Filled With Snow – Group Exhibition in Banff, Alberta

For Snow Days in Banff, Willock & Sax Gallery is presenting a group art exhibition by their gallery artists, “Filled With Snow”. This group art exhibition in downtown Banff, Alberta features paintings by Brandy Saturley, Mitchell Fenton, George Weber, Margaret Shelton, Linda Craddock, Murray Hay and Martha Houston, to name a few. There is also fine art photography by Tom Willock on view and available for collecting. Running from January 18 – 31, 2023.

King of The Polar Bears | Acrylic On Canvas – 36 x 48 x 1.5 in – (91.44 x 121.92 x 3.81 cm) – Brandy Saturley

Group Exhibition Banff Alberta

King of the Polar Bears rides on the roof of a scarlet red JEEP wrangler, snow capped Mt. Robson in the background. Taking a road trip through the rocky mountains of Canada. Adapting to the changing climate, he is out for fun and adventure. Discovering new sights, sounds and experiences.

In recent years, as wildfires ignite across the globe and ocean levels rise, artists have been faced with expressing their feelings in paint about the crisis of our times. We are seeing more Art and paintings confronting the global warming crisis, more than ever. We can feel the urgency in our bones to address social and political issues as we are vessels of society who soak it all in and pour it out onto the canvas. For me, I have felt the call and seen these issues subtly and subconsciously spill into in my art over the years. It is impossible to ignore, when you feel the heat and see the floods. Art can be a beacon of hope, lighting the way and compelling us to act. It most certainly compels me to paint, offering a beautiful and visual way to express my thoughts on the global conversation.

Polar Bears are magical creatures, loved by many. They are some of my favourite polar bear paintings. If you are in Canada, Manitoba is the place to go to see this largest land mammal, in the northern city of Churchill. Polar Bear symbolism and meaning varies amongst tribes. The Polar Bear teaches endurance and resourcefulness, a powerful and wise spirit animal. These white beauties often stir deep emotions in humans, especially now as their habitats are disappearing due to global warming. The Polar Bear is seen as a guiding spirit when facing dramatic life transitions, especially at the onset of a new path or major change in life. Seems timely as we are just coming through a challenging two years under the Covid pandemic and life as we know it is new again.

Churchill Manitoba is a place I plan to explore in the coming years. I want to study the polar bears and their behaviors up close, coming home to my studio to create new work informed by my time in Churchill. The next artist residency for a Canadian Artist painting themes of Canada.

See more polar bear paintings by Brandy Saturley.

Society of Canadian Artists 54th International Open Exhibition Features Portrait by Brandy Saturley

It is the 54th year for the Society of Canadian Artists Open International Exhibition, featuring paintings from across Canada in one location in Toronto. The 54th show will take place live at Papermill Gallery, Todmorden Mills Heritage Site in Toronto. From portraits to landscapes and abstracts, this fine art show presents world class original Canadian Art. Art is a voice. And in Canada – where our unique diversity of language, landscape and passion nurtures the creative spirit like few other places on earth – our artists comprise a chorus. Sometimes elegant, sometimes discordant. Through sculpture and paint, video and design software, cameras and conté crayons, the creative are saying something. In a country so creatively diverse, art is an anthem. The Society of Canadian Artists wants the world to know the tune. The SCA is committed to strengthening its national presence in Canada by promoting excellence in traditional forms of artistic expression, and by encouraging acceptance and growth of contemporary and experimental forms of visual art.

This show will be presenting a portrait from Brandy Saturley, from her ‘People of Canada Portrait Project‘. The project was a crowd-sourced and collaborative journey between an award-winning Canadian painter and Canadians. Launched during Canada’s Sesquicentennial in 2017, this project continues to unfold. Focusing on the people that make Canada a diverse and culturally rich country. From our cities to our oceans, from our mountains to our lakes, from our homes to our havens.  The portrait tells the story of a father and daughter under Canadians skies. The two are holding red heart balloons tied to Tim Horton’s cups. They stand at the shores of the great lakes, the phrase ‘You Are Here’ is written in the sand. A gaggle of Canadian Geese fly past in the distance. A very Canadian painting now available for sale. This is the first ‘live’ public presentation of the piece.

The exhibition will take place from August 4th through August 27th with an Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony are August 5, 2022. Contact us for more information.

Society of Canadian Artists 54th Annual

The Hockey Art Show – 19 Paintings About Ice Hockey

The Hockey Show is an exciting retrospective art show of 19 paintings about the game of ice hockey by Canadian Visual Artist Brandy Saturley, created between 2011-2022.

The collection features many famous paintings spanning more than a decade. The show includes the iconic Goalie’s Mask Painting (Goalie’s Mask: Red, White and Dryden) which was shortlisted for an Olympic trophy in 2013. You will also find a number of works which reference both the Habs (Montreal Canadians Hockey club) as well as the Edmonton Oilers and the iconic Lord Stanley’s Cup. One of the most humorous and memorable pieces in the show, ‘Death of A Rookie’, references hockey legend.  The painting is an ode to Oliers Steve Smith, in the style of Jacques Louis David, referencing The Death of Marat painting created in 1793. “Saturley’s Death of a Rookie, Rise of a Hero is a take on the political painting The Death of Marat by French painter Jacques-Louis David, 1793. In Death of a Rookie, Rise of a Hero we see Oilers #5 (Steve Smith) sitting up in a tub surrounded with empty beer bottles while holding a letter and a pen. The letter that Smith is holding states: “Dear Grant, I have no words…, I’m sorry. So very sorry…”

This letter is in response to Smith’s rookie year when he scored a critical goal on his own goalie in the divisional final that allowed the Calgary Flames to move forward to the Stanley Cup. Grant Fuhr was the Oilers goalie that Smith scored on. The French revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat in the painting The Death of Marat is found in the same position, but, unlike Smith, Marat has been murdered by political enemy Charlotte Corday. Corday blamed Marat for the September Massacre (a wave of killings in Paris and other cities in late summer 1792 during the French Revolution). The huge backlash received by Smith after scoring on his own team can be perceived as similar to the actions of Marat against his own people. But this is where the analogy ends; Smith recovered and went on to be a valued player by the Oilers and when they won the Stanley Cup the following year, Wayne Gretzky (opposite of Marat’s Charlotte Corday), handed him the cup to skate a lap at the arena. Death of a Rookie, Rise of a Hero is about perseverance and continuing on when the chips are down.

There is also a piece that celebrates the Habs famous hockey line, ‘The Punch Line’, as well as a current piece that celebrates the Canadian Women’s Olympic Gold winning team. A few of the recent works reference childhood and the inception point for the love of hockey on outdoor ice rinks. No matter your experience with the game of ice hockey, whether a hockey fan, or an art fan, you will find something that makes you smile in these artworks.

The show opens June 2, 2022 and runs until June 15th. The show is being presented in a three dimensional virtual art gallery accessible by visiting http://www.hockeypainting.com 

hockey art show

 

ART AND THE CITY – Kelowna Offers Canadian Art Lovers An Eclectic Mix

Canadian Art in Kelowna

With Sopa Fine Arts dealer, Deborah Boileau (Brandy Saturley)

Family Day weekend found me in the beautiful Okanagan Valley and specifically the city of Kelowna. Known for it’s orchards, wine, ski hills and tremendous Okanagan Lake; there is a great variety of Canadian Art to see in Kelowna, British Columbia.

My visit began in the South Pandosy neighborhood, a funky and fashionable neighborhood hosting unique and eclectic art galleries, vintage, interior design and décor, and high-end fashion.

My first Art Gallery stop at Sopa Fine Arts. A gallery I have exhibited with, this is a gem in the Kelowna art scene. Located in the South Pandosy (or SoPa) neighborhood of Kelowna, BC, Sopa Fine Arts is a contemporary fine art gallery specializing in original art work by leading international and mid career artists, and a selection of talented emerging Canadian artists. The gallery with it’s New York edge, rustic wood and long white walls; presents large format paintings, sculpture and a variety of abstract contemporary art. The gallery is a refuge and place of solitude to enjoy the art in a welcoming environment, that appeals to new collectors as much as it does to the seasoned collector.

My next Art stop was at the Kelowna Art Gallery in downtown Kelowna near the Kelowna Yacht Club and lakeside skating rink this time of year. Another haven of art; the Kelowna Art Gallery is one of my favourite smaller public art galleries in Canada. I have visited public galleries across Canada over the past decade and the KAG is one of the best for it’s size, always presenting a mix of student to established Canadian artists in their four gallery spaces, including a courtyard space for installation art.

Currently at the KAG:

Joice M. Hall: Sacred Sights Gwaii Haanas at Kelowna Art Gallery

Joice M. Hall GWAII HAANAS – Islands and Sacred Sites

A painting installation inspired by 1600 digital photographs taken during a two-week artist residency in Haida Gwaii in 2016. The 18-foot installation is a panoramic landscape celebrating ocean, forest, and marine life inspired by her residency in Gwaii Haanas, guided by Parks Canada resource officers.

Gary Pearson: Short Fictions

Short Fictions presents the fascinating evolution of Kelowna painter Gary Pearson’s career over the decades that he has worked as a professional artist. The Kelowna-based artist works largely in painting and drawing, with a strong graphic sensibility and a stark, spare, linear style. The exhibition encompasses large format paintings, watercolour studies, drawings and video.

Gary Pearson: Short Fictions at Kelowna Art Gallery

I always enjoy exploring cities and taking in the art offerings from both public and private galleries. My Art and The City diaries began about 5 years ago after I decided that I should do more than take photos and paint on these trips. I began writing down my thoughts about these galleries and places across North America. I have visited public galleries across Canada from the smallest northern towns such as Yellowknife, to the metropolis of Toronto. I realize now that these trips have created a visual database of the Arts across North America and specifically Canada. With this vast perspective on what Canadian Art is, from community Arts to auction houses, public art galleries to the commercial big business of contemporary art in Canada; I feel very fortunate as a Canadian Visual Artist to have gained such a broad perspective and understanding of Art in Canada.  There is much great art in Canada, and much more than just landscape painting for those who venture beyond their local commercial gallery. Collecting great art begins with building your taste profile, what better way to do this than to get out and enjoy art of all kinds. Happy Art hunting! ~ Brandy Saturley