PRE-SHRUNK 2026: SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

PRE-SHRUNK 2026

It’s PRE-SHRUNK time again! BE PART OF OUR PRE-SHRUNK 2026 SHOW! This coming year will mark the 22nd year for PRE-SHRUNK! It’s amazing how such a small idea has become such a BIG show!

Our much loved annual juried group show asks artists to create small works on 4”x5” surfaces. We encourage submissions from established artists, emerging artists and artists of all ages in their preferred mediums!

Take a look at the guidelines below and start making some art! You can work in any medium you choose!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

● Works must be on a 4x5” surface. Pieces that do not measure 4x5” will not be considered. Preferred surfaces are cradled boards or canvas.

● We do not want artists to use FLAT BOARDS (ie- pieces of wood with art painted or mounted), or thin canvas or masonite boards as they are not easily wall mountable for the buyer and tend not to sell as well as other surfaces in the show. NO FRAMES or attachments for hanging.

● If you are sculpting the base of your sculpture must be 4”x5”, but there is no height limit.

● Artists may submit a maximum of 5 pieces.

● We ask that you DO NOT attach hanging devices (ie wire, hooks, d-rings, etc). The gallery will take care of this for continuity. SOME EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE can be made, but we will inform you if we want you to prep them after the work is accepted. Otherwise leave as is!

● If you are working on canvas please TRIM THE ACCESS CANVAS from the back of your work.

● If you are working on paper it must be archival and mounted on a sturdy 4”x5” surface that can be hung on the wall or if you are a textile artist, get in touch with us for preferred ways of presenting your work for this show.

● Works done with materials such as charcoal and pastels must be fixed (ie sprayed) to protect the work.

● Please sign your name somewhere on your work (front or back are acceptable) and have a title written on the backside of your work.

Submissions must be your own work, new and not previously shown.

● To submit by email to preshrunkhalifax@gmail.com

o Phone number and email address

o Titles of pieces and materials used to create the work

o Images of each individual piece plus a group shot, in a jpeg format ONLY, titled as indicated below.

● Please title your image files as follows

o Last name, first initial, title of piece, number of submission

o Ex: McGuireC_GreenRoom01.jpg, McGuireC_BlueRoom02.jpg, McGuireC_PinkRoom03.jpg, McGuireC_OrangeRoom04.jpg, McGuireC_RedRoom05.jpg, McGuireC_GroupShot.jpg

o SEND A PHOTO OF ALL WORKS TOGETHER on a neutral background, so that we can see how they work with one another and the type of surface used etc.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: SUNDAY JANUARY 4th at MIDNIGHT

If the jury selects your work you will be notified by phone or email the following week. Due to the volume of submissions WE WILL NOT BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU UNTIL AFTER THE DEADLINE so that the jury can make decisions. However if you want to check if we received your emails, feel free to reach out. Once we inform you that you are IN THE SHOW the week following the deadline, you will then be required to bring the work in person or by mail. After the show ends, you are responsible for the return of your paintings but we’re going to work very hard to sell them!

PLEASE NOTE

● Pieces that are selected for this year’s exhibition will be priced at $175 each, with standard 50% commission. Please keep this price in mind when creating your pieces.

● NSCAD Art Supply Store (1874 Hollis St, Halifax) have pre-made 4”x5” canvas and cradled boards to supply artists wanting to participate in this show. You can also make your own surfaces to paint on or find surfaces at other locations as well, but they must meet the above requirements.

● We will be placing an order of wooden surfaces from a local woodworking shop, Mitre & Muse Studio. If you are interested in ordering a surface please contact us directly for more information and to place your order.

SHOW OPENS TO THE PUBLIC FRIDAY JANUARY 23rd from 7-9PM

Please phone, email or drop in to the gallery if you have any questions regarding the submission process or show – 902.425.9456. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

From your pals at Argyle Fine Art,
Adriana, Emily & Kassandra
1559 Barrington St, Halifax , NS 902-425-9456

PRE-SHRUNK VOUCHERS!

 Hello Hello! It's that time of year again... PRE-SHRUNK VOUCHER TIME!!!!!

Vouchers go on sale THIS FRIDAY at NOON.

In case you are new to Pre-Shrunk vouchers or just need a refresh... Here's how it works:

Any questions you can always reach out ☺

NOCTURNE RECAP! in case you missed it :)

Hey Folks! As you may know this past weekend was NOCTURNE 2025! We had 3 new bodies of work on display at the gallery by Belle, DeMont, Amy Ordoveza and Mindy Harris. Each with a story to tell.

Belle DeMont, The 3 Ravens, Oil on Canvas, 20"x23"

Belle DeMont debuted her first solo showcase with us during Nocturne. Titled: When the Veil is at its Thinnest, Belle explores a time when the boundary between this life and the next is said to grow thin. Rooted in the weeks surrounding Samhain, these paintings come from that quiet seasonal space where fog settles, the light shifts, and the natural world seems to pause. 

Belle DeMont, The Sea Witch, Oil on Canvas, 48"x60"

Belle DeMont, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Oil on Canvas, 20"x24" - Seen with AR text

In this series, DeMont explores a liminal space, a borderland between reality and dreams, where the veil between the visible and invisible begins to wear away. DeMont aims to invite viewers into moments of stillness, reflecting the quiet transitions that come with the changing seasons. She is drawn to these in-between spaces, where the ordinary world begins to feel sacred. It’s during this time of year that she feels most tuned into the land around her, and most able to respond to it through paint.

Belle DeMont, The Weird Sisters, Oil on Canvas, 11"x14"

Come see the show! It will be on display until November 5th or you can view it online HERE

Amy Ordoveza, Lady Slippers with Bumblebee, Gouache on Paper, 7"x10"

We also had a brand new collection of work from Amy Ordoveza titled: Under the Forest Canopy.

Over the course of late spring, summer, and early autumn, Amy has been making a series

of visits to forested areas in the Halifax region. Finding places where she can closely observe the

flora and fauna of the forest floor, and pause there to quietly sit and experience the sights,

sounds, and atmosphere of the forest respectfully, taking care to avoid disrupting the plants

and animals in their habitat. She records what she notices in small sketches and gouache

studies done on the spot.

Amy Ordoveza, Asters and Bumblebee, Gouache on Paper, 5"x7"

Ordoveza has drawn inspiration for these paintings from the Sottobosco, a sub‐genre of still‐life

painting that became popular in the Netherlands in the 17th Century, practiced by artists such

as Rachel Ruysch and Marsius Van Schreick. In their depictions of the forest floor Ruysch and

Van Schreick offer the viewer a wealth of textures of tree stumps, moss, mushrooms, and

prickly thistles. In this shadowy setting, lizards, snakes, and toads face off with each other and

hunt butterflies and other insects; all the drama one might find in a history painting is present

on a microscale.

Amy Ordoveza, Dragonfly and Sweatbee, Gouache on Paper, 7"x5"

While we now live in a very different time and place, Ordoveza sees qualities

and themes in these paintings that she brings to her own work as she paints local,

contemporary sottoboschi: the importance of direct, close observation of nature, the theme of

regeneration and renewal, conflict present in a microcosm, and the significance of small

creatures.

Amy Ordoveza, Forest Light Study, Gouache on Paper, 5"x7"

See all the details in person or check out the full collection online HERE

Mindy Harris, the Public Gardens, Hand Embroidery on Linen, 24" Diameter

Last but not least we have the incredibly detailed work of Mindy Harris.

In a world plagued by threats of environmental collapse, pandemics hold us hostage and vulnerable, while outside our shuttered windows, the biota thrives. Science has a long history of organizing the world into predictable categories for easier comprehension and control, separating us from what we perceive to be simple life forms, but what if we approach our biological limitations with acceptance rather than fear?

An Immense and Miraculous pattern is a collection of Embroideries that aim to challenge the

binaries between nature and civilization, self and other. Inspired by ancient myth and modern

anxieties, Mindy uses Hybrids to examine our uneasy relationship with the natural world and

the artificial boundaries we draw between ourselves and other fauna.

Mindy Harris, Peggy's Cove, Hand Embroidery on Linen, 21" Diameter

Armed with equal parts evolutionary proposal and dark humor, her work invites reflection on environment, mortality, and the narratives we use to understand and accept the world around us.

An Immense and Miraculous Pattern leans into the absurd to highlight the importance of

changing course, asking if transformation is the key to survival or if the notion of humans

finding harmony with nature is just as frivolous. Borrowing from mythology, science fiction, and

natural history, Harris endeavors to disrupt the margins between past and present, fiction and

future.

Mindy Harris, Citadel Hill, Hand Embroidery on Linen, 16" Diameter

Mindy Harris, Three Sisters (based on the rock formation in Advocate Harbour) , Hand Embroidery on Linen, 24" Diameter

To see everything up close and personal drop by the gallery before November 5th or see it online HERE

Fall is HAPPENING

With the colour changing leaves and the chilly weather... we can tell, FALL IS HAPPENING... and honestly we couldn't be more excited!

Paper Garland by Lucky Sprout Studio

This season we have a few fun things happening at the gallery. Most notably would be NOCTURNE which is happening OCTOBER 18th from 6:00pm - MIDNIGHT.

This year we are featuring three new collections by Amy Ordoveza, Belle DeMont & Mindy Harris.

Each show will be on display until November 5th, so if you can't make it to opening night, it's okay! You will have plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful work from these ladies.

Although Nocturne will be really fun and cool and you should definitely come. 😊 Just sayin'

Speaking of fall, we also have some new pieces by Chris Warburton Hulme that have arrived at the gallery just in time for spooky season....

Chris Warburton Hulme, Resting Witch Face, Mixed Media on Board, 10"x10"

Chris Warburton Hulme, Bow to the Crone, Mixed Media on Board, 11"x14"

Chris Warburton Hulme, Hag With Standards, Mixed Media on Board, 12"x12"

Looking at our collection of work it is really impressive that we have art for every season... EVEN Fall/Halloween! We have put together a few things that we think you will enjoy.

Emmy Lao, Witch Flounder, Wool and Mixed Media, 6.5”x4.5” (Framed)

Caileigh Lambie, Spook, Acrylic on Canvas, 8"x10"

Sharon Cave, Fritz and Fiona, 12" x 12", Acrylic on Board

Annie Murray, Forest Dweller, Oil on Canvas, 10"x10"

I think that is it for now, we have been busy busy getting ready for the upcoming season.

As always you can check out the latest updates on our social media @argyle_fine_art or sign up to our newsletter to get weekly updates right to your inbox!

Have you heard of Inktober?

You may have seen on our socials that we are hosting a sketching event October 4th in celebration of Inktober. And we have gotten some questions asking... What is Inktober?

Inktober Drawing by Bee Stanton

Known mostly to artists, Inktober is a month long art challenge created by artist Jack Parker that is focused on improving skill and developing positive drawing habits. Every Day for the month of October anyone participating in the Inktober challenge creates an ink drawing and posts it online.

We are invite you to join us at the gallery from 2:30 - 4:30 October 4th.

Try your hand at sketching from the official Inktober prompt list or bring your own! We will have plenty of sketching supplies available.

Chat, Sketch, Enjoy ☺

We also have a second event happening October 4th from 1:30-3:30 in our gallery windows!

Take a walk by and get yourself sketched RIGHT ONTO OUR WINDOW!

Artists Amber Solberg, Shannon Long & William Froude will be here drawing city folks. Filling our windows with your beautiful faces!

City, Forest, Birds, Shorelines... OH MY!

 It has been a busy week at Argyle Fine Art while we get ready for TWO NEW SHOWCASES!

Come on down Wednesday September 17th from 6:00-8:00pm

FOR SURE - HEIDI HOLLOWAY

We are preparing our eyes for the beautiful paintings Heidi Holloway has been working on. She has taken inspiration from Nova Scotia's shoreline, her new collection depicts many coastal birds in their natural habitat.

Heidi Holloway, By Luck in the Morning, 24x30, Acrylic

Heidi Holloway, Anchored in the Sandflats, 18x24, Acrylic 

We had the pleasure of hearing from Heidi for one of our Sunday Studio Days, where she goes into the process behind the work and a little about her adventures in the Nova Scotia wilderness.

READ ALL ABOUT IT 

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

We also received new work from Jack Ross!

PASSAGES: JACK ROSS

Jack has been doing many of his city scenes but this body of work he has been experimenting with new places and techniques! You have to see them in person, pictures don't do the art justice.

Jack Ross, Lion, Barrington Street, Acrylic on Wood Panel, 10"x10"

Jack Ross, Crossing the Brook, Bluff Trails, Acrylic on Wood Panel, 24"x36"

Jack gives us some inside info on his studio and advice for new artists.
READ ABOUT IT HERE

We are SO EXCITED to show you more but for now this is all you get.
Link to the full show will be live on TUESDAY!
Don't Miss it.

Follow us on Instagram/Facebook for updates ☺

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS - Rebecca Wilson AKA Lucky Sprout Studio

 

Welcome to another...

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS!

This week we will be featuring the studio of artsit & writer Rebecca Wilson also known as Lucky Sprout Studio.

Rebecca in her studio space

We ask Rebecca:

When/how did you get into art?

I was always very happy making art but I never studied it formally. In graduate school I would paint as a way to shift gears from translating Latin. I started working as a self-employed designer a few years later doing book design, and I learned to do digital art so I could illustrate book covers. Over time I started to feel safer about doing more traditional art and now I’m painting full time. It was a long and extremely gradual process to build the skills and the confidence. 

What’s a typical day in the studio look like to you?

I usually come in to the studio after breakfast and deal with admin in the mornings. Eventually I work on some painting or design projects. Every day is really different and will depend on things like upcoming deadlines, time of year, and how I’m feeling. I try to finish art pieces in a single sitting because I’m not great at continuity, so that usually means painting for a few hours straight. I like to clock out late afternoon and get out of the house for the evening!

Do you have a pet/friend that hangs out in the studio with you?

My studio manager is Blueberry. She is a lop/lionhead mix rabbit, and is a senior lady at 9 years old. I adopted her last year and am completely obsessed with her. She has a lot of attitude and only really likes me (guests are tolerated). She does a wonderful job of keeping me in my studio (I’m always afraid she’s lonely if I’m not here) and encourages me to take breaks from working for snacks and cuddles. She’s honestly been great at keeping me focused on my art. You can see how bunny-centric my work has become since getting her.

Studio Manager - Blueberry

What’s your favourite thing/part of your studio?

Aside from my rabbit, who is an obvious choice, my favourite thing is probably the view. I have big windows that look out on a forest and I love watching the seasons change from here.

Do you listen to music/tv/podcasts while you work in your studio? If so, what’s your favourite!

Definitely! I don’t like working in silence. I’ve usually got YouTube on in the background. I like watching artist vlogs and content by other creatives; it’s like having co-workers, kind of!

Where do you get your inspiration?

Vintage picture books, traveling, and spending time in nature. I’m constantly mining my own childhood for inspiration, remembering TV shows I loved, books I read, and little details like the wallpaper in my childhood bedroom and the feeling of being safe in my bed. Safety, imagination, and nostalgia are themes I like to explore a lot.

Snaps of Rebecca's space

Who’s your favourite local artist? / a local artist you admire?

It’s so hard to narrow it down, but I’ll pick two - Erin Hollingshead and Julie Pantoja (Julep & Trubbs Studio)! They both make work that inspires me so much. They work in different mediums than me typically, so I feel a bit of awe around their art. 

How do you decide what to make/paint/draw?

Everything grows off the previous piece. I’ll paint a bird and some flowers, then really like how the flowers looked, so I’ll do a floral piece and add a bee in, then imagine a world of bees and try that, and so on and so forth. Sometimes I’ll paint the same thing several times until I feel like I execute the idea correctly. I don’t try and push myself out of my comfort zone, really. I just meander and see where it leads organically. I like to paint like I’m taking a leisurely walk. I can look back through my work and immediately know where I was on the “path” when I did it. I guess I see an invisible thread running through everything I make. I’m not sure if it translates to others. I used to worry about painting things cohesively or finding my “style”, like something that connects all my work. I gave up on that and decided I was the connecting factor. After accepting that, it all organically came together anyway, so now I just trust my intuition and know it will lead me somewhere fun and creative.

Do you have any advice to offer/ best piece of advice you’ve received?

The advice I’m trying to follow right now is to be clear about your overall goal and don’t spend too much time worrying about how to get there. Just keep trying the next right thing. There is never a straightforward path that you can plan so it’s best to embrace the strangeness of the journey, while keeping that overall goal in mind as your North Star. In retrospect it will all make sense. At least that’s what I’ve heard.

What is something people may not know about you?

I’m a huge wrestling fan. I watch many hours of it every week and have travelled several times to watch big events!

What activities outside of your art practice do you like to enjoy?

I love going to the beach, especially up in Kingsport. I’m always showing up at my relatives’ houses to hang out and go on little adventures. I read through a good stack of library books each month (mainly in my hammock if the weather is warm) and I love hanging out at home working on projects. Right now I’m painting a little wooden cabinet with an apple cut-out in the door. I thrifted it and I think it’s going to go by the front door.

Thank you so much Rebecca & Blueberry!

Drop by the gallery to see more work from Lucky Sprout Studio.

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS - Erin Hollingshead

Happy...

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS!

This week we chat with artist, surfer & teacher Erin Hollingshead.

Erin in her home studio surrounded by art

We asked Erin...

Where do you get your inspiration?

My current body of work is inspired by direct observation from my personal experiences! When I am not at my day job (teaching the youth!) or in my studio, I am in or near the ocean.

I am currently fascinated by objects (seaweeds, shells, and ocean critters) that I find on my beach walks, what the water looks and feels like when I surf, surf and surf culture, and folklore stories and mythical beings from the ocean and other water bodies. I will walk the beach and collect items of interest and at the end of my beach walk, I will create still-lives that I photograph and turn into paintings. Sometimes I will collage together multiple images from different beach walks to create a composition. Lately, I've been making gouache paintings of people on the beach where I use this collage technique. Sometimes when I surf or snorkel, I will take a GoPro camera with me so I can capture the water to make my water surface paintings.

Sometimes I like to include a figure interacting with the water, which I will often use my own perspective (my own hand) for. When these images are used as references for my paintings, I am using my own point of view and perspective to bring the viewer to the water - to try to get them to imagine being there and transport them to the ocean.

Erin Hollingshead, Ripple, oil on board, 10"x10" (2022)

My current favourite folklore is that of the Selkie - a mythological female being that can transform from their seal-form to their human-form, who feels that the ocean is their true home and place to be. My current series of Selkie themed works are lino-cuts, as I really enjoy the illustrative nature of this medium for these pieces.

Selkies Lino-Cut Print

What are you working on right now?

I am currently working on a series of water-surface oil paintings. The goal with this series is to paint the water at dawn, mid-day and dusk to capture the different moods of these times of day on the water. Some pieces will include figures, and others won't. I hope to have this series completed by next summer (2026). I am a slow painter - because I only have around 2 or 3 hours of studio time in a day, but mostly because I really like to make my paintings meticulously detailed. I've been working on collecting reference images this summer and then I will spend my winter painting. 

Erin Hollingshead, Marooned, oil on canvas, 12"x16" (2021)

What's a typical day in the studio look like to you?

In the summer months I am on my break from teaching and I will work full-time in my studio - I usually use this time to start projects and organize myself so that I have a clear path set for my work over the course of the next teaching year.

A typical day during this time has me starting my morning slowly and enjoying breakfast and coffee while I make a to-do list for the day. I can not live without my to-do list - just a pad of sticky notes I keep on my desk. I try to do admin-work, creation and then "other" tasks each day to balance everything out. I also use this time to collect reference images for my paintings, illustrations and lino-cuts.

From September to June, I work in my studio for a minimum of 2 hours each night. Each day looks different in my studio as I try to cover all my bases - from creation, shipping artworks, organizational tasks, admin tasks, and social media. I could spend my time packaging and shipping artworks - which involves me sitting on my floor cutting cardboard, taping everything together and yellow envelopes everywhere. Or I could spend my time sitting down with a movie, show, podcast or a favourite album and working on carving lino-cuts, drawing or painting for a couple of hours. I am also always trying to film my process so I can make videos for social media and my YouTube channel. No matter what task I am trying to cross off my list, my studio time always has me comfy, caffeinated and thinking about the ocean.

Lino-Cut printing in progress

The Surfer Lino-Cut

Thank you so much Erin for giving us such insight to your practice.

Want to see what works we have available from Erin Hollingshead?

CLICK HERE

Thank you for reading this week's Sunday Studio Days blog! 

Stay Tuned for more behind the scenes & creative spaces next week!