25 Years PARTY! JOIN US!!

 

EVERYBODY'S WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND! Suddenly, it's weekend time! Eeeck! This very rushed and late arriving newsletter is still happening! So here we go....we have lots of exciting things to share with you all! Hot off the press, we just received the most amazing poster (shown above) inviting you to our 25th Anniversary Celebrations at Argyle Fine Art, which was designed by one of our favourite artists and friends of the gallery since the early days; Nick Brunt. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! We sincerely hope you can come celebrate with us on either Friday,July 25th or Saturday, July 26th...or both dates! We couldn't have done it without you, so come party with us! We have so many fun things planned but here is the brief rundown...more on all of these soon too! Friday, July 25th:  Of course, we'll be open all day (11am-5:30pm) with lots of new art for you to enjoy by a variety of artists including a new show by Janna Wilton (see show details below) and a draw to enter to win a $125 Gift Certificate. We'll also have selected works at 25% off and a FREE commemorative postcards designed by artist Ed Beals(while supplies last) and a fun artist inspired photobooth .Then from 6:30-8:30pm, we'll roll out the red carpet (we really are going to have red carpet) and treat you to special baked goods by P4 Patisserie that you can paint, live music by Mike Diabo and the launch of a mini- mini gallery of mini -mini artworks all priced at $25 each. If you would like to contribute to our mini gallery, simple send along your images asap (works can be no larger than 3" x 3" or smaller- we'll have some free surfaces next week as well).

Saturday,July 26th: All the fun will continue including puppeteer Terry Angus who will be in the gallery from Noon til 1:30pm with FOZZIE BEAR (yes,Terry really did work with Jim Henson and Frank Oz...we are so excited! The last time he was here was in 2017- pure joy! )THEN.... from 2pm-4pm, we will haunt the downstairs to set the tone for the book reading/signing event artist with Bee Stanton. All welcomed! YAY!

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS - CAILEIGH LAMBIE

 It's Sunday folks, so you know what that means...

WELCOME BACK to our Sunday Studio Days!

This week we are exploring the creative space of Caileigh Lambie!

Caileigh posed with her 16"x40" painting "Sensitive",  available at the gallery!
Click THIS LINK to see the full painting!

 "My “studio” has changed from place to place and room to room so many times I don’t really have a proper set up. At the moment I mostly paint in my dining room, but in the past I’ve also used my bedroom, living room, a den, wherever I can find good lighting, really. My current apartment is pretty dark so I take what I can get."

Caileigh's lovely set up near the window with the good light. 

We asked Caileigh... 

Do you listen to music/tv/podcasts while you work in your studio? If so, what's your

favourite?

"I rotate between listening to music or listening to audiobooks. Usually it’s music. I love finding new albums so most often if I have music on it’s an album that I’ve never listened to before. However right now I’m retraining my focus so I’m not listening to anything while I paint! That way I don’t rely on background noise as a crutch to focus, and I can be more intentional & clear on what I’m doing."

a snap of some of Caileigh's brushes in candle light

-Do you like to work in solitude or with others?

   "I love both! Usually I paint alone but I love doing art hangouts with friends. I also spend most weekends at my boyfriends’ place and we work on our art together in the mornings. It’s a nice change from the usual solitude."

A collection of finished works from Caileigh's studio

What activities outside of your art practice do you like to enjoy?

  "I love being out in nature when the weathers nice, I’m also a huge advocate for having a consistent yoga/meditation practice. Sometimes in the summer I’ll just go to the woods and read, write or meditate amongst the trees. It’s one of my favourite things to do."

a lovely shot from Caileigh's creative space

Do you have a pet/friend that hangs out in the studio with you? Include a pic!

   "My son/cat Kyle spends most days painting with me, he loves to sit on my lap while I paint"

Kyle proudly lounging in front his mom's paintings

Kyle, living the good life

Where do you get your inspiration?

    "I get my inspiration from nature, poetry, music, and whatever ideas my brain conjures up through that. If I feel uninspired it also helps to look at art online and get motivated by all the talented artists. I’m especially inspired by dark imagery/artwork."

Doesn't this look like a wonderful place to spend hours?

Want to see what works we have available from Caileigh?

Check out her ALBUM HERE!

Thank you for reading this week's Sunday Studio Days blog! 

Stay Tuned for more behind the scenes & creative spaces next week! 

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS - ZACHARY STEINMAN

 Hello folks! It's Sunday, so you know what that means...

Time for another SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS blog post! 

This week we are featuring LEGO sculpture artist Zachary Steinman! 

Zachary posed with some of his Lego creations

Zachary is a Halifax local who has made a big name for himself in the LEGO world over the last couple of years... the LEGO company has even invited him to their HQ in Denmark! So Cool! 

We asked Zachary... 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

    "I take inspiration from all over the place, patterns in architecture, patterns in nature etc."

Check out this video of one of Zachary's iconic cube designs below!

From Zachary's Youtube

Do you prefer to work alone or with others?

  "99% of the time I work in solitude but on the odd occasion I’ve done a collaboration."

A shot from Zachary's studio. Here you can see LEGO storage and a photography station!

What do you like to listen to while you're creating?

    "I listen to a variety of music while I work mostly electronic but, often mixed with, alternative, blues, hip hop or if I’m really in the zone the music doesn’t really matter."

A shot of Zachary holding some of his cool cubes! Look like there is a little LEGO friend saying Hi in the background... can you spot them?

Do you have any special gear or clothes you wear while creating?

"[I am] almost always wear pyjama pants and T-shirt when I’m building."

Look at all that LEGO storage, so organized!

What projects are you currently working on?

"[I am] currently working on a dystopian cityscape which will be featured at a couple big LEGO shows and hopefully in Nocturne coming up this fall, progress of the city and other works can be found on my instagram."

Looks like some of that cityscape is lurking in the background...

What is one of your proudest milestones in your art career?

"Most memorable experience to do with my work so far was being featured in the Masterpiece Gallery in Denmark for a year.  LEGO recognizing my work as art and featuring it in the birthplace of my medium was something I hadn’t even dreamed of."

Zachary discussing his work at the Masterpiece Gallery at LEGO HQ in Buillard Denmark.

Thanks for sitting down and reading this week's Sunday Studio Days blog!

Chair build from Zachary's Youtube

Want to purchase one of Zachary's awesome LEGO builds? Contact us at the gallery to see what's available!

We'll be back again next week with more ART and studio visits from our artists

See you then!

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS - JODIE HANSEN

 Hello Readers! Welcome back to this weeks Sunday Studio Days!

Today we will be diving into the studio of Jodie Hansen! 

Jodie Hansen!

Jodie is our resident pop culture QUEEN! 

Jodie owns and opporates Design Corner, her one woman run business, known for her fantastic greeting cards, pop culture references and innovative design ideas. 

Double sided Star Wars magnet for the dishwasher, designed by Jodie!

A shot of Jodie's home studio

We asked Jodie... What do you do when you're not making art?

"Outside of my side business, I'm a full-time Senior designer in an advertising agency (Trampoline) here in Halifax. I've worked for the same company for 30 years! I jokingly say my side-hustle is my second full-time job. At least when I retire, I'll be down to one full-time job. :) Needless to say outside of that, I have very little free time..."

Tampoline used to have their office space above the gallery, and thats actually how we met Jodie!
Jodie would take art breaks and visit the gallery, eventually those breaks would turn into fun brainstorming chats and many wonderful art ideas would come to life!

Jodie never stops! See her here at one of the many markets she does... everything she sells is available through us!

Where does your inspiration come from?

"Most of my inspiration comes from things around me - mostly pop culture. Puns are my favourite as I think we all need to laugh every day... especially these days. I'm a giant nerd at heart and my side business started with illustrating Stars Wars and Star Trek funny cards."

A shot of Jodie's desk space with some of her producs

What is something people may not know about you?

"Something people might not know about me... I'm originally from Ontario and competed in provincial competitions for both Gymnastics and High Jump in the same year.(a longggg time ago....). I also used to play the trumpet in my younger years."

Jodie's very organized studio storage!

What do you like to listen to while you work?

"I like to watch/listen to True Crime documentaries while I work. I'm looking down most of the time that it's on and for the most part you can just listen to them and know what's happening. It also means that I get really behind on favourite shows and movies I'd like to watch. I seem to be always busy creating!"

A shot of the art in Jodie's space... Art makers are art lovers too!
Some works pictured are by Jodie herself and other's from other artists we carry at the gallery!

What is your proudest moment in your art career?

"I have two proud moments that have happened to me in my later years in my career. Four years ago, I was contacted by Barnes & Noble and they were interested in carrying my die cut calendars. I almost didn't believe it! I'm just finishing up my 4th year with them. Such an exciting opportunity for my one-woman small business! Also this year, I was ranked #83 in Canada by Strategy magazine in the Designer category."

Jodie's die cut calenders getting boxed up and ready to be shipped out!

What is a piece of advice you have to give?

"My best advice is to just give something creative a try. What's the worst that can happen? My background is illustration and I started illustrating my own Christmas card every year after graduating art school. I started selling them here and there and kept expanding. Now I have over 80 retails stores selling my quirky products! I love just playing around with things and seeing if people are interested. It still blows my mind that I make something and people want to buy it!"

Jodie Hansen, Schitts Creek Bookmark - Moira, her arms go over the page!

T.HANKS Greeting card by Jodie

T.HANKS for reading this week's Sunday Studio Days blog!

See our album of works from Jodie HERE

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS - CRAIG GUNN

 Hello and WELCOME BACK to our Sunday Studio Days! 

This week we're featuring oil painter Craig Gunn. 

This Sunday blog post will be a little different as we not only take a look into Craig's creative space but also celebrate the opening of his new show!

Craig in the Studio

Last week we opened a new body of work from Craig, titled "Beauty in the Rough" this awesome show of 13+ paintings was inspired by the beauty hiding in plain sight all around Dartmouth!

Craig Gunn's Show Poster

SEE CRAIG GUNN'S NEW SHOW HERE

A room full of happy faces at Craig's Opening

Craig chatting with fellow artist Gordon MacDonald about the process of painting

Craig spent the WINTER months painting outside on-site to build his show!

Check out Craig's videologs from his outdoor adventures in our Highlights section on our Instagram page!  

Where to find videos of Craig painting on site on our instagram!

Screen shots of Craig painting on site in Dartmouth.

See the results from Craig's outdoor painting session pictured below!

Craig Gunn, Dominion Diving's Harbour, Oil on Board, 11"x14"

Craig is not only a phemonenal painter, but also a local actor! He's been in many locally made film and tv shows and has a real interest in comedy horror! 

Posters from films Craig has been invovled in

We felt opening his show on Friday the 13th was an awesome way to connect and showcase Craig's horror side and have a little fun. 

Craig Gunn (right) & Gordon MacDonald (center) posed in our Friday the 13th window photobooth at the opening

Craig has a fantastic sense of humour so many laughs we're had with all the horror-silliness! 

NOW, Craig's studio...!

Being the film guy he is, Craig has provided his studio interview answers in the form of video! 

Craig Gunn painting away in his studio

Watch below to see some behind the scenes from Craig and how he works in his creative space!

SEE CRAIG GUNN'S NEW SHOW HERE

SEE CRAIG'S ALBUM OF AVAILABLE OLDER WORKS HERE

Thanks for tuning in to this week's Sunday Studio Days! 

BASIL TURNS 90... LET'S CELEBRATE

 HAPPY (almost) BIRTHDAY to Basil Doucette!

Basil Doucette dressed and ready to party!

Basil, the fantastic folk artist, is turning 90 on June 28th and we can't help but start celebrating now!

A collection of Basil hand carved and painted critters - with party hats!

Local film maker, Jason Eisner, interviewed Basil earlier this year and we're so excited to share that clip with you!
Check it out below.

Basil carves many things but he is really known for his adorable birds!

the gangs all here & they're ready to party!

In honour of Basil's 90th we are offering $5 off his medium size birds, regular $25 each. 

See below for the available birds on sale (party hats included by request)!

SALE Birds NOW $20 was $25

SALE Birds NOW $20 was $25

Even the owls are ready to celebrate!
Various prices

We're so thankful to have Basil in our lives and at the gallery! 

Happy Birthday Basil!

SUNDAY STUDIO DAYS - LIZ BATEMAN

 Hellooooo & welcome back to Sunday Studio Days! 

This is our weekly deep dive into the creative spaces of our fantastic artists.

This week we are featuring fisheries biologist and scientific illustrator Liz Bateman!

A snap of Liz at work! 
She is currently in the Labrador Sea, collecting samples of Northern Shrimp on a factory trawler.
"Here's a pic of me with a Daggertooth (seeing lots of scary deep sea stuff!)"

We asked Liz...

When/how did you get into art?

A shot of Liz's sketch book and desk

"I’ve been doodling ever since I could hold a pencil, but I started getting into scientific illustration several years ago during my biology degree. As a visual learner, I found it hard to understand complicated concepts and anatomical structures unless I drew them." 

"Photo of a work-in-progress Pollock next to my sketch, research materials, and palette."

"Soon, I realized that drawing detailed, morphologically accurate biological illustrations was a deeply satisfying process. I always used to struggle with what it means to be creative and never felt comfortable calling myself an artist, but once I discovered this style of art, everything clicked and I finally felt like I was doing what I was meant to do!"

What is scientific illustation?

"Scientific illustration is art in the service of science communication. When it comes to fish, this type of art is used in many ways, such as in figures for research papers about morphology, technical documents on how to collect samples, and signage for anglers indicating fishing regulations." 

"View of some of my drawings hanging from fishing line in my studio"

"The most important aspect of scientific illustration is accuracy, so knowledge of anatomy and techniques to draw proportionally are critical. However, there's so much room for artistic interpretation in how colour and light are represented because fish are often iridescent and reflective. It's an exciting challenge and no two fish illustrators approach it in the same way!"

"Example of the exciting colours I get to use"

Where do you get your inspiration?

"Working on the water as a biologist and seeing all kinds of critters every day provides an endless stream of inspiration for scientific illustration! We are surrounded by so much natural beauty here in Nova Scotia, I don’t need to go far to feel inspired."

A shot of the factory trawler 
collecting samples of Northern Shrimp on a factory trawler

How do you decide what to paint?

"Lately a lot of my paintings have been a part of larger projects, such as fish identification signs for anglers. I keep lots of checklists around to help me keep track of what species need to be painted next!"

"Pile of prints waiting to be packed"

What’s a typical day in the studio look like to you?

"When it comes to fish paintings, the first step is actually catching the fish! It’s so important to see fish up close and to notice how they hold their fins out and the way their scales catch the light. When I can, I photograph the fish I want to paint in a tank of water to get the best reference photos possible."

"Me gathering painting reference photos of a Creek Chub"

 "Then, back in the studio, I start mapping out the fish in a sketchbook by measuring the distances between key features and counting structures like scales and fin rays. These characteristics are called morphometrics and meristics and are what biologists use to identify species. Once I’m happy with my outline, I trace the sketch and transfer it onto watercolour paper. Then I start building layers in acrylic paint, always starting with the eye. It usually takes about a week of studio nights to finish the painting."

"Photo of how my painting sessions usually look (late at night)"

What activities outside of your art practice do you like to enjoy?

"Outside of the studio, you can find me fishing, snorkelling, backpacking, and gardening!"

Find Liz's illustrations in the Anglers' Handbook! 
Shot of our Liz  Bateman window display for Father's day

We love reading about Liz's creative journey and all the super cool things she gets up to in her work! 

Check out this LINK HERE to see what prints and stickers we have available from Liz.

Thanks reading & don't forget to tune in next week for more creative behind the scenes!