Cat Person. Dog Person. Whatchamacallit Person: Off the Leash!

This past Saturday afternoon we launched our most recent exhibit- the annual Cat Person. Dog Person. Whatchamacallit Person. This show was very well received and is always a much needed happy show in the middle of our Winter season. Lots of people and dogs dropped by to take in the art...and a cat dropped by later too!

This show is a must-see for any animal lovers.  We hope to have the show ONLINE by end of day tomorrow for those of you living abroad, but until then, enjoy these PET SELFIES taken with a few of the participating artists in the show. We encourage you to share your pet selfies with us, using the hashtag #petselfieshrm on Twitter.

Artist Bernadette Kernaghan poses with her kitty! Make sure to check out Bernadette's painting called THE SMILE at the show, inspired of course, by Mona Lisa

Artist Jennifer Atkinson proudly poses with her cat named TOAST...who is also  featured in her painting for the show!

Lisa Hines loves dogs and it shows in her watercolour paintings on display at the show...here she is with her herd of dogs.

Here is Melissa Verge with her little lion. See her painted lion at the show!  This is the first time Melissa has showcased her work at an art gallery!

Artist Mindy Harris is always creating wonderful things including her Frida Calico painting at the show!

Here is artist Nelson White and his pup named Higgins! Nelson sent his work all the way from Newfoundland.

Not exactly a selfie, but sometimes it's hard to get the dogs to cooperate. Here is artist Tony Clementi with the family.

Marion Mazerall is a papermache artist and loves cats. Here she is with her trusty cat helper!

Mirco Chen and his puppy Roosevelt...yes puppy...lots more growing for this one to do. The pup was the inspiration for Mirco's artwork for the show!

SHOE sculptor Kim Danio will knock your socks and shoes off with her latest works. Here she is posing with cat Omar and pup, Junie

Haley MacLean was LIVE painting at our event on Saturday! Come back this week and see the painting completed! Her she is with her dog named CoCo who is 12 years old. Haley is donating any proceeds from her sales to Homeward Bound City Pound. Amazing!

The show continues until March 12th, and we'll be collecting food or toy donations at the gallery for cats and dogs until then too, so if you are able please do so.  Bring your family and enjoy the art!  Take a break over your lunchtime if you work or live downtown...we'd love to see you and we're always dog friendly!

Going to the Dogs with Yoko White!

We're getting excited for the opening of our Cat Person. Dog Person.Whatchamacallit Show. It opens next Saturday, February 27th, from 1:30-3:30pm. It's going to be a barking good time, and the artwork is starting to arrive at the gallery. Today we thought we'd give you a sneak peek and go behind the scenes with gallery favourite Yoko White!

Yoko created three embroidered pieces for this show using French knots. Now anyone who embroiders can tell you French knots can be a pain, which is part of what makes Yoko's work so amazing. She is a master of French knots, blending colourful thread seamlessly.

Yoko White, Happy Face, Embroidery

Yoko was kind enough to send along some process shots about how she created her works for this show. We're going to take you behind the scenes of this piece titled Happy Face. Here's how she started the piece:

 

Adorable from the beginning. Yoko's work always strikes me because she makes the complexities of her work seem so simple - the sign of a true master. Her colours are always vibrant and layered, like the way she approached the mouth in the photo below. I can count at least six colours in the tongue alone. 

 

 I also love the way that she lays out colour all over as she works, approaching the piece as a whole rather than working on one area at a time. The colour slowly spreads and fills in the work until the image is whole.

 I mean just look at that face. I want all the puppy kisses!

While Yoko's work is very clean and meticulous, as with all embroidery, the back becomes an adventure in itself with swooping threads and tension holding everything together just so. It almost looks as if the photo below of the back is the before picture of a puppy in need of a haircut.

 

We hope you enjoyed a sneak peak of Yoko's work and process. Don't forget to come see it in person, the show opens next Saturday from 1:30-3:30pm and runs until March 12th! Well behaved dogs (as per owner's discretion) are welcome at the opening, and any time really, as we are a dog-friendly gallery! 

We'll see you at the show, and until then, have woof-derful weekend! 

Breaking News: Mona Lisa was a Cat Lady

It's Friday and it's sunny outside so forgive us, but we're feeling a tad giddy and therefore feel the need to share this painting with all of you. We have just received "The Smile" by artist Bernadette Kernaghan in preparation for the CAT PERSON. DOG PERSON. WHATCHAMACALLIT. opening on Saturday, February 27th. 

Come see a sneak peek at it in person this Saturday- guaranteed it will make you happy! 

 Just how many cats did Mona Lisa have?

A little SPRING back in your step!

Can you feel it in the air? Spring is a month away but over the last few days we've been treated to some very Spring-like weather. The winds of change are blowing through, the ground is softening and releasing it's earthy perfumes, and the snow, oh the snow is succeeding to temperatures that hover around zero.

In the gallery this of course means our animal friends are beginning to grow restless and stir awake from their winter sleep. Why just this morning I encountered a family of bunnies, they seemed to have multiplied over night...

Bunnies, Basil Doucette, Folk Carving

Bunnies, Basil Doucette, Folk Carving

 Speaking of multiplying, we'd also like to give a warm welcome to some fawns who are just starting to find their legs in the gallery.

Fawn, Catherine Otto, Embroidery

Fawn, Bronwyn Arundel, Ceramic

We also scouted this skulk of foxes roaming around the back corner of the gallery. Just look at that sweet little face! Our prickly friend Mr Porcupine has also emerged, and I'll be dam-ed if that isn't the cutest beaver I've ever seen.

Foxes, Basil Doucette, Folk Carving

Porcupine, Basil Doucette, Folk Carving

Beaver, Bronwyn Arundel, Ceramic

Our wise old owl friends have also woken up and are surveying the scene, checking out the new creatures in the forest and beyond.

Owl Vessel and Owl Figurine, Bronwyn Arundel, Ceramic

And what's this? Now I'm not sure if sloths or narwhals are native to Nova Scotia, but we do have workshops coming up for these guys in March! Check them out by clicking on the photos below:

Netflix in Miniature: Damien Webb

Today is the official last day of Pre-Shrunk 2016 show, but we thought we'd share just a few more highlights from the show before the days end. Also, we should mention that we'll be   e x t e n d i n g  the show until the end of next week....so there's still time to pick up a unique small work of art!

Part of the reason we love the Pre-Shrunk show so much is that it also puts a spotlight on actual miniature works..like artist Damien Webb who makes miniature a way of life! He creates everything from simple materials- box board, clay, wood and found objects. For this year's show Damien decided to create shadow box works that hang  on the wall, that reference popular movies.Take a look and see how many of these movies you have seen! You can always watch or revisit them on Netflix through the Winter months.

Can you guess what movie this work is paying homage to?  HINT: Royale with Cheese

Look at the delicious Hawaiian Burger...nom nom nom...it's PULP FICTION!

 

This is from a very popular movie from the 1980s starring  Bill Murray.."Who ya gonna Call?"

Of course, no grouping of movie homages could go without the Horror genre!

But gore and humour are great together, like in this movie featuring Ash. HINT: GROOVY

This piece is Dinosaur-iffic! HINT:  Like a Walk in a park...filed with beasts

HINT: Hey....Han Solo- looking for this? 

We hope you enjoyed guessing what each piece references and make sure to drop by and give these little guys another look! Remember, you can see the entire PRE-SHRUNK 2016 show HERE!

Say HAPPY VALENTINES with local cards and local food!

Attention:   We highly recommend you BUY A CARD !

Sunday, February 14th is VALENTINE's DAY!  Tell someone you love them....a partner, a friend, a family member....whoever it is, we have the perfect card for them by our roster of local artists!  Here's just one example of a STAR WARS inspired one by Jodie Hansen! Well be posting more examples of great cards throughout the day over on our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER  and FACEBOOK pages throughout the day tomorrow...make sure to check in!

We're also part of a FOOD+ART tour that is happening tomorrow....could be the perfect daytime date for anyone that loves food and art together at last! We'll be partnered up with The Old Apothecary! CALL THE NUMBER on the POSTER pictured below to book your space!

When it SNOWS is SALES all Winter Long

SNOW DAY SALES ALERT!

From now until the last snow fluff has flurried this Winter we'll have a sale predicted only by the weather!  Each snow day we'll feature a special offer (a snow day is defined as a day the gallery is closed due to winter weather) So....since we received 15 cm of snow over Monday and Tuesday...we are offering 15% off all artworks for 24 hours after the storm! (today's sale ends Feb.10th at midnight!)

Time to pick up a Pre-Shrunk for ‪Valentine's Day which is THIS Sunday!   Below are a few of the works still available...but make sure to view the entire show at www.argylefineart.com

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR- We're seeing RED at Pre-Shrunk 2016

Today is the beginning of Chinese Lunar New Year and we're celebrating the day with a few works from our Pre-Shrunk 2016 show that also feature the colour RED- a colour of good fortune and love (subtle mention that Valentine's Day is on February 14th this year...)

Did you know that "to the Chinese, red represents good fortune, and so around the New Year the color can be seen everywhere in Chinese cities: red lanterns hang in doorways; red paper cutouts adorn windows. And a staple of the holiday: red envelopes called hongbao in Mandarin, or lai see in Cantonese, are filled with cash and given by married people to children, unmarried relatives and friends, and employees. The sum is typically an even number, and it shouldn’t contain the number four, which is considered unlucky because it sounds like the Chinese word for death.

"The Making Hand- Brocade", 4" x 5", Oil and mixed media on board, Robin Jensen

Window Box 1, 4" x 5", Acrylic on Canvas by Lynn Johnson

In the Parking Lot Behind the Candy Store, 4" x 5", Oil on canvas by Sarah Jones

City Levels 5, 4" x 5", Oil on Board by Caitlin McGuire

Five Islands Treasure House, 4" x 5", Acrylic on Board by Kathy Richards

Red 1971 Pick-Up Truck, 4" x 5", Acrylic on Board (with glow in the dark headlights!) by Andy MacDonald

Start your new NEW YEAR off with luck and good fortune and lots of art with the colour RED!