GET OUTTA TOWN & Virtual EASTER EGG HUNT!

 GET OUTTA TOWN

HAPPENING THIS SATURDAY

 APRIL 3^rd, 1:30-3:30pm

Exhibit continues until April 28^th and will be online once the show opens

 &

Virtual Easter Egg Hunt DOWNTOWN HALIFAX

All Weekend Long!

  ALL ABOARD to the GET OUTTA TOWN SHOW AT ARGYLE FINE ART! Although our upcoming new art show is called GET OUTTA TOWN, you don’t have to go too far to enjoy the artworks by 30 artists in our show all about favourite places to travel and unwind! On Saturday, April 3^rd between 1:30-3:30pm you can meet many of the artists that are in the show in person or drop by online to see the show here on our blog after the show has officially opened! 

 Check our FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE throughout the day, to meet a few of the artists there too. We hope this show brings you joy, inspires you to travel around our beautiful Atlantic Canada and when the time is safe to do so, travel further as well, to all these gorgeous places the artists have depicted in their artworks. We will be travelling as far away as to Hawaii, Tokyo, Iceland and to nearby secret destinations.

 

" Akiruno-shi, Tokyo".  5 x 6 , Yoko White

"This is where I grew up in Akiruno-shi, Tokyo.  This road was my route to elementary school, and favourite place to go walk when I visit my families. 

There are lots of good memories."

WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOUR FAVOURITE ROAD TUNES too….as we are putting together a  music play list  to accompany the show, so please email us your favourite tunes. We’ll have some treats on hand for you all to enjoy while taking a trip around the gallery!

 

IN OTHER FUN NEWS!

 Downtown Halifax Business Commission has teamed up with Argyle Fine Art on an EGGcellent virtual Easter egg hunt in Downtown Halifax for the Easter weekend. We are asking businesses to colour and hang paper Easter eggs in their windows for people to find between April 2-5. If they post a photo to social using the tag #EggHuntDTHFX, they could win a $75 Spring Gift Basket from Freak Lunchbox and a $100 gift card from Argyle Fine Art. The goal is to get people out to the Downtown area and visiting local businesses during the long weekend. More information and egg design template PDF downloads can be found here. Or, you can do your own design! If you are unable to print the templates, just email communications@downtownhalifax.ca or gallery@argylefa.com, and we can deliver some to you.

 

 

Spring Fling with Art: Upcoming Shows, EGGcellent Virtual Egg Hunt and more!

Hey there!  The gallery is starting to fill up with new works by our gallery artists and a few new guest artists too, in our upcoming show GET OUTTA TOWN, opening on Easter Weekend, Saturday, April 3rd, 1:30pm-3:30pm. 

If you are in the city, put us on your TO-DO list and come see some amazing art by artists inspired by their memories of travel. Through their art they will share some of their favourite places and spaces! Like this gorgeous painting by Haley Toll of a very special place in Hawaii. 

Looking at this painting in person is a lovely experience as there are many layers and textures. You can almost hear the warm breeze through the trees.....

Did you want to be part of our EGGcellent array of art? Why not get involved with our Virtual Egg Hunt! We are looking for artists of all ages!  CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE AND GET STARTED!

Of course, we always have beautiful cards, jewellery and small paintings that can uplift and inspire too. Small works have just as much power and meaning to people than the larger more expensive works in our opinion. 

An example of a new card by Briana Corr Scott

For example, our on-going ARTMAIL for SHUT-INS has been very popular. Each of the works submitted is sold for $20 and people really enjoy sending these works to friends in the mail for the cost of a stamp or two. Here's an example of a beautiful Spring inspired one but you can see more HERE. 

Small watercolour painting by Deb Bromley

We always have small works in our inventory too...like the ones below that are sold for $85 each. See more available paintings HERE.

And don't forget to check out our NEW ARRIVALS section each week on our blog HERE!  These adorable little birds just arrived by James Darley!   HAPPY FIRST WEEK OF SPRING!

Pandemic Baking in ART.....remembering the Good Old Days of 2020

About this time last year, many of us were still expecting to be in "lockdown" for just another week or so. Most folks didn't go into work and stayed home to wait it out and keep others safe, but in the meantime got down to baking! Yeast and Flour were becoming scarce. The Era of the Sourdough began in full force - one could say "sourdough was on the rise".There were many recipes out there for baking bread in a Dutch Oven like THIS ONE that is easy and  delicious! 

So it's fitting to share this new painting by George Spencer that looks good enough to eat. Come see it in person. You won't be disappointed! Don't worry, you can crust us. HA! It's a shame that bread puns are always so crumby. But we digress....enjoy the art and your day folks! Visit Argyle Fine Art soon for happiness with art that is of the upper crust.
 

George Spencer, Fresh Bread, 9" x 12" Oil on Board

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful.....time to escape with the Urban Surf Kings this Sunday!

 Well, well, well....March is always full of surprises! Today is no exception here in Nova Scotia, with what will hopefully be the last snow fall of the season, as SPRING will officially soon be here, according to the calendar. 

To celebrate it's arrival, we are proud to be co-hosting a LIVE VIRTUAL CONCERT on SUnday, March 21st, 6pm-7pm with our friends the Urban Surf Kings! That's right...a real live band will be setting up in the gallery and with the help of Spider Video and the Downtown Halifax Business Commission, along with some helpful sound people, we will bring you a show to your homes that you are sure to enjoy! And best of all, it's FREE! More info HERE

 So tune in here via YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK and watch the show or just have it playing while having dinner and enjoy the sweet surf tunes --pretend you are far away in a warm place for an hour! Escape with music AND a bit of ART too. Behind the performers that evening, we'll have some sneak peeks into the new show called "Get Outta Town", which will be opening on Saturday, April 3rd. Drop over to our FB or INSTAGRAM for additional sneak peeks next week too.

The band  performs their original tunes but also sometimes includes their own versions of popular cover tunes and this Sunday, they are asking your help to decide which tune they should perform...so please VOTE for your choice of either Dreaming by Blondie or Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.  Requests are welcomed too....

VOTE  BY CLICKING HERE

More March Break MERRYness on Friday with Gordon MacDonald!

 Greetings everyone! How is your March Break going so far?

DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS FREE PARKING NEAR THE GALLERY ALL THIS WEEK!? The full details are HERE! 

Now is a great time to visit the gallery and this week we have some special guests and special events happening that you don't want to miss!  

On Friday, March 19th Gordon MacDonald is planning on dropping by our gallery windows (fingers crossed the snow doesn't keep him away) and work on a few things.Gord is busy getting ready for his solo show coming up in the summer, but if you pop into the gallery you may get to see one of those works in the early stages.It's always so neat to see a painting evolve! 

HOT TIP: Gordon's birthday is in just a few days and we want to celebrate him being so great so we'll probably have some candy or baked goods in his honour, so even if you can pop by for a moment, please try to say hello or send a few words for us to share with him! 

 We actually have a number of works by Gordon on SALE right now too...out with the old to make way for the new, but the old is just so beautiful so we want to find homes for his works. Visit his available paintings online HERE anytime and inquire about special pricing with us!

 

March Break Fun with Artists in the Window!

 Drop by the gallery over March Break and gaze into our gallery windows! What you'll find is a local artist painting not on Zoom, not on YOUTUBE, not on FB LIVE but in real life, throughout the March break week!YAY! This is great for all ages!

 Enjoy from outside or come inside and get a closer look at completed works by each artist featured. CHECK OUT THE FULL LINE-UP HERE

First up, we'll be joined by Inae Kim on Wednesday, March 17th from 12:30pm til 2pm. She'll be working on a new painting or maybe a sketch or two. 

 In Honour of St. Patrick's Day, we'll also have some lucky chocolate coins on offer while supplies last to anyone that visits (no purchase necessary) on March 17th . 

One lucky winner, will find a special coin which will entitle them to a special surprise! 

Here are a few paintings by Inae you will see in our gallery!  All of these are available for sale- get in touch for more details or to purchase!

Inae Kim, The Blue Shadow, 18" x 24", Acrylic on canvas

Inae Kim,  Early Spring in Chester, 18" x 24", Acrylic on canvas

Inae Kim, Maynard St., 18" x 24", Acrylic on canvas

Celebrate Women! Happy International Women's Day!

 Monday, March 8th is International Women's Day and we're here to celebrate with some stunning hand embroidered and watercolour works by Mindy Harris. Mindy has been creating works that introduce the public to women throughout history and in popular culture, who have made a difference in all of our lives. 

Throughout the years, we have enjoyed learning from her series GIRLS WHO RULE, more recently her WONDER WOMEN series and just this year a smaller unrelated series of other women such as this very relevant one for these pandemic times, Florence Nightingale. 

We love the quotes that she sometimes includes within her artworks, which she finds while doing her research on each of her subjects. She then mimics the actual handwriting style of each woman in her art, but using only her thread and needle the same way most of us would use a pen or pencil. 

Mindy explains in her own words:

I aim to use the feminine arts to tell female stories. My current work attempts to displace the inherent voyeurism historically linked to the female form in art, and create a space where women are not only subjects, but rather the heroines of their own remarkable stories. The laborious nature of the work inevitably parallels the historical constraints of femininity, and with each careful, meditative stitch, I humbly borrow from a long history of women using fiber work to speak in societies where they have struggled to be heard.”

As you can see, Mindy loves doing the research! Below is a piece of Malala Yousafzai and a fact sheet she did up to accompany the piece:

Malala Yousafzai (born 12 July 1997) is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.

- She is known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children in her native Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school

- On 9 October 2012, while on a bus in the Swat District, after taking an exam, Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt in retaliation for her activism.

- Following her recovery, Yousafzai became a prominent activist for the right to education. She founded the Malala Fund, a non-profit organization and co-authored I Am Malala, an international best seller.

-In 2012, she was the recipient of Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize and the 2013 Sakharov Prize. In 2014, she was the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Aged 17 at the time, she was the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.

The 2013, 2014 and 2015 issues of Time magazine featured her as one of the most influential people globally

In 2017, she was awarded honorary Canadian citizenship and became the youngest person to address the House of Commons of Canada.

 NOCTURNE and PRE-SHRUNK....brought us new works this year from Mindy as well. For Nocturne, she imagined Iris Apfel- the nearly 100 year old American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion icon all dressed up as the characters from the popular board game, CLUE.See the other versions of Iris HERE. 

 

On a more local front, but perhaps not as recognizable to all, is this work (measuring 4" x 5", $175)  of Anna Leonowens who was Anglo-Indian or Indian-born British travel writer, educator, and social activist.

Per Wikipedia...She became well known with the publication of her memoirs, beginning with The English Governess at the Siamese Court (1870), which chronicled her experiences in Siam (modern Thailand), as teacher to the children of the Siamese King Mongkut. Leonowens' own account was fictionalised in Margaret Landon's best-selling novel Anna and the King of Siam (1944), as well as adaptations for other media such as Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1951 musical The King and I.

In later life, she was a lecturer of Indology and a suffragist. Among other achievements, she co-founded the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.