Birds of a Feather

While the weather might be taking it's time, other signs of Spring keep popping up, like the crocus breaking through the thawing earth - and birds! The birds are back! We're celebrating by sharing some of our favourite bird pieces!

Starting with these new graphite drawings by artist Quinn Smith. Smith has a knack for capturing so much personality in his work. I wouldn't want to get on those owls' bad side...

Quinlan Smith, Hot Gossip, 10"x10", Graphite on paper (mounted on board)

Quinlan Smith, Caww, 10"x10", Graphite on paper (mounted on board)

Quinlan Smith, Earl, 6"x6", Graphite on paper (mounted on board)

Known for his woodcuts and woodwork, Gregg Tracey is a multi-disciplined and multi-talented artist, as is evident by this colourful painting.

Gregg Tracey, Mr Petrie, 22.5"x31", Acrylic on Board

Artist Michelle St Onge who has a show coming up at the gallery opening on May 5th is well known for her serigraphs. However her watercolour work where she's been focusing lately is delicate and bold, with beautiful colour and texture that capture the eye. We're excited to see what pieces her May show brings!

Michelle St Onge, Go Jays, 17"x21", Watercolour on paper (framed)

Of course we couldn't make a post about birds without including felt artist Dorothyanne Brown, who's felted creatures are a favourite of many. It's pretty easy to see why she's such a big hit with children and adults of all ages.

Dorothyanne Brown, Chad the Crow, Felted

Dorothyanne Brown, Chuckles the Lovebird, Felted

These sweet little Pre-Shrunks by Danny Bilsborough are sure to put a little spring in your step.

Danny Billsborough, Hang in There, 4"x5", Acrylic on Canvas

Danny Bilsborough, Just Sing, 4"x5", Acrylic on Canvas

Yoko White's work is always incredible, but this little pheasant is just saying, "take me home!"

Yoko White, Pheasant, Embroidery

Folkartist Basil Doucette has outdone himself. Known for his wood carvings, especially of birds, he has gone itty bitty with his latest pieces. It's hard to get a sense of scale with these guys, but this bird is smaller than my thumb!

Basil Doucette, Extra Small Folk Art Bird, Handcarved and painted wood

This is one of the new little guys next to Doucette's regular "small" birds.

Bonus! This little bird has SO many friends, pop in to scoop one up before these birds fly off!

You might be familiar with Sharon Cave's chickens, especially Roland who is our current Creative Edition- Art Subscription  print, but we still have some great crow pieces of hers from our Pre-Shrunk show!

Sharon Cave, Crow 12, 4"x5", Oil on Board

Sharon Cave, Crow 2, 4"x5", Oil on Board

We couldn't have a birds post without at least a few chickens. Here's a select few from Miyoshi Kondo's series, The Chickens Come Home to Roost, which is currently up in the gallery - come in and see this fantastic series!

Miyoshi Kondo, Yurt, 4"x4", Gouache on paper framed)

Miyoshi Kondo, Log Cabin, 4"x4", Gouache on paper (framed)

Miyoshi Kondo, Apartment Complex, 4"x4", Gouache on paper (framed)

Fly down to the gallery today to see these birds and many more of our flock.

Celebrate Earth Day with Repurposed Art

Happy Earth Day! Here at the gallery we're celebrating by sharing some of our favourite artists who are masters of sourcing, recycling and repurposing materials to create their fantastic pieces!

If you've been in or even walked by the gallery you're probably familiar with William Rudolph's works, or Rudy as he's known, who creates his pieces out of bike parts. From belts to napkin holders, Rudy's best known for his amazing lamps. I've probably made you try turning one on and off because the gear shift switch is so satisfying. We're always getting new and fun works from Rudy, who also fixes and adjusts bikes for people with a range of different abilities, so come in and check them out if you're looking for something for your favourite cycling pal.

William Rudolph, Bike Napkin Holder, Bike Trophy, Bike Candle Stand (left to right), Reclaimed Bike Parts

Up next we have our favourite tinkerer Ed Beals. It's hard to catagorize Ed's work because he's made just about everything from ray guns to robots to insects and more. Ed uses all kinds of repurposed and found items to create his pieces, and sometimes even his pieces are repurposers, like The Collector, who's carrying around his found objects in his removable backpack.

Ed Beals, The Collector, Repurposed Objects

Ed's bugs made out of old silverware, pen nibs, keys and other found objects are pretty fantastic too.

Ed Beals, Sara (lovingly named by his daughter), Repurposed Objects

Then there's Damien Webb, master of reusing paper and objects like tins, cans and mason jars which display his miniature works. Damien is one of those artists who saves scarps and bits thinking, "I can use this..."  He takes a lot of consideration when deciding what to use to display his pieces so it's just right, like this VW Winnebago in an old candy tin.

Damien Webb, VW Winnebago, Mixed Media

Lastly we have glass artist Rachelle Paul of Looking Glass Design, who uses recycled glass from old windows and greenhouses in Nova Scotia to create her beautiful terrariums and other pieces. Rachelle's work is stunning and allows you to bring your favourite plants and other greenery indoors in beautiful ways.

Rachelle Paul, Cube Terrarium, Glass, Solder, Patina

Rachelle Paul, Hanging Wall Terrariums, Glass, Solder, Patina

Rachelle Paul, Diamond Terrarium, Glass, Solder, Patina

 Come and celebrate Earth Day with us and see more wonderful repurposed pieces by our fabulous artists!

SPRING STUDIO SATURDAYS Edition: Dorothyanne Brown

It's that time of year again, when we head into the studios of our artists, in order to give you an idea of what each artist's studios and processes are like. Each artist works differently and require more or less space, depending on their choice of medium.  Most artists living in Nova Scotia have their studios in their homes. Either a spare room is converted to a studio or sometimes just the kitchen table will suffice; wherever creativity strikes for others!

Today we're taking you into the studio of needle felt artist Dorothyanne Brown. If you've been to the gallery you may be familiar with Dorothyanne's wonderful felted animals that exude personality and humour, much like the artist.

The GMO Chicks - Moxie, Maxine, Mo & Fishie, just one of Dorothyanne's fabulous creations.

Here's a little peek into Dorothyanne's studio where her amazing creations are born...

Dorothyanne's workspace.

Dorothyanne began needle felting in 2014 and as she says her "needles have rarely been still since".

Some of Dorothyanne's yarn stash.

Dorothyanne's magical sculptures are formed over a wire armature and are made of 100% natural fibres from sheep, goats, llamas, and rabbits. Most are created using a single needle-felting needle; pelts are hand blended. Each is created individually and none are quite the same.

 

Ferdinand the Bull

Stan and Vera

Pop in today to see what critters she has visiting the gallery, and thank you Dorothyanne for letting us into your studio!

Even Bookmarks are Art: The latest and greatest by artist Jodie Hansen

Did you know that the first recorded use of a bookmark was in the 1st century AD? Pretty cool fact you can use around the dinner table this holiday season, should the conversations need to be enhanced beyond the weather or politics. But wait...there's more!

Fast forwarding to the the 19th century, bookmarks were intended for use in bibles and prayer books primarily and were made of ribbon, woven silk, or leather. By the 1880s the production of woven silk markers was declining and printed markers made of stiff paper or cardboard began to appear in significant numbers. This development paralleled the wider availability of books themselves, and the range of available bookmarkers soon expanded dramatically.

Fast forward again to the 1980s-1990s when just about everyone had the coolest bookmarks of all, including the ever popular Garfield bookmarks (the cartoon cat that eats lasagna, remember him?) that almost everyone brings up when we sell a bookmark lately.

Relics from the "old days"...the 1980s-1990s

Fast forward to current day, when a lot of folks may not read from paper books and instead choose to read stories from various devices, but books still rule in our books! Our city has even built a beautiful architectural masterpiece for just them and the community. :-) 

The Library, Ink and Watercolour by Craig Baltzer

 All this to say...we have BOOKMARKS FOR SALE and they are awesome. 

Artist Jodie Hansen created a great selection of bookmarks that are affordable and fun for everyone on your list that likes to read once in a while. Little works of art that hold your place in your book...yay! There are lots of to choose from, but here a few examples. Only $5 each. READERS REJOICE!  (ps- these are perfect for Easter gifts)

Spring is Blooming: Briana Corr-Scott

We just opened the latest works by Briana Corr-Scott  this past Friday! What a celebration! Make sure to get into the gallery soon to experience these works in person. Briana has been working so very hard on her stunning solo show "Foreshadow to Spring" All the work will be visible online soon at our website, but until then you can see the entire show online at this LINK HERE.  

 In addition, we were pleased to be featuring some geometric glass works by Rachelle Paul. Opening night, were were treated to some special music by Rachel Bruch, aka Blue Lobelia. To watch/listen to a recent creation by her click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFuXT0dt-2Q&feature=youtu.be
 
                                Briana speaks about her work in her own words:

My recent work continues the theme of my 2016 series, Spring/Light.The new paintings focus on the light I see in late winter-these struggling last hours waiting for spring to come. This time of year is a period of flux and longing. The warm late winter light and the golden-pink evenings foreshadow the joy that will eventually come. All year, I moved back and forth from working on glowing floral scenes to paintings of darkly shrouded shells. I found myself thinking about what these objects represented in the work.

The spring blooms and branches represent life, whatever it is; this fleeting, vibrant moment of living.The shells, although equally as beautiful, represent the past. A shell is an object that is a
remnant of what it was; it is a tie to its past life. I felt I was moving from a foreshadowing of grief to a foreshadowing of joy-yearning for new present joy, and nostalgic for old joys.

 

In the Studio..

                      We hope to see you soon to enjoy this stunning body of work with us!

The back wall of our gallery, filled with the most beautiful small paintings by Briana Corr-Scott

GET CRACKING: Ukrainian Eggs by Ruby Boutilier just in time for Easter!

Artists live amoung us. They are everywhere and being creative in so many different ways and using a variety of mediums. Ruby Boutilier's day job is speaking to students considering enrollment at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design(NSCAD University) but when she's not doing that you can find her collaborating on short films or making painstakingly gorgeous traditional and fun "sci-fi geeky" works of art, ukrainian egg style. EGGS and dye and wax are her mediums!

The official name for this style of work is call pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, plural: pysanky) is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist method. The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.

Ruby has brought us quite a great selection of works- no two are ever the same! Pick up a unique egg for just $35 . They look great to keep out throughout the year- not just at Easter time. She does hand-paint some eggs at times, but really enjoys the challenges and vibrancy achieved with this historical technique.   

MEET THE ARTIST AND LEARN THE PROCESS:  

RUBY will be here at the gallery working on some eggs in various stages, so pop by on Saturday, April 14th from 1:30-3:30pm

Love this picture! Eggs hanging to dry over Ruby Boutilier's  kitchen sink/studio!

 HOP by and gather an egg or two from Ruby or other Spring treasures by our gallery artists! 

We have some great cards and NEW BOOKMARKS  by Jodie Hansen perfect to tuck inside an Easter Basket!

Maud Lewis Approved: Artist Megan LeForte Gives Back

We've been remiss in updating the blog this last week, but we certainly have been busy! With the slightly better weather and longer daylight hours starting to take hold, people are seeming to be in better spirits, and are out and about once again, which is great news and great for the business of finding new art great homes! 

One of the great things that happened last week, is that we proudly hosted a very special art fundraiser for Adsum House, called Mystery Art. With over 87 works donated by generous artists and a sold out show from supporters and volunteers, Adsum House was able to raise much needed funds so that they can continue their important work to provide safe homes and positive opportunities for women and children in need within our community. 

Gallery artist Megan LeForte wanted to help out too, and continue the giving back to Adsum House, with an original work of art this week. So from now until end of day Saturday, April 8th, the work featured below will be up for SILENT AUCTION.  This painting is an homage to Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis, with a modern twist of feminine empowerment with pussy hats. Purrrrrrrrfect timing as the upcoming film "Maudie" will be in Canadian theatres on April 14th. This would be a great gift to yourself and Adsum House. ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO ADSUM HOUSE. We're starting the bidding at $100. We will update the total of the auction each day below the painting on this blog page. Check back often. To bid, simply email us at gallery@argylefa.com or call us at 902-425-9456. 
 

THE WINNING BID CLOSED AT $420 from Marsha Stagg!  Thanks to all the bidders and supporters of sharing this opportunity. Of course, thank you to Megan LeForte!

This is not the first time Megan has helped out those in need with her art. Some of you may remember she did a similar thing when Fort McMurray was in dire need.We think she's awesome! Support caring people like this and please feel free to share this post with anyone you think would be interested. We greatly appreciate it!

We encourage our blog readers to follow up on our social media channels too, if you are engaged in that way, either on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Daily posts are made there and of course, lots of photos of the most recent happenings and artworks.