New Artist Alert! Introducing Jack Ross!

We are delighted to have just received some stunning new paintings by Jack Ross. We've worked with Jack for just over a year now, featuring his works at group shows. Jack was very productive during this time of pandemic, and his studio was bursting at the seams. We are the happy recipients of many of these works and we can hardly wait for you to experience them too. Here are a few new paintings that are in the gallery now, but you can view his entire catalogue of works available HERE. 

A BIT ABOUT JACK:

Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Jack Ross is an artist and educator. A graduate of NSCAD University (BFA 2012); Jack has instructed courses in painting with NSCAD's School of Extended Studies and has worked as a curator and coordinator. Jack’s work stems from a keen interest the material qualities of paint as well as paintings history and trajectory into contemporary art. Observational study is often a key component in his practice and he especially enjoys painting plein air.

POPsicles and Roses....

It's one of the warmest days so far this Summer here in Nova Scotia. Humidity is HIGH and so it's a great time to feature two new cool pop-art inspired looking paintings by emerging artist Anna Whalen. These are both painted with oil on cradleboard, and you'll notice that the complimentary colours she has added to the edges of each of the works really makes the paintings look as if they will practically jump off the wall...and into your arms! Each work measures 6" x 12" and are $285 each. SWEET!

 
We met Anna this year during our annual PRE-SHRUNK2020 show and have carried on working with her, even during the time we were closed. Now that we are opened to the public again, we are planning a solo show with Anna to happen to during NOCTURNE this year which will revolve around the themes of nostalgia  in her work.

Another artist we have really enjoyed working with lately is Raquel Roth. In fact she has a new acrylic painting coming to the gallery this week. You are all seeing it for the first time below. It's called “Celebration”, measures 20x20”, acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas and sells for  $375. The colours and theme of this work  is all about  celebrating summer....a time to stop and smell the roses.

We have SO SO SO many new works of art and artists dropping by with art,  now that we have been open for just about a  month tomorrow. Time flys!

If you want to stay up-to-date with all the new additions, why now sign up for our newsletter!? 
SIGN UP HERE..it's easy! If you sign up between now and August 6th, your name will be entered to WIN this beautiful grouping of cards by Raquel shown below.

We promise to never share your emails with others and only send one newsletter per week to showcase the new things arriving and exclusive sales etc. Drop by soon! We can't wait to see you again!

What's Happening This Weekend!

Drop by the Gallery tomorrow (Saturday) and get inspired! We've got lots of amazing art to discover this weekend...and if you haven't been by to see us since the Re-Opening in June, now is a good a time as any!    

As part of our weekend celebration we'll be accepting completed CREATIVE CANDLES tomorrow for the Raymond Taavel Park.  For those of you who want to drop by and decorate a Candle in person, we'll be providing a creative space outside the gallery with everything you need to get crafting! 

We'd like to thank JAMPY for making the candles, and the DowntownHalifax Business Commission for sponsoring the project. 

You can also deliver your finished candles to the Raymond Taavel Park between 5 - 6 pm on July 20th. A volunteer will be available on-site to receive and display the candles in the Park.

Creative Candles will be on display the following week and can be re-used year after year!

Here's a picture of Adriana being interviewed at Raymond Taavel Park earlier this week by CBC News. You can read the full article HERE.

We're also excited to bring you some amazing new watercolour paintings by Gallery Artist Michelle SaintOnge!

This "pop-up" exhibition will be on view all next week, so be sure to drop by the gallery to see these amazing works in person!  Featured here is; "Intercoastal waterway; Florida, Blue Beauty", 20" x 24", watercolour on paper mounted on board.

From out of town and can't make it down?  No problem!  You can also view the collection online on our Flickr Page HERE

The Summer days can be hot!  Quench that thirst with an ice cold beverage using one of these cool new mugs by Julian Covey! We've got a great selection of styles, and colours to choose from.  We'll even include a free Soda from Garrison with every purchase!

We'll also be promoting the new "Covid-19 Commandments" Poster by Kerry Hodgson. The poster features the collection of images from Kerry's popular "Thou Shalt..." Suite, which you may remember from our Pandemic Postcard Series.  

Last but not least, We're thrilled to announce the opening of Gordon MacDonald's solo  exhibition, on Thursday, July 23. We can't wait to see what Gordon has in store for us this year...images will be made available early next week so stay tuned!

Cool Off With Local Art

It's a hot and humid today.....so we thought we'd feature a few of the smaller, affordable paintings in our gallery right now that were inspired by Summer days like this! All of these works are available....drink up and add one of these to your collection of Covid-19 Summer memories....Get in touch with us via phone or email for details and pricing!

Deb Bromley painted up two summer cocktail paintings, complete with her signature umbrellas! Great on their own or together as a set! Deb loves bright colours -check out some of her other recent paintings HERE. 

 CONDENSATION!  It's a popular occurrence on days like this and this painting captures it well! We love this painting by Rachel Ogden of Garrison Brewing's very popular beer, TALL SHIP.  Of course, no beer is complete without a fancy umbrella! CHEERS!

Depending on your age, you may or may not remember the days of the "stubbie" bottles, but this oil painting by Anna Whalen captures this everyday consumable in a very creative still-life approach.It's impossible to get a good photo of this one, as the paint is so reflective but it almost looks as if it's condensation as well. Cold Beer...Hot Day! YAY!

These delicious looking paintings by Natasha Grenke are another great example of the variety of works we carry at the gallery and how artists look at very common items in our surroundings and find beauty in them...even a juice box is beautiful in the eyes of the artist!

Two new 5" x 7" acrylic paintings by Jamie Samson just arrived as part of our on-going ART MAIL FOR SHUT-INS, which we started at the beginning of the pandemic. These works are just $20 each!  

We are open for in-person visits to the gallery now, Wednesday- Saturday 11am-5:30pm  AND WE HAVE AIR CONDITIONING....so pop by to see these and so many new works of art on display by our local artists. Thanks for supporting our local business through this weird and uncertain time.

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS: Jodie Hansen

Welcome back to Sunday Studio Days!, this week we'll be exploring the creative workspace of Artist, Illustrator and Graphic Designer Jodie Hansen.  Jodie has been a long time contributor to the gallery and we typically have a small section of the gallery dedicated to her work! 

Jodie's art is featured on many of the Cards, Stickers, Bookmarks, and even Wrapping Paper we sell of all your favorite TV shows and movies!  You may have already received something of Jodie's and not even know it!  Lets take a closer look at what she's been up too...    

"Welcome to my “unstudio” studio! As much as I would love to have a dedicated space in my house, my workspace is a portion of our master bedroom (lucky for me it’s large with big beautiful windows!). I’m in the process of reworking this space but in the meantime, this is what I’ve got..." 

"...I’m a full-time graphic designer by day for a local advertising agency and a crazy card maker and illustrator by night. All of the pieces you see at Argyle Fine Art (and more) are created during evenings and weekends which makes for pretty packed days with not a lot of sleep. (and I wouldn’t trade it for the world)..." 

"...I’m sure there are lots of people out there with a “side hustle”—if you’re thinking of exploring creativity on the side, I want to encourage others to go for it! This will be my retirement “gig” down the road. At least I know I won’t have empty days wondering what to do with myself in my golden years..."

"...My work is a combination of drawing and digital, so I need my flat space for sketching and assembling, my printer scanner space, my Silhouette Cameo for die cutting, and of course my computer. I’ve basically taken all of the cast-off pieces of furniture in the house and used them for as much storage as I can. Not very glamorous, but it works!..." 

"...And of course, lots and lots of clear bins with all of my final product storage for filling orders and for taking to craft shows..."

"...My process is still pretty old school—even though there are lots of modern ways to draw out there, direct to computer—I still like to start with pencil and paper. Once I’m happy with the results, I ink it in, scan and then clean it up on my computer in Photoshop. And then colour, if needed..." 

"...Sometimes I just get weird ideas—like taking all the photos of the odd poses my cat, Max makes, and doodling around him. It’s turned into one of my more successful series with versions of him shipped all over the world! (and he works for cheap…)"

"...I also love my Silhouette Cameo that I bought a few years back (I use it so much, I’ve already burnt out one and am on my second…). It’s opened up so many creative possibilities. I make my die cut bookmarks, stickers, magnets and calendars on this bad boy. My next dream toy? A laser cutter. That could be dangerous…My number one goal? To make people smile…" - Jodie Hansen

We've got a great selection of assorted printed materials by Jodie for every occasion, drop by the gallery and check it out!

BE PART OF CREATIVE CANDLES FOR RAYMOND TAAVEL PARK!

The Friends of Raymond Taavel Park is a small volunteer group who worked together to establish the park in remembrance of Raymond Taavel- an important citizen/ leader of Halifax and activist within the 2SLGBTQ+ community who died tragically in April 2012.Last year, they officially launched the park and hosted the annual Candlelight Vigil ceremony of Pride Week.Over 200 people attended this event with keynote speakers, including Mayor Mike Savage.

In 2020, a similar event with additional gardens, special permanent lighting and the addition of public art to the space was being planned,however  COVID-19 has made those plans impossible or for large gatherings be held in this location due to it's modest size. So they decided to work on a beautification project for the project instead. 

We hope you can help us help them bring it to life!  We need your ARTISTIC SKILLS!

Pick up a CREATIVE CANDLE and bring it to life with your artistic and crafting abilities!The candles were made by JAMPY and sponsored by the DowntownHalifax Business Commission, so there is NO FEE to take a candle. All we ask is that bring your completed painted/decorated candles to Argyle Fine Art or the location you picked them up from originally (we hope to add some other pick-up/ drop-off locations soon) , no later than NOON on July 20^th.  Well be painting a few in the gallery next Saturday too...drop by and paint with us!

ARTFUL PROCRASTINATORS: You can also deliver them to the Raymond Taavel Park between 5pm-6pm on July 20^th and a volunteer will be there to receive them and display all the candles in the Raymond Taavel Park. Art will be on display for the rest of the week and then the candles will be used year after year!

 

If you are participating in the HALIFAX PRIDE VIGIL, you can walk with your candle and place it at the park as you pass by, before heading to the  final destination for the remembrance service. Find details about this event over here on the  HALIFAX PRIDE website.

GREAT FOR ALL AGES! WORK TOGETHER ON ONE WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY, or EVEN AT WORK as a team building art project too!  We can’t wait to see what you all create. Thank you for participating and helping bring beauty and pride to Raymond’s park in these uncertain times.

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS: Amber Solberg

Welcome once again to our Sunday Studio Days Series.  We hope everyone had a great week! Today we'll be featuring the creative workspace of gallery contributor Amber Solberg.

Amber is an illustrator, artist, craftsperson & instructor. Originally from Alberta, she now lives and works and creates art in Nova Scotia. She's evolved her practice to revolve around nature, conscious creation and storytelling. With watercolours, ink, and embroidery thread, she makes work that spans from the technical to the expressive, all with an underlying creativity...

Amber is an illustrator, artist, craftsperson, and instructor...

"I've always made the best of a small space growing up, so I shouldn't be surprised that's what my art and my studio space reflect. I work in a corner of my bedroom, and as you can see, have made extensive use of the wall for ideas!"

Inside the Artists' studio...

"...I like to put up reminders: of deadlines to meet, ideas to work out later, the work and images of the people in my life, or iconic packaging (a lot of candy wrappers find their way up to my home-made corkboard!). This year, I've also started putting up post-its to show what jobs are on the go and what's been completed--which has been really nice to look up and see during the tough days..."

Interior view of Amber's studio...

"...Since COVID put us in lockdown, I've been dredging out old sketchbooks. I've really fallen out of practice with it, and this time makes me feel I should get back into the habit. I've always enjoyed fine-tipped gel and blue ballpoint pens to sketch with, especially in museums and art galleries..."

Recent sketchbook drawings...

"...For a year in 2015, I journaled a trip around Europe through sketches and doodles, and I look back at that now as my most creative time. The reduction of materials available to you can really make you work outside of your comfort zone!"

Detail of studio interior; Lots of natural light to fuel Amber's creativity...

"...Currently, I'm working on a personal project I've had on my mind for a long time now: customizable children's books. I've done custom pet portraits and custom family illustrations before, but as someone who works and plays a lot with kids, I've read my fair share of children's books that are missing SOMETHING-whether it's in the storyline, the story pacing, the illustrations, or the message to convey..."

A natural storyteller, Amber keeps a journal to document her story ideas...

 "...I'm creating children's books that will be wholly unique because it is ABOUT them, and they'll be able to see that in the pages. I'm aiming to have two done by fall, so keep your eyes peeled!" - Amber Solberg

Amber's "Cursive Pins" series..available for purchase from the gallery!

You can see more of Amber's Cursive Pin collection HERE

For purchasing inquiries contact us at 902-425-9456 or via email at gallery@argylefa.com

ART SCAVENGER HUNT TIME! GET YOUR CLUE SHEETS HERE!

Hello Adventure Seekers!  Take yourself  and friends on a fun art adventure beginning today at Argyle Fine Art! We are excited to be OPEN again and are taking part in RE-OPEN CITY which is happening throughout downtown Halifax and Dartmouth.

Check out the listings of participating businesses and their very special offerings of back-door delicious foods, sales, contests and yes......an ART SCAVENGER HUNT,   RIGHT HERE!

This Art Scavenger Hunt will have you searching inside our gallery and outside at some of the public art displays around Halifax too!  You have until July 9th to find all the clues, so get searching!  Complete your form and send it to us or drop it off, for a chance to WIN $50 Gift Certificate from our gallery as well as some other artful prizes!  Watch our social media channels for hints....

BELOW is an IMAGE of the ART SCAVENGER FORM, but you can download it as a PDF to either have on your phone or print off at home for handy dandy use!  We of course, will have some printed and available at the gallery too!

*CLICK HERE or on the FORM BELOW TO DOWNLOAD AS A PDF*

Newslettery Re-post!

Have you signed up for our newsletter yet? If not, it's easy to do right from this blog site and we promise not to spam you or over do it with emails! Just one email a week to keep you up- to- date on the happenings at the gallery, filled with lots of new art to delight your eyes!

You can sign up from almost any  page on this blog (look to your left- you should see the sign up form there) or simply head over HERE TOO! New members that sign up between July 4th and August 4th will be automatically entered into a draw to WIN special gifts from us too.


Here's what today's newsletter looked like!  ENJOY and please visit us in person or online soon!

 

"For All we Know", 24" x 18", Acrylic and watercolour on cradleboard by Craig Baltzer, $685

Road Trips are Better when you add ART If you are planning on heading out to discover your home province this weekend or our neighbouring bubble provinces, make sure to add some ART to your trip! Art is easy to find as it's all around you! To all of you living farther away, we hope you do the same! Thankfully we can all connect virtually anytime and enjoy art from the comfort of our homes or cottages too,so make sure to visit our gallery online anytime. There is so much to see and discover! SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES! SMALL PURCHASES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER!   FOR JUST $32....why not purchase a signed copy of Briana Corr Scott's book, "The Book of Selkie"  from Argyle Fine Art and receive a secret link to host your very own SELKIE PARTY with extra special things created just for you by Briana including colouring sheets, bunting, art-making videos, cupcake toppers, two ZOOM backgrounds using her illustrations that you can use anytime you are chatting with friends and more!. Of course, each book comes with paperdolls and clothing also illustrated by Briana. YAY!

RE-OPEN CITY is happening again this weekend in Downtown Halifax and Dartmouth, so get outside and support your local businesses. Lots of special offers and fun to discover at each participant. FIND OUT ALL ABOUT IT HERE with a great interview on Global News last week!

We have lots of new art for you to discover in our gallery, including new art by SHARON CAVE  that features adorable bunnies like Benjamin featured here! But we thought we'd encourage you to really LOOK at art in our gallery and also find a few public gallery works in Halifax too, by taking part in our ART SCAVENGER HUNT! Pick up your Art scavenger forms as soon as we open tomorrow, Saturday, July 4th at 11am.Take a look around the gallery to find answers to some of your clues. Then head outside to discover other local public art hidden in plain sight! Return your completed forms to us in person or via email at gallery@argylefa.com by end of day Thursday, July 9th for a chance to WIN $50 gift certificate from us and some other artful treats! Great for any age! HAVE FUN!

WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR SCAVENGER HUNT  ?  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF VERSION OF THE CLUE SHEET!

If you'd rather enjoy nature this weekend, why not go on an artful nature walk and talk with Mark Brennan. Artist Mark Brennan has put together a video presentation about his life as an artist- how it all began and how he continues to be inspired by his surroundings in nature and expressing himself through a variety of mediums.

For $10 get an exclusive link to this wonderful presentation that Mark had planned on doing in person before Covid-19 as well as a special "BACKYARD BIRD"  identification challenge check-list adventure you can do outside anytime on on your own with friends in family.Share your findings with us and photos too. In addition, you will also be receive a small packet of seeds to plant some flowers to attract birds to your backyard. ENTER TO WIN YOUR REGISTRATION FEE BACK by submitting a photo of a bird or your favourite place in nature. Send your photo to us via gallery@argyelfa.com no later than August 8th.**THIS IS A GREAT THING TO DO VIRTUALLY- no need to live in Nova Scotia or close to participate! We'd love to see images from other parts of the world too!**

We are planning lots of great shows and events that can be enjoyed this season from our gallery, no matter where you live! We hope to add some new workshop opportunities soon and are planning for some exciting shows in July and August, including Gordon MacDonald's annual show opening July 23rd and new works in August by Isobel Hamilton! Thanks to all of you that keep on supporting us with purchases, social media shares and notes of kindness.:-) We hope to see you soon!

REMINDER OF NEW GALLERY HOURS:
Wednesday- Saturday
11am-5:30pm
Or by Appointment

Virtually Yours!

We are OPEN for business, but of course not everyone is ready to visit us in person just yet. So we've put together some of the available works by Sharon Cave in a "VIRTUAL GALLERY" online at the link below. 


Using this application, you can walk around the gallery much like you would in person, getting up close and personal with the works and read the details about each piece with their tags on the wall too. We love that you can also see how the works look in relation to others on the wall by size...something hard to imagine for most of us.


 If you are viewing on a desktop, simply clicking on the link below works best-give it a moment to load. If you are viewing on a mobile device, you will be prompted to download a free app to view the gallery.

 LINK TO THE VIRTUAL SHARON CAVE GALLERY HERE

* If interested in any of these works, please get in touch with us at 902-425-9456 or gallery@argylefa.com. Happy to help!  We are still offering FREE delivery of art within HRM or we can arrange safe,affordable shipping options as well as offer curbside pick-up.

 Of course nothing is as good as real-life in person art viewing, so please do drop by soon. We have lots of safety precautions in place, but our gallery is still as welcoming and comfortable as ever.