NOW SHOWING>>>>COMMON GROUND

It was just about a year ago when we realized that three of our newly acquired artists also happened to excel at painting still life. So, it wasn't a stretch when the idea came about to work towards an exhibition especially for them. Chris Wallace, Stuart Melanson and George Spencer, are three (somewhat) new additions to our incredible list of artists, and we're SO pleased to have their show "Common Ground" up on display. If you haven't had the chance to stop in yet, make sure you schedule in a visit. We're open from Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10am - 5:30pm and we'd love for you to have a look at the quality of works being produced by artists in our very own backyard - truly incredible.

Stuart Melanson "Raddish"

Chris Wallace "Stone, Bone and Tealight"

George Spencer "Strawberries and Creamer"

NEW PIECES BY JENNIFER HARRISON

Time for new works by Jennifer Harrison, folks! These three paintings only recently came walking into the gallery, a special delivery from Jennifer herself. They're on the wall by the front windows here at AFA, so keep your eyes peeled when your zipping past on your way to grab a cup of coffee...  

(Then come back with your coffee in hand, take a secret break from work, and have a look around!) 

"Four White Houses" Oil on Canvas 16" x 20"

"Three Yellow Houses with Clapboard" Oil on Canvas 30" x 6"

"Red Clapboard House" Oil on Canvas 8" x 16"

Kathy Richards's Ever Blue Skies

It can be such a sparkling time of year, when greenery starts to appear amongst the twigs and grey grass. We've noticed that locals are starting to step outside during lunch breaks too.. might they be heading to the Public Gardens? That's right, the garden gates are open for the season - the ultimate signal that spring has sprung.

 The Public Gardens are one of Kathy Richard's most popular subjects - her blue skies are never ending and her work has that feeling that comes with being outside on a perfect day. Both peaceful and alive, it's exactly what many of us are looking forward to; warmer weather, and clear skies.

"Sunlit Bridge" by Kathy Richards 5" x 7" Acrylic on wide Canvas

New Works by Andy MacDonald arriving soon!

Emerging artist Andy MacDonald has been busy this Spring, creating a new body of work which will be at Argyle Fine Art tomorrow afternoon! But we just couldn't wait to share some of the paintings on their way with you today!

  We are also excited to announce that Andy will be one of our featured artists at this year's NOCTURNE (October 19th) , where the theme of the most wonderful art night of all, will be "time and space"....stay tuned for more information on other great things planned for that evening and leading up it too.

EARTH DAY 2013!

Happy Earth Day! 

Today is a special day to remind us  to keep the Earth safe and keep it as green and clean as we can- even the simplest and easiest things make a huge difference. We can all help by re-using and re-purposing, recycling and composting.

Many of Argyle Fine Art's artists are wonderful at re-purposing! Such artists include Ed Beals and his robots made from household items and old machinery parts.  Emma and Liam Travers, two of the youngest artists at Argyle Fine Art, make jewellery from unused LEGO pieces and parts. Jenna Molenar creates stunning jewellery from bicycle parts and chains and Amy Belanger creates ceramic jewelry using broken china. Mary Garoutte paints tiny wearable  paintings that fit inside the inside of a bottle cap!  Many of our artists work on  recycled paper to create their works and even some of the frames are reused and made from reclaimed wood. Artist Chris Wallace  paints with egg tempera...one of the oldest mediums used in painting, where you mix egg white and naturally occurring pigments to create masterpieces!   ...and that's just SOME of the amazing work being created using objects that would otherwise be tossed away. Artists bring LIFE to our daily lives.

 
We even have artists who paint outside and embrace nature to it's fullest, such as Mark Brennan. Mark is also a sound artist and a film maker, with his focus being the natural world and all it's splendor.Here's a recent painting by Mark that will be featured in his solo show, opening June 14th at Argyle Fine Art.

Fruit for Thought: Gordon MacDonald

Gordon MacDonald is known for his landscape paintings and luminous skyscapes.  But his abilities don't end there. On top of being an outstanding portrait artist, he likes to play with light and texture with still lifes from time to time as well.

Here is one new work that has just arrived at the gallery which seems to be captivating people...and making me very hungry for an orange.

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT >>> FROM SEVEN UNTIL NINE PM

This is it folks - It's opening night here at Argyle Fine Art,

and as you may know, we've got a full lineup of incredible local talents on display. Tonight's reception is free and open to the public, so grab an umbrella and shuffle yourselves over to 

Barrington Street and see new works by:

Jane Rovers

Bryanna Chapeskie

Chris Wallace

Stuart Melanson

George Spencer

OPENING FRIDAY: New works by Bryanna Chapeskie and Jane Rovers

Friday is a big day for us at the gallery - we're opening shows for a total of FIVE incredible artists. Upstairs will contain the works of three artists participating in the still life show titled "Uncommon Ground" ...and our lower level will be absolutely transformed with uplifting works of art created by two emerging artists, Bryanna Chapeskie, and Jane Rovers.

Bryanna Chapeskie will be showing a series of 10 handcut watercolour paintings on paper, set in layers. Here's a tiny peak at what to expect:

 And Jane Rovers will be showing a series of  nine limited edition (1/5) digital prints, printed on heavy archival paper and framed in white. Here's another little preview: 

All shows open on Friday, and our opening reception begins at 7pm. Do stop by, and join in on the fun!!

Common Ground: Still Life Painting Show opens this Friday at Argyle Fine Art

Still Life painting hasn't been something we've shown a lot of  at Argyle Fine Art, with a few exceptions to that rule, however in the last three years we've noticed a resurgence of highly skilled still-life artists living in our community that definitely stand out from the rest.

Artists Chris Wallace, George Spencer and Stuart Melanson are the artists that will be featured in the show, which opens this Friday, April 19th. Although Chris Wallace has some formal training as a fine artist, his medium of choice, Egg Tempera, really depends on patience, determination and lots of self-learning to get it just right. He never stops challenging himself.

Egg Tempera, Chris Wallace

George Spencer and Stuart Melanson have no formal training from art institutions, but that hasn't kept them from exploring and learning. George Spencer takes his cues from many Dutch still-life painters and works with the medium of oil.

Oil on Board, George Spencer

 Stuart Melanson was inspired by the works of Robert Bateman at an early age-and tried his hand at painting with Bateman's chosen medium of acrylic-and with the same attention to detail and precision.

Acrylic on Board, Stuart Melanson

All of the artists  in this exhibition have learned to paint from watching others, reading extensively, studying other artists's works and of course, by painting! Lots of painting and trial and error. The result? An exciting body of work that I would boast is some of the best examples of  still-life I have seen from this region in quite some time.

Oil on Board, George Spencer

Please attend the reception if you are able to- I think you'll agree these works are worth the time for a second look at still-life and ultimately, a form of realism in our province.

TOMORROW @ 1PM - A monsterously good afternoon with JUSTN LEE and STEVE VERNON!!

Come as you are, or come dressed as a creepy monster... It's going to be a lovely afternoon (regardless of the weather) here at Argyle Fine Art with our very special guests STEVE VERNON and JUSTIN LEE!! Steve will be reading from his terrifically fun novel "Maritime Monsters: A Field Guide" set amongst the works of Justin Lee's art show titled "Harold Hickenbottom and the super best friend monsters from under the bed".  Kids and Adults alike are welcome to this event, and there's no admission fee!! So grab your friends and pop in for 1pm, Steve Promises to give a free book to the best dressed in the bunch. SO FUN!!

An apple a day with GORDON MACDONALD

Brace yourselves my friends, these pieces are brand new to the gallery, and you haven't seen anything quite like it from Gordon in a long while. There's no mistaking who painted them, with their richly lit backgrounds and glowing colours. Only the subject matter is a little different this time around, making these works extra special:

ANGELA CARLSEN : SAILORS DELIGHT

Yellow Sky at night, is Angela's delight. Yellow sky in the morning, is what Angela's exploring...
during her travels.... And you might be delighted to hear that there are still four pieces that remain in this exciting exhibition. These 4 pieces are pictured below, and they're priced at $850 each. But do heed this warning - if things continue as they have, they're bound to disappear soon!

....and the NAME OF THE SQUID IS......(drumroll please!)

Just in case you didn't hear, we have a WINNING NAME for the SQUID that hangs in our gallery window by the fabulous felt artist Angela Penton....and we'd love for you to drop by and shake hands (tentacles?) 

The Squid's name is...... ART FELTMAN!

We received close to 100 name suggestions by the end of it all via email, this blog, Twitter, in-person drop-in's and of course, the beloved Facebook.


Here are just some of the name suggestions we received for your reading pleasure! Thanks to all for your creative names and cooperation on this!

 Leroy Brown-Nicole Squidman- Edgar-Professor Ink-Cecaelia-McBlinky-Billy the Squid-Verne(after Jules Verne) - Sid the Squid, Halimiri, Herman, Bob Kraken, Mert, Cal A. Mari (and many versions of this :-) Squidsworth-Lunch- Coco Les Legs-Tickleworth- Alphonzo-Calimerenge Caliente- Sefla O'Pod- Kit Hulu-Gary Calamari-Glover-Cassandra- Norbert Deliah-Seablade-Squishy-Squirt- Ika-chan- Bibby Inky-Pentacles-Barrington-Nautilus-Reefer-Talula-Argus-Wallace-Cedric-Marley and more!   

Wow!!  That was FUN!

 

NAME THAT SQUID! (Contest ends tomorrow)

It's your last chance folks! Time to enter our contest towards a $50 gift certificate by submitting a great name for our not so little squid! So far, entries include names such as Slippy, Squirt, 

Leroy Brown, Billy the Squid, Ika Chan, and many others. 

What say you then, can this squid be named? Entries can be submitted via the comment 

section below this post, or through our facebook event page. 

This giant squid is finely crafted by the talented Angela Penton, it includes flexible tentacles, and of course, a squid tooth. He's (she's?) is priced at $800 - Incredible considering the work involved.. but he/she is, for the time being, nameless... HALP! 

Winner will be chosen tomorrow before 5:30pm. 

IT'S MONSTER TIME AT ARGYLE FINE ART!

Join us on Saturday, APRIL 13TH from 1-2pm for an afternoon with author Steve Vernon! Steve will read from his wonderful novel "Maritime Monsters: A Field Guide" and will sit surrounded by the work of Justin Lee. Justin's show "Harold Hickenbottom and the super best friend Monsters from under the bed!" is the perfect setting for Steve's stories, and if you ask me, it's the PERFECT excuse to get dressed up as a monster (or as a piece of artwork!!). Steve promises to give a free book to the best dressed! 

NEW WORK ARRIVING: STEVEN RHUDE

We hope to see these new paintings by mid-day Thursday, when Steven Rhude stops into the gallery for a little visit.  They'll surely be worth seeing in person, so make sure you swing by for a good look.

Painted in Steven's distinctive poetic realist style, we see his maritime icons set precariously in the middle of the road - powerful images that speak louder than words. 

The Local (Mackerel on a Road)

oil on panel Size: 20" x 24" $2, 600

The Local (Dory on a Road) 

Medium: oil on panel Size: 20" x 24" $2,600

We'll also have these two beautiful, limited edition Seriographs on hand 

(Red Fish and Mackerel) both priced at $375

Art makes people HAPPY!

We've met so many of you over the years....people that are grinning from ear to ear, for the love of art!  That's why we always try to have a selection of art for everyone; different styles of artwork, emerging to established artists and all price ranges- and shipping made easy!  Some people stumble upon our gallery, not planning on making a purchase....it just happens. A happy accident! A work of art stops them in their tracks and they can't bear to live without it.

Sometimes...they purchase their FIRST work of original artwork! That's the most exciting time of all, especially when the collector is young!

This young fellow  found the perfect work of art by emerging artist Nick Brunt!

 Other folks caught the "addictive art bug" years ago and keep collecting and adding to their collection; following and supporting a favourite artist.  Some need to refresh a space or bring life to a workplace-whatever the reason, ART is powerful.

An avid collector of art and an artist himself, this fine fellow is happy to be adding to his collection of Gordon MacDonald artworks!

Do YOU remember your first original work of art you brought home? Tell US about your love of art! We'd love to feature your story on our blog!

Perhaps you haven't experienced owing original artwork yet, but remember that at Argyle Fine Art, we are always happy to make it possible through flexible payment plans or through our Lease-to-Own Program (more info on that here: http://www.artleasecanada.ca/)

Robyn's Boat, Oil on Linen, Gordon MacDonald, 2012