We asked these artists what cozy meant to them...

 Things have been EXTRA cozy at the gallery lately while we have been enjoying this group show "I'd Rather Be Home in My Sweatpants"! 

This show opened April 13th and will be up until May 3rd, so if you're downtown Halifax stop by the gallery, say HI and check it out!

We've been asking artists from the show where the inspiration for their pieces came from, see what they had to say below!

LIBBY NOSEWORTHY-BOSS

"Lonely Phil" Oil on Canvas, 12"x12"

"This theme..."I'd Rather Be Home in My Sweatpants" put a smile on my face. I can certainly relate, and I just love the cozy feeling of being inside on a cold blustery day, watching the sun make designs on the wall. "Lonely Phil" represents the wonderful quiet of not having to converse with anybody. Maybe it's a bit lonely... maybe it's blissful."

"Waiting for Sun" Oil on Canvas, 24"x18"

"I just love this theme... "I'd Rather Be Home in My Sweatpants". I frequently feel that way myself. "Waiting for Sun" represents that wonderful feeling of relaxing at home while the sun comes through the windows warming whatever it touches. I see the plants soaking up the sun and think, (hope) perhaps, that they can feel the luxury of it, just as I can feel the luxury of unwinding at home."

Libby posed with her paintings at the show opening.

DAVID HAMP-GONSALVES

"Stitched Rock"  4”x6.5”, Mix Media

"In all my work I try to celebrate the complexity that is waiting for us each time we take a moment to allow the natural world to occupy our senses and minds. In these pieces my aim was to bring a favourite place(Black Rock Beach) into my home to fill in times when I can't visit them. In the pinned rocks I wanted the beauty of our common beach rocks (Foliated Metamorphic) to be appreciated as dissected specimens. Contrasting that in the sewn rock I wanted to show the fragility of these same rocks and connect them with soft materials of wood and cotton. I learned so much about how rocks form, fracture, and cut during this work. Coming home from a walk with a pocket full of rocks has become a common occurrence."

MATTHEW MONGRAW

"Fluff Muffin" Acrylic on Canvas, 18"x24"

"This is a painting of my dog Bowie, the day after hurricane Fiona. We had lost power and Bowie was standing with just his front paws on the couch, looking outside to assess the damage and waiting for his mom to come home. I was inspired to paint this scene because of the dramatic lighting hitting his face and chest fur that reminded me of a classical portrait with edges of the main figure being lost in darkness. I liked the juxtaposition of the seriousness of the lighting and pose he was in against the lovable cuteness of his face and floppy mouth. I made a sketch of this in my sketchbook while sitting in my living room waiting for power to come back on. 

I had always had this image in mind as a "someday" painting. This felt like the perfect opportunity to do a full scale painting of my fluff muffin when thinking of the theme "I'd rather be home in my sweatpants." It captures a moment that I was grateful to be safe at home, most likely in my sweatpants, with my dog as emotional support and comfort. Hopefully this image brings others the same joy that Bowie brings me."

Matthew posed with his painting at the show opening.

See the full "I'd Rather Be Home in My Sweatpants" show HERE