Spotlight on ~ Margaret Bremner

 

A love of intricate detail, patterning, and the graphic quality of drawing have always been evident in my artwork. Several years ago I rediscovered pen-and-ink drawing, this time using structured patterns. I have an affinity for small objects, sparkle, and unusual effects. All this is present in my current mixed media work.

My imagery springs from what I see in the shapes and lines on my paper. Two years ago I was introduced to eco-dyeing and have found it most inspiring. I now eco-dye my own papers and then see what I can find in the marks on them. Frequent subjects are trees, leaves, houses, buildings, skies and celestial bodies.

‘Feux d’artifice’

‘Single Iris’

‘Fairy Lane Nos. 1, 8, 13

“This, Too, Shall Pass’

Spotlight on ~ Valerie Munch

Painting in watercolour has inspired me to stop and enjoy all things bathed in light and casting interesting shadows. Red poppies in my garden, I have never had as many, and moments from a special trip to Nova Scotia, are among the subjects of my work  for our group show at Grace Westminster Church auditorium, April 13 to 15.  Look foreword to seeing you in the spring!

Spotlight on ~ Lorraine Khachatourians

What inspires me to paint is usually something nearby, whose shape or colour interests me. Highlighting those bottles or shells or flowers with focussed light brings out the elements of those items that intrigue me. As a result, I collect things – old bottles, old silver, shells, glass floats, leaves, seeds, everyday things – and find interesting fruits and vegetables, and raid my garden for inspiration. Then I assemble them to play with colours, shapes, reflections and textures. Some end up in my paintings, which I hope you will come by and see, along with all of our group’s new works, at our upcoming April show, April 13 – 15 at Grace Westminster Auditorium (details coming soon; watch our Facebook page too).

‘Peaches and Copper Pot’, Oil on linen panel

You can see more of my work at Redberry Art.

Coming in November ~ a one day Open Studio Show and Sale!

On Monday November 27, the Artists’ Workshop is going to be holding a one day only Open Studio Show and Sale at our studio space at the Grace Westminster Auditorium. The studio will be open from 11 am to 9 pm. We will also have many of the artists working, so you can see our newest works in progress. Please come by, chat with us, and ask questions.

Spotlight on ~ Lorraine Khachatourians

This year I am looking more and more at colour, that is, how to represent the colours I see in the various objects I enjoy painting, in way that comes closest to how I see them. Over the past few months I have been paying more attention to the characteristics of colour and how to recreate them from the pigments in the paint. It is like solving a puzzle or a mystery, both of which I have always enjoyed. Below are photos of both works in progress of my favourite subjects, fruits and metal reflections, which you will be able to see completed at our open studio, and some finished pieces.

‘Works in progess’

Spotlight on ~ Margaret Bremner

I have never been a painter of local landscapes. While houses and buildings, trees and skies are recurring subjects, they are figments of my imagination, realistic-enough looking, but wonky and whimsical. I hope that my artwork uplifts the spirits, is a source of comfort and tranquility, and reinvigorates a sense of the sacred.

‘Playful Planet’, 10.5 inches square, pen-and-ink, pencil, acrylic

 

For many years I focused on mandalas, a wonderful vehicle for colour and detail. Several years ago I returned to an earlier love: pen-and-ink, this time in the meditative Zentangle® style using structured patterns. Currently, my work is moving towards more mixed media.

People sometimes comment on one of the witty titles. I think titles are important and I hope never to call a piece “Blue Square #14”. Usually a title pops to mind quite early in the process, which is fine if that’s a direction I want to go!

‘Oakenfall’ 8 x 5 inches, pen-and-ink and pencil on eco-dyed paper

Colours, patterns, visual textures and designs thrill me. I love how a line can change from chubby to hairline and back again. Prairie sunsets, fireworks, and night skies full of stars leave me speechless. I am enchanted by small things and details, and fascinated by how the very large and the very small are so very similar. I love translucence and coloured glass and light in water and sparkly things. Perhaps I would have been a good magpie.

Spotlight on ~ Kathryn Green

“How do you decide what to paint?” That question fascinates me. I paint ‘intuitively,’ meaning that when I begin a work, I don’t have a set idea of what I am going to produce; I start painting and see what happens, making choices as the work develops. (I used to say, “I don’t really know what I’m doing, I just begin to paint and trust it will work out somehow,” but I think “painting intuitively” sounds better!)

This first painting is an example of what I’ve ended up with using this process. I certainly didn’t have an image of this in my mind when I began to paint . . . so where did it come from? It looks a bit to me like an aerial view of land masses, oceans and clouds, but others might see something completely different. My best guess is that everything I’ve ever taken in visually is stored somewhere in my brain and when I make art, bits and pieces come out, mixed together in a new form.

‘Map of the Heart’, 24 x 36 inches, Acrylic on TerraSkin

Then last summer, I was introduced to photographs of thin sections of rocks, as seen through a polarized-light microscope. I was astounded by the variety of colours, shapes, and textures and immediately thought, “These look like abstract art!” So I decided to try going back to the way I used to paint, except instead of working from a photo of a landscape, I took my inspiration from these images of rocks. Doing so has introduced some new shapes and colours into my work, but the process of working from a reference photo rather than simply my imagination feels quite strange—I can almost sense different parts of my brain firing!

 

‘The Secret Lives of Rocks 1’, 18 x 24 inches, Acrylic on TerraSkin

Kathryn in her studio

Seasons change and so do we…..

We have gathered back together at Grace Westminster Auditorium to begin our 26th year. Last April, we celebrated our 25th anniversary at our annual show. Here are a couple of photos of the group taken then.

This was taken with all of us, except Eva, who wasn’t able to be there, a few days before our show.

Just before our show opening, all dressed up. After the show, we all headed off to our summer break.

On May 30, our dear Lou passed away. One of Saskatoon’s best known artists, Lou was one of the original group members and was happily part of our anniversary show. Even though over the years she had faced a number of health challenges, she faced them with her usual grace, gentleness and humour.

Lou sketching in the garden

Then, unexpectedly on August 27, our dear Valerie Borycki passed away after a very brief illness. We are still finding it hard that she won’t come bursting through the door, with stories to endlessly entertain us. Eleanore Romanow wrote a limerick that was read at Val’s memorial:

A Limerick for Val Borycki

There once was a lady named Val,
She was an extraordinary gal,
With dazzling red hair
And a wardrobe with flair,
She was a loving and generous pal.

Now our Val had an interesting life,
Not free from the occasional strife,
Believing ‘Come what may’
She enjoyed every day,
Colours bursting, from both brush and knife.

Some people just light up a room,
And wash away otherwise gloom,
We could count on our girl
With a swish and a swirl
To deliver her own va-va-voom.

Our beautiful spirit has fled,
And all cares of the world are shed.
She just slipped away,
On a late August day,
Not a good-bye word to be said.

We are here to honour our friend,
Who sparkled right to the end!
Although we have wept,
Your memory we’ve kept
With all of the love that we send.

So farewell dear Valerie – we will all miss you very much.
Your gal pals at Artists’ Workshop.

We will miss both of these talented, generous bright spirits so much.

And we have had one more of our group decide to move to new ventures, after 25 years with the group. Karen Maguire is joining the Studio on 20th. We will miss Karen’s great style, humour and enthusiasm and wish her the best in her new studio.

We reflect back on our lovely friends, and now look forward to the year of art to come.

We welcome two new members at this time, Bobbi Clackson-Walker and Paige Mortensen. Bobbi is an exciting mixed media artist, and Paige is expanding our horizons with her unique watercolour batik work.

We have some new plans for the fall, and we will keep you posted with some news very shortly. This includes a new Facebook page, and a special November pre-Christmas sale at a gallery location in Saskatoon. Check back soon for details.

See you soon!