Argyle Fine Art

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Get to know the inspiration behind the works in "I'd Rather Be Home in My Sweatpants" !

This past Friday we opened our group show "I'd Rather Be Home in My Sweatpants" and it was an amazing turn out! Thank you to everyone who came out, it was great to see so many happy faces out of the house and enjoying LOCAL ART!

This group show included over 30 local artists and 60+ artworks! We were so excited to see the many artists submissions and the ideas that came from this theme.

To celebrate the show and to get to know these local artists we have asked a few to share their inspiration behind the works they've made and what this cozy-homey theme meant to them... keep your eyes peeled for multiple posts highlighting different artists and their work!

MELINDA SHEEHAN

"Ted Lasso" 12"x12", Oil on Board

"My dog, Georgia O’Keeffe, husband and I enjoyed this television series because of the main character’s approach to life and his teaching philosophy based on belief and perseverance. His focus on believing was met with scepticism at the beginning of the series, but eventually inspired and motivated all of the characters on the show

When I was in grade 5, I was introduced to a similar inspirational person (@darylsteeves) who let me join the YMCA’s gymnastic team. My sister, was already a member. This was a life-changing moment for me. I had never been on a sports team. He welcomed me and let me train with the team. He always made our strict training agenda a lot of fun. I am forever grateful for Coach Daryl and his positive influence on living a joyful, fun and healthy life"

"Braiding Hair" 12"x12", Oil on Board

"In this intimate oil painting, a tender moment unfolds as Annie, the older sister, braids the hair of her younger sibling, Molly. Taken from an old photograph, this ordinary scene resonates within my heart. It embodies the timeless sentiment of sisterly love and care. As I enter empty nest and the world sometimes feels upside down I reminder to cherish life's fleeting moments. Joy, gratitude, and warmth a simple gesture that encapsulates the beauty of sisterhood and the bittersweet journey of parenthood."

Melinda Sheehan with her painting at the "I'd Rather Be Home in My Sweatpants" opening.

KAYTE MCLAUGHLIN

"Work from Home, Live at Work" 12"X12", Acrylic and Coloured Pencil on Canvas

"This is the window in my home office during the first lockdown in March 2020. I worked for Communications Nova Scotia at this time and we were sent to work from home indefinitely. My team was responsible for keeping the government website about coronavirus up to date, a task that consumed countless hours of overtime work. At some point I made the word HELLO with hot-pink post-it notes in my office window that overlooked my suburban cul-de-sac. Instead of showing the actual view from my window, I've painted a view of my own house as a nod to how surreal those early days were."

PAULETTE MELANSON

"Sanctuary" 24"x30", Acrylic on Canvas

"As an abstract painter who paints from intuition and personal feelings, I find painting for a theme very challenging. As I was painting and thinking about the theme for this show, I ended up with what looked like a couple embracing in what seemed like a sanctuary. I only noticed this at the end as I was trying to find a title for the painting. My 'sanctuary' is being at home with my best friend and partner in life. His name is Mike. He is the person that I am the most comfortable with and with whom I feel comfortable wearing the most ugly sweatpants and paint clothes."

"Bouquet" Acrylic on Canvas, 24”x30”

"The bouquet is from Mike, my partner in life. It brings colour to the dreariness of winter as I lie down on the couch in my sweatpants watching TV - a habit I've had since we met 25 years ago. You know you are with your lifemate when you're comfortable doing that."

Paulette and her husband Mike posing with her paintings at the gallery.

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

Friday, April 12, 2024

TONIGHT ! POP BY BEFORE GETTING HOME AND NOT WANTING TO GO OUT AGAIN!

Hey folks! Tonight we are launching a NEW SHOW called "I'd Rather Be Home in My Sweatpants". It's a fun show filled with amazing artwork by 30 artists- all responding to the title of the show. Themes have emerged: still life painting, cats and dogs, plants, windows, food and of course sweatpants.

THE FULL SHOW IS NOW ONLINE HERE

...but of course we'd love for you to see this show in person! That's what it's all about..getting back out there experiencing things in "real life".The opening reception is TONIGHT, Friday, April 12th, 4pm-6pm. Don't forget to wear cozy clothing...or even sweatpants.

We'll also be joined by The Board Room Game Cafe! Learn to play a new game or pick up a new one to play at home!

Maybe strike a pose in our photo booth with cozy home themed items! SEE YOU HERE! The show continues until May 3rd, so tell your friends!

PS- Check out this print that is part of the show by Greg Fownes..take a closer look at the "Snoritos"..

PSST....tomorrow Saturday, April 13th...we continue the FUN with SKETCH N' STROLL! (fingers crossed the weather cooperates! If it's just a bit of drizzle and showers, we'll carry on...otherwise we will reschedule to next Saturday but we really really are hoping for this weekend!)

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Emerging Artists IGNITE!

Stop by the gallery by this Saturday to catch the end of our emerging artist show IGNITE

IGNITE features six emerging artists we met in this years PreShrunk show. All six artists are new to our gallery and we were very excited to invite them back for another exhibit to showcase their work.

See some their works and information about each artist below.

ASHLEY DELANEY

Ashley is a Halifax-based artist and graduate of NSCAD University known for her realistic drawings. Having built a career on designing brand experiences, she has always worked within the details. In 2023, she revisited an art practice after many years away. Ashley now finds both inspiration and balance in capturing the finer details of a moment in time. Using a mixture of charcoal, graphite, and carbon, her drawings explore themes of nostalgia and mindfulness by celebrating the simple beauty in the everyday.

Ashley Delaney, Rabbit Hole, 10"x10", Charcoal and Graphite on Paper

Ashley Delaney, Into The Wild, 10"x10", Charcoal and Graphite on Paper

BELLE DEMONT

Belle DeMont is an interdisciplinary artist based in Halifax, NS. She graduated from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and went on to Concordia to explore digital art. Belle wrote the children’s book “I Love my Purse” and illustrated the children’s book “Little Tree By the Sea”. Belle recently graduated from MSVU with a specialized Visual Arts Education degree. Her work includes children’s book illustrations, charcoal portraiture, contemporary landscape paintings and traditional figure paintings. Belle is currently working on combining storytelling with traditional landscapes of rural Nova Scotia.

Belle DeMont, Cherry Sky, Acrylic on Canvas, 15"x30"

Belle DuMont, Baby Blue, Acrylic on Canvas, 6"x6"

WILLOW GLUFKA

Willow Glufka Canadian Landscape Artist

“I want to paint all of Canada, to celebrate the diversity and wonder of all our landscapes. With explorations in colour, I hope to give viewers a curiosity, a sense of wonder and ultimately an appreciation of nature”

Willow Glufka is a fine artist based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Inspired by nature, she works in acrylic to create bright, bold and textured landscapes. With aims to celebrate all of Canada, Willow hopes to capture the uniqueness of each province and territory.

Willow Glufka, Frozen Highlands, 5"x7", Acrylic on Board

Willow Glufka, For Lee, 11"x12", Acrylic on Canvas

LEM LIAN

Lem Lian is a multi-award-winning visual artist who is initially from China, now Nova Scotia-based. Lem’s work is inspired by her life of peregrination and multiple attendant cultures. Her subject matter tends to be fragmented passages of the in-between spaces of transient, bittersweet episodes. Lem paints in a narrative poem language, aiming to diversify the cognizance of impermanence. Her art explores the connection between the ephemeral world and everything subliminal, forgotten, and repressed in an individual's life.

Lem Lian, Intentionally or Unintentionally, 4"x9.5", Ink on Paper

Lem Lian, Serendipity, 10"x10", Ink on Paper

ZACH SPEARS

Hi, my name is Zach Spears. I'm an artist / bartender from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. I've been drawing since I was a kid, often pausing video games I was playing to draw the characters. I continued my love for art through my highschool years, painting portraits and things I found interesting. I loved street art and bold, neon colors. As I got older I found myself working in an office and using the coffee from my mug to paint on the printer paper. I enjoyed it a lot and painted with coffee for years, but then returned back to using acrylics and oils to help capture those bright neon signs and graffiti I loved so much in my youth. When I began pursuing my career as a bartender, I loved that I could curate delicious drinks for people and get creative with different ingredients, but it didn't leave me much time for painting. After some years away, I have picked it up again and started marring my two passions of art and bartending by painting bottles and other cocktail inspired imagery.

Zach Spears, All Equal Parts, 16"x20", Oil on Canvas

Zach Spears, Montenegro, 6"x12", Oil on Canvas

ASHLEY VERGE

Ashley Verge, is a new and upcoming artist based in Bedford, Nova Scotia with a passion for creating oil paintings rich in texture with the use of palette knives. While she has no formal art training she has been practicing this technique for a few years now. She started out with a desire to create pieces that would enhance the decor of her home. Using oil paint with palette knives allows her to create movement and fluidity to her artwork, while building layer upon layer of paint. She finds her inspiration through vintage landscape prints and her love for the outdoors. Her work reflects her desire to capture the beauty of nature and its complexities onto the canvas.

Ashley Verge, Sail the Day Away, Oil on Board, 16"x20"

Ashley Verge, Midnight Blooms, Oil on Board, 12"x16"

See the entire online HERE

Friday, March 15, 2024

THE EYES OF MARCH: Kyle York and Other Eye Friends

The EYES OF MARCH are upon us....and we've got EYES EYES EYES!

Check out the recent hand-carved and hand-painted wood creations by emerging artist Kyle York. THE FULL GANG ARE HERE , with creative fun names!

They are hanging out in person at the gallery, in our gallery windows! POP BY FOR A LOOK and a SEE! Here are a few words from the artist, KYLE YORK about how he got started with this unique art form:

Two years ago I stumbled across a YouTube video of an introduction to wood carving and I thought I would give it a try, the first things I made were by no means works of art, but the joy I felt thru making that rough looking carving was second to none! I have always wanted to have a creative interest but was never overly exceptional at anything, but I knew this was a passion i wanted to see through. I got down the basics of carving and through lots of trial and error I also started understanding the painting process to get me to my style I have now. I plan to keep doing this until the day I can’t, and I love being able to show off the weird things I come up with from the classic art of wood carving.


Kyle York, Take Me Home, 14" height, Hand-Carved and Painted Wood


Kyle York, Eye Eye Captain, 12", Hand-Carved and Painted Wood

Group Shot of the Whole Gang

We also have a bunch of new FELTED EYES by Emily Krueckl in the window and ONLINE HERE!

ALSO....you can download this drawing by Emily and COLOUR IT ! What a FUN ACTIVITY FOR MARCH BREAK FOR ALL AGES!

To DOWNLOAD the PDF below, simply CLICK HERE and print on your favourite paper!

Annnnnnnnnnnd....we just so happen to have some NEW paintings by a NEW ARTIST, Lem Lian that are WIDE EYED and just seem to work well for such a day as the EYES OF MARCH!

See more of Lem's art HERE and in person as part of our IGNITE SHOW

Saturday, February 24, 2024

AMY ORDOVEZA'S ART IS OUT OF THIS WORLD.... LITERALLY!

One of our gallery artists, Amy Ordoveza has been involved in a really cool project this year...

Amy Ordoveza standing in front of one her artworks, 2022

Her art is blasting off to space and finding a new home ON THE MOON!

Amy Ordoveza, A Cloud Above, gouache on paper, 11" x 14" Available at Argyle Fine Art

The Lunar Codex logo, https://www.lunarcodex.com/

As apart of the Lunar Codex project, Amy's artwork, alongside musical works, writings and artworks from other creatives around the world was loaded into a time capsule and sent in a rocket destined for the moon on February 14th 2024.

Amy Ordoveza, In My Mind's Eye, 6" x 8", charcoal/pastel on paper, Available at Argyle Fine Art

Check out Amy's site HERE to see what works she has included in the time capsule!

Amy Ordoveza, Our Seas, 11" x 14", gouache on paper, Available at Argyle Fine Art

The Lunar Codex is a massive worldwide project including creative works from 233 countries, territories and indigenous nations (ttps://www.lunarcodex.com).

This project offers the first for many as it is the first project to bring work from female artists to the moon, as well as the first to include disabled artists, artisans of many crafts (wood, clay, textile, tattoo, digital art, spray-painted art & more) human/AI collaboration, contemporary film and music to the lunar surface. (ttps://www.lunarcodex.com)

Follow the link HERE to The Lunar Codex website to learn more.

Amy Ordoveza, The Bay Window, Early Spring, 16" x 20", oil on aluminum composite panel, Available at Argyle Fine Art.

Visit us at the gallery and check out the work we have available by Amy Ordoveza

Amy Ordoveza, Swallows in Flight 3, oil on panel, 8" x 8", Available at Argyle Fine Art

OR visit Amy's artworks HERE in our online gallery.

Sunday, February 11, 2024

FEELING LUCKY? The Colour RED

Happy Lunar New Year to anyone that celebrates! Those celebrating Chinese New Year wear red clothes throughout the Lunar New Year as it symbolizes prosperity. It is also thought to ward off evil spirits.

It's also the season of love and RED! We're seeing RED everywhere in our on-going PRE-SHRUNK show, here until February 20th and ONLINE HERE NOW.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

****We're hosting a MEET AND GREET the artists event this Saturday, February 17th, 1:30pm-3:30pm. All Welcomed! There will be treats!***

Below are just a few examples of some of the red inspired pieces, still available! Art lasts a lifetime- consider giving art for Valentine's this year, or any special occasion!

Red Skies at Night...sailor's delight! This painting is certainly a delight; Evening Sky #1 by Adele Webster

Red lips sink ships....hmmmm...actually that may not be quite right :-) But this last minute addition to the show by Annie Murray would make a lovely impression on your Valentine?

A goddess on a mountain topWas burning like a silver flameThe summit of beauty and loveAnd Venus was her name

She's got it

Yeah, baby, she's got it

-Bananarama

This painting by Curtis Botham called Venus de Milo, fits the mood...

This painting by Emily Flinn is called "Take a Chance" and is great one to celebrate the Lunar New Year AND Valentines!

Check out this one....it's got red energy all over it and Valentine's too! It's by Emma Fisher and we LOVE it! So mischievously amazing!

Of course, giving flowers to those we CHERISH, is a wonderful idea. This painting by Raquel Roth is called just that, and never fades or wilts away!

This decadent painting by Tina Kim looks delicious! Perfect for celebrating any special occasion!

We are really in love with these mixed media collage works by Astrid Herron, and there only a few left! The colour red in these are intense. We think they could bring you good luck!

We'll end today's post by sending out good vibes to all....and some hugs too! This piece by Nicole Kading is bound to make anyone smile. The character is from a popular children's show. Do you remember it? Awwwwwwwwww....."Could She Be Any Cuter?" is the name of this painting and we are feeling the joy!

DROP BY THE GALLERY SOON and check out the Pre-Shrunk show and all the other amazing new artworks, cards and more to discover by local and Canadian artists! Thanks for supporting local!

HAVE A SUPER DAY!