effort Judy insisted that we both sign it ...

We applied a textured paper for the tail and bra. Commercially produced rubber stamps were used for the seahorse, shells and underwater vegetation. Tissue paper was used because stamping on the rough surface (residual cobwebbing) would not have yielded the crisp images we desired. 

In the time we had, we would not have finished the painting had I granted Jackie the rest break she requested. Kudos to the 12-year old for not buckling under my pressure - I can be a tough task master - just ask her grandmother!

The finished collaboration showing the black sand across the bottom

In retrospect I see that I shouldn't have instructed Jackie to paint that dark area of the hair - a classic example of why one shouldn't follow any photographic reference exactly! I've suggested that Judy (who has framed it exquisitely) put this error right before Jackie returns in July. 

Seeking Homes for Paintings

MOUNT ASSINIBOINE and SUNBURST PEAK, B.C.  36" x 48" gallery wrap canvas (painted edges, no frame)
Retail price $6300, I'm offering it at $3500  

Bill and I spent February in beautiful Victoria, B.C. which served to reignite our 1980s dream to live there. We'll move once we have sold our charming, character home, in Claresholm, Alberta.

While it will be sad to leave the fine friends we have made here, and oh how we wish we could take the house with us, it is time for these gypsies to move on. If you are interested, or perhaps you know someone who may be interested, in purchasing our home please view and/or share this listing.

The move will be epic in that we are downsizing from a large house to a condo (yet to be discovered). A mighty purge is underway. Among the many treasures we can't take with us is a large inventory of my paintings. I have created an album of these here. Please click on the individual images to see the titles, details and prices. Depending on the size of your screen you may have to scroll down to see these texts.

Check back from time to time, there will be more added. Below are a few examples of what you'll find ...

  

LAKE AGNES LARCHES   18" x 24" framed oil on canvas   Retail price $2750, I'm offering it at $1500. 



The "cherub painting" below has been considered a significant departure from my usual subject matter. In 1985, I created it for The Myth of Exceptional Pass a Whyte Museum juried, invitational exhibition about a magical, fictional place in the Canadian Rockies. 

AN ASCENT OF EXCEPTIONAL DEGREES   40" x 30" framed oil
Retail price $4900, I'm offering it at $2500.
This painting was featured on the show's invitation

The collection has a wide array of subjects to chose from, you may see a piece you always wished I would release, or you may just want to take advantage of the attractive, reduced prices.

EXOTIC TULIPS, Golden Girls Series #6   15.5" x 10" unframed acrylic on paper
Retail price $950, I'm offering it at $500
(comes with conservation mat and glass to first a standard 18" x 24" frame)

There is the odd surprise ...



RENOIR'S VENUS VICTORIOUS, sculpture from his garden in the south of France 18" x 24" framed oil on canvas
Retail price $2750, I'm offering it at $1500.

Renior, suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, moved from Paris to his home, Les Collettes, at Cagnes-sur-Mer (near Nice) where he lived the last eleven years of his life from 1908 to 1919. To see the sculpture and the place that inspired me to paint the above please click here.

Playing With Sharlene

Sharlene and I have known each other since 1976. We share a long personal history of synchronised tastes and art styles. Sometimes, with our earlier work, I can't tell who painted what without checking our signatures; they  themselves are similar; Saltiel, Stusnov. When we were young mothers, living closer to one another than we do now, we made art together. In recent times there have been only a couple of opportunities to paint side by side; in Beacon Hill Park (2007) and on Gabriola Island (2010).

 

In Sharlene's studio - happy to be creating together again  

 

Bill and I are spending February in Victoria, British Columbia. He is completely adept at entertaining himself playing tennis (yes, he's found a geezer group here to play with) photographing, scouring antique, book and other shops which gives me ample time to play with Sharlene in and out of her studio. She, and her husband Ray, have been pulling out all the stops extending their remarkable hospitality, entertaining, feeding and watering us!

 

 

Sharlene trying on an abstract style

The efforts of our first day - I'd started three before leaving home

Sharlene takes over on the Door

Sharlenes's delightful background before she handed it off to me

Day two

Sharlene continued in acrylics

I laced into the portrait using oils

 

Unexcited about how work our was progressing (above is how we left those two pieces) we allowed ourselves to be distracted. We went shopping for art supplies and mixed media toys. And now that the weather has turned, from grey and gloomy to glorious, the outdoors beckons ...

 

 



 

Historic Pendray House, home of the Coast Collective on the shore of the Esquimalt Lagoon  

Magnificent arbutus trees on Yellow Point, Vancouver Island

 

Sharlene and I may or may not get back to those collaborative paintings or her studio this month. We're not terribly bothered about it. We're secure in the knowledge that the future holds many more opportunities for us to work together!

   

Skimmerhorn Grapes

Skimmerhorn Grapes   2015 oil 24" x 18"

Two weeks ago this grape painting was just a concept, a belated, idle promise. When I finally set aside a block of time to make it a reality I invited Judy Dahl to paint along with me. I've got to hand it to her for being brave in biting off an unfamiliar subject on such a large scale. Judy turned up every day that I spent on this painting, to work hard and very diligently on her "twin piece".

With Judy at the Linderman Law Art Room 

There are a multitude of ways to begin a painting. For each work, I let The Muse dictate the approach and this time she said "Start with an un-tinted (white) canvas and paint your drawing with burnt umber."  I find it best to establish the darkest darks and lightest lights, then wash in the mid-tones using paint thinned with odour-less thinner.

For this image I drew from two different photos I'd taken one October afternoon at the gorgeous Skimmerhorn Winery in Creston, B.C.

Skimmerhorn Grapes at the end of day one

With the composition established and because burnt umber is a fast drying pigment we were able able to proceed in colour the very next day.

Conclusion of day two

After the first day of "colouring it in" it tends to bog down to where it may not be easy to see the progression, but below are the subsequent days ...

Conclusion of day three

Conclusion of day four

Firstly, I'm blessed to know the satisfaction of painting, period, but then when I'm so fortunate to be on the receiving end of immense gratitude, it doubles my pleasure and joy.

On January 28th, I finally delivered on my promise ...

Skimmerhorn Grapes lives at Debie and Dean's house now

I am no stranger to painting grapes, they are a theme I return to again and again. Anywhere in the world, I chase down autumn vineyards to photograph plump, ripe specimens hanging heavily on the vines. From my archives here are a few other paintings that you may be interested in seeing.

The Noble Vine 2003 oil 18" x 24"

Grapes Over a Doorway in Gault, France   2004 oil 24" x 14"

Jewels of Provence   2004 oil 18" x 24"

FAME Musical Roses

Last night, at the conclusion of the final presentation of FAME The Musical, I was moved to hear Vanessa Blott, president of the Claresholm Society for the Arts, emotionally relay that it was her grandparents who had been behind the building the show's venue. How very special that Vanessa, who, years later, delivered an outstanding performance as Ms. Greta Bell (dance instructor in the musical) acted and sang in Claresholm's first live production finally realising her grandparents dream for the Community Hall. Plus, this was the first time that mother and 17 year old daughter, Camille Blott, who excelled as Serene Katz (student of acting) had performed together on stage!  

Karen Linderman, patron of the arts and Production Manager for our FAME, is a tremendous supporter of me and my art. She asked if I would create two of my music-sheet-background roses as thank you gifts for the Director and Musical Director. Unbeknownst to Karen I made one for her too. 

      

The vintage sheet music I've been collecting is precisely the right width to adhere to 6" x 6" x 1 5/8" deep cradled panels. The beautifully aged, cream colour pages lend themselves to warm coloured roses.  

PRECIOUS PEACH for the Director

Needing a cooler background for the burgundy rose, I was fortunate in finding scrapbooking paper with a music sheet motif in grey tones. 

   

MIDNIGHT WINE for the Musical Director 

With acrylic paints I tint, splatter and embellish the adhered papers. The roses are painted in oil.

RAINBOW ROSE for the Production Manager

The cast of Claresholm's FAME, all local residents, many students of our junior and senior high school, including the Linderman boys,
Dan as Schlomo Metzenbaum (far left, front row) and Tom, part of the chorus, third from the right, front row

A production like this requires an incredible amount of work from a tremendous number of people. The cast were phenomenal in their efforts. Sound and lighting folks outdid themselves.  With Bill and I being away for much of December we weren't here to volunteer until the final crunch as ushers and raffle ticket sellers. These easy jobs were a huge gift because they enabled us to view all six performances - which just kept getting more electric with each show. 

At the 11th hour, Bill contributed his expertise by editing and correcting/enhancing 500 plus photos taken by Karen's husband, Keith, and burning them to 35 CDs for the cast and crew. 

  

At the Cast and Crew party - with painting recipients, Michelle DeDominicis, Karen Linderman and Emma Ashcroft

The community response was most gratifying. Every performance was sold out in advance of the first show. My wish is that everyone has a sense of gratitude about just how much time and energy went into this production. My personal thanks to all involved and my apologies if I haven't mentioned you here, personally - it's simply that I don't know you - yet!  

Last Small Works of 2014

As 2014 quickly slips away I want to say that I hope you had a joyful holiday season, to wish each of you a happy and fulfilling 2015 and to also extend my thanks for continuing to read and support my artistic endeavours.



PEACH SPLENDOR   6" x 6" x 2" cradled panel, mixed media, rose painted in oil   SOLD

There are other painters who incorporate sheet music in their work, but I was particularly inspired by this painting ...  

Vicki Ross' WHITE ROSE  Encaustic on paper  7" x 7" 

You can see more of Vicki's art here. 

Just up the highway from us, a town called Nanton boasts an antique walk. There, in one of the many shops, Bill found an abundance of old sheet music. I was delighted to find that the larger sheets are big enough to completely wrap a 6" x 6" x 2" deep cradled panel. Fixing the sheets to panels with Golden gloss gel medium, I then tint and colour them using acrylic paints. Unable to resist the luminosity that I can achieve with oils, they are what I use to paint the focal points.   

ROSE FLAME   5" x 7" framed panel, mixed media, rose painted in oil    $150.   SOLD 

CHICKADEE SONG II   6" x 6" framed panel, mixed media, bird painted in oil   $150.   SOLD

Thirty years later, I thought I'd bring back for a repeat engagement the same chickadee I painted in 1984. The original oil painting is in the private collection of Ron and Pennie Casey of Canmore, Alberta. From it (back in the 80s) we created a limited edition of 200 photo lithograph prints. The edition has long since been sold out but we do have 4 of the 7 artist's proofs available for sale ($250. each, unframed).

    

 

A couple more of my classic favourites ...

SWEET ANGEL   5" x 7" framed acrylic painted birch panel, iris in oil  $150.  

LAVENDER LOVELY   acrylic 12" x 6" x 2" cradled panel   $275  SOLD

The above is a perfect addition to complete a trio along with these two painted this past summer on panels of the same dimensions ...

The above paintings are available at Sunny Raven Gallery, Canmore

And that folks wraps up the art I produced in 2014!

To enquire about the Chickadee prints or any of the paintings shown here, please contact me at alice@artbysaltiel.com