Interview With Whitehot Magazine NYC: Confronting the Enormity of the Landscape, in Canadian Art
Typically the ‘art season’ runs September to June, typically my art season as an independent self-representing artist runs the whole year, minus a couple weeks around Christmas holidays. This year I decided to book a month on the Hawaiian Island of Maui in August, and re-connect with nature and nurture my artists’ senses. It was a great adventure and one that will bleed into my work, with many posts about my trip to follow. August was a busy month for me while most of the Art World lay dormant. I finished some paintings, sold some art, showed my work in a Toronto gallery, and spoke in an interview with Whitehot Magazine in New York City about my paintings of the last decade.
Whitehot Magazine is a one of the leading online art magazines in the world, based in NYC, with contributing arts writers and art historians from all over the world, interviewing artists worldwide. In August, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Andrea Bell, a NYC art historian, critic and writer. Based in New York City, Andrea teaches Art History and Criticism at Parsons School of Design. Bell is a contributing writer for Whitehot Magazine and we spoke about; mountains, Canadianisms, pop culture, and the People of Canada Portrait Project.
Excerpt from the article; “In her most recent work, Saturley has turned once again to the landscape, never really having left. Her new, visionary paintings collage different, unexpected elements of Canadiana rendered in her characteristic pop aesthetic. They oscillate between a graphic realism used for Canada’s famous mountain peaks or views of forest lakes, and the abstractness of the colorful, even psychedelic backgrounds. The sincerity of their celebration keeps them from tripping over into kitsch. Instead they are otherworldly and transportive, playful and humorous. Confronting the enormity of the landscape has become a crucial aspect in Canadian identity, and a thread that is woven throughout Saturley’s work. The “Canadianisms” series has already toured in both Edmonton and Calgary, and has garnered the artist notoriety as the voice of Canadian Pop Art.” read full article here.
https://www.brandysaturley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/whitehotmagazinenyc_saturley.jpg603400am-330https://www.brandysaturley.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/brandysaturley_logo.pngam-3302018-09-04 15:44:572022-04-22 10:01:29Interview with Whitehot Magazine NYC
On The Cover: The 50th SCA International Exhibition
The Society of Canadian Artists 50th Open International Exhibition welcomed Canadian Art lovers on July 26 at Papermill Gallery, Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum. The show is an outstanding representation of Art in Canada. From realism to abstraction, and emerging to established; the variety of artwork from across Canada is a rare treat for art lovers and art collectors alike. Earlier in July, I shipped my new work to this exhibition, and am thrilled to see my painting, ‘Balance’ made the cover of the show catalogue. After 50 years of the show, this is the first year an exhibition catalogue was published. The SCA 50th International Open Juried Exhibition Catalogue, Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication ISBN / ISMN 978-1-7750038-3-0 is published by the Society of Canadian Artists, designed by DEL ART and printed by Nova Printing.
This is the first time the painting ‘Balance’ – depicting a polar bear balancing precariously on an iceberg, uplifted by a female hand, has been exhibited to the public. The painting is contemporary, timely, and highly detailed with realistic foreground imagery and more abstract shapes and colours occupying the background of the piece. The piece is part of a new series of paintings, re-imagining landscape painting in Canada. These ‘portraits of the landscape’ are filled with symbolism, and radiate joy with their saturated colour palettes. ‘Balance’ will be on view and available for purchase until August 19th.
An entrepreneurial mother, and a meritorious Canadian son.
What does it feel like to receive a Meritorious Service Medal from the governor General of Canada, with your mother and family at your side? In creating the most recent portrait for the People of Canada Portrait Project, I had the privilege of expressing the answer to this question, on canvas. How Golden Days at Rideau Hall came to be.
This story began in Empress, Alberta where Alice Rinker was born in 1932. An only child, Alice was observant and curious, which is likely what drove her to explore her options and further her education. She later settled in Medicine Hat where she married, started a family business with her husband and raised seven children. She survived the loss of two husbands and the raising of seven children, no small feat for a woman of such petite stature.
So, put yourself in Alice’s shoes. You are a hard-working, homesteading, entrepreneurial, and proud prairie woman. One of your sons, Aaron Gyorkos, earns a degree in Biology/Oceanography from University of Victoria, joins the Armed Forces and becomes a career Naval Officer. He serves his country all over the world, from combat to commandment of school projects, to project management. You receive word that your son is going to receive a Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General at Rideau Hall in our nations capital city, Ottawa, in Ontario Canada.
Imagine the emotions of this day, between mother and son and family. This photo was taken shortly after this momentous occasion, inside Rideau Hall, and those beaming smiles are undeniable. When I received this photo I was unaware of the occasion, as I reached out to the family for more information and additional photos I came to realize the full picture and weight of the day.
This is where my emotions kick-in and my mind begins to drift from the photos, to the locations expressed in my written interview with the family and the process behind this portrait project. With this project I have been taking the background from the submitted photos and replacing it with a Canadian landscape or location that I feel suits the personalities and emotions of the people in the portrait. I want the portrait to tell a complete story, without words. I’m not just creating portraits of Canadians, I am creating portraits of Canada. Figurative landscapes that will communicate stories for generations to come. I’m not sure if I am always ‘hitting the mark’, but I am working hard to honor the people and their stories, combined with my signature style of expression as a visual artist. I work from intuition mostly and rely on what I ‘feel’ about my subjects.
As with all the portraits in the series I am documenting the creative process behind painting the piece and sourcing unique music, that fits the tone of the piece as the soundtrack. As such I am searching for original music from young or historical Canadian artists.
This story will continue to unfold on the People of Canada Portrait Project website in the months to come, for now you can enjoy the finished portrait here.
Golden Days – Original acrylic painting on canvas by Brandy Saturley, 2018
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It has been said that inside the artist’s studio “is central to an artist’s myth and the way that we come to understand a work of art and its meaning in society”, though rarely do many have a chance to visit these creative havens where the artist works. They are places typically reserved for artists to create, serious art collectors to view the work privately, and curators to visit and consider works for future art exhibitions.
I recall watching a film, shot in 1949, showing Picasso working in his studio, always ahead of his time, this was the first time many of us had the chance to experience the Artist’s process of creation. In 1965, the next coming of Picasso, as channeled through the famous NYC art star, Andy Warhol, gave the public a peak inside his life and studio unlike any before, recording the most mundane parts of his life, becoming art himself.
Thanks to the Internet, and social media platforms like Instagram & Facebook, many artists have taken to posting photos and video showing behind the scenes snippets from their studios. Not unlike the ‘making of’ and behind the scenes footage from film sets, the fans are fascinated with learning how things are made, it’s a peek behind the velvet curtain, and I don’t think it is going to vanish anytime soon. These sneak peeks inside an artist’s process offer more information about how much work goes into making art. It is sometimes challenging to impart on viewers how much goes on in a professional artist’s studio. The studio contains tools, collected items, memories, materials, and things to set the tone such as music, photographs, books and even films. The studio contains all the materials collected on journeys, mental and physical. All experiences are filtered down to ideas here, and it’s true what they say, that once an Artist falls in love with you that you can never die. The experiences, words, gestures, relationships an Artist has, bleed their way into their art. Here are a few ‘behind the scenes’ photos and a snippet of video – welcome to my office, my haven, welcome to my world.
Behind the scenes: inside the studio of Canadian artist Brandy Saturley
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Exhibition Papermill Gallery Toronto: Timely painting depicting a polar bear balancing on an iceberg on display
New artwork by Brandy Saturley will be unveiled by the Society of Canadian Artists (SCA) at the 50th International Juried Art Exhibition at Papermill Gallery in Toronto, Ontario. The show runs July 24 – August 19, 2018 at Papermill Gallery at Todmorden Mills Museum, 69 Pottery Road in Toronto, Canada. The painting depicting a polar bear balancing at the peak of an iceberg, upheld by a human hand is a timely piece that speaks to global warming an the need to preserve what soon could be extinct. The painting is part of a new body of work that Saturley has been developing following her ‘Canadianisms’ exhibitions of 2017. Join us July 26, 2018 Official Opening and Awards Presentation, Thursday evening 7:00 to 9:30pm.
The painting shows life in balance – the elevation of the spirit through the landscape, and in this case, the Northern landscapes, with icebergs, polar bears and aurora skies. Whether it be Alaska or Newfoundland, these icebergs are precious natural resources. A timely painting as climate change continues to erode the polar bear’s natural habitat.
Papermill Gallery Hours of Operation:
June, July and August: Tuesday to Friday: 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m./ Saturday and Sunday: 12 – 5 p.m.
UPDATE 2022: this painting is now being offered by Adele Campbel Fine Art in Whistler, BC – more here.
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Vimy Jam – A Serendipitous Painting Inspired by Vimy 100
Serendipity is defined as; the phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for, meaning something beautiful coming together, that was not forced or planned in advance that put smiles on the faces of all affected and in doing so alters future events. This is the story behind a painting inspired by Vimy 100 celebrations in France.
In the past few weeks, serendipity found it’s way into my art, through a portrait project I began over four years ago, thanks to a very enthusiastic Canadian.
The People of Canada Portrait Project is a crowd-sourced, collaborative art project, where I ask Canadians to send in photos of themselves and share a bit about their ‘Canadian’ perspective. Initially this project came with a very ambitious goal of completing 20-25 painted portraits for Canada 150. This could have happened had I not been called on to exhibit solo exhibitions in public galleries in Alberta for Canada150. As the project is completely self-funded, and with me being the only artist painting the portraits, I decided to extend my deadline and allow the project to unfold more authentically. I wanted to take my time to paint these portraits and honour the stories of the people who had taken the time to send me creative snapshots of themselves. A new plan emerged and I included one of the portraits in my travelling exhibitions in 2017, and used these shows as an opportunity to spread the word about the project.
Fast forward to June 2018, now ten portraits towards my goal. I had a window of time in my studio schedule, an opportunity to paint more People of Canada portraits. Feeling the energy of Canada Day coming around the corner I looked through the submitted photos and felt a good story, energy, and message emanating from one photo. Submitted by an enthusiastic piper hailing from Sherwood Park Alberta, RCMP Pipes & Drums ambassador Bridgette Hardy-Crytes. The photo features the piper caught by surprise by the brush of eagle feathers to the head by Jeff Ward, an Indigenous performer with the Sons of Membertou, from Cape Breton. The photo was taken at Vimy 100 celebrations in Vimy, France where the two were brought together by the events of the day and their musical talents.
I began to sketch out the painting and think about creating a unique background to capture the day and place. The painting began, I emailed Bridgette to let her know I was working on the piece and that I had some questions for her to answer, I also asked about the man in the photo and if I could contact him for his perspective on the day.
So, here comes the serendipity. Bridgette tracked down Jeff and spoke with him on the phone after not seeing him since Vimy. The call lead to Jeff sharing a video of the day that had been uploaded to YouTube, and Bridgette sharing this information with me, now I was able to enjoy the mood of the day and story behind the photo, as if I had been there myself. What happened that day the photo was taken was an impromptu ‘jam session’ while Indigenous performers and the RCMP Pipes & Drums band were waiting in the wings to perform. Vimy was a pivotal battle which saw Canada and the Allies, including Mi’kmaq soldiers, win an important battle of World War I. This video shows musical artists collaborating, it conveys the spirit of coming together. A coming together on what once was a battlefield, where many lost their lives. A coming together that symbolizes the spirit of reconciliation, likes and not differences, the spirit of love.
The tone of that day was the tone in my studio, and I listened to the ‘jam session’ on loop as I finished the painting. From my studio on Vancouver Island to Sherwood Park, to Cape Breton, to Vimy Ridge in France; thanks to the Internet and technology our miles apart were erased, allowing me to capture the emotion of the day on canvas.
There will be more to this serendipitous story as I work to compile the answers to my questions from both Bridgette and Jeff.
For now, you can enjoy the painting, a little video of my process in creating the painting.
and this fantastic video of the ‘jam session’ that inspired ‘Vimy Jam’.
It was a celebratory Canada 151 indeed! And a great contrast to my experiences painting Canada over the last decade. A new chapter in this serendipitous story influenced by my travels across Canada. For more about the People of Canada Portrait Project visit http://www.peopleofcanada.ca
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Choosing a piece of original art can be a daunting process, buying art online is easy and a relatively new experience, it is not painful or difficult. Whether you’re looking for a painting to suit a small or larger space here are some things to consider:
Create a budget. Establish your ‘ideal’ budget for a new artwork, and then add a little more for wiggle room. Why? You may find that next masterpiece is a tiny bit over your planned budget and if your budget is inflexible, you could always negotiate with the artist. There are many ways I accommodate my buyers requests, it may be free shipping, it could be a discount on multiple works, or it could be a financing plan to help assist you with buying the art you want, while paying for it over a time period that suits your budget. (Current pricing on artwork from Brandy Saturley)
Know your space. Knowing the dimensions of the intended wall space where your new artwork will hang, will help you narrow down your selection. If you have a theme, particular taste or colour palette, complement it. And by complement, we don’t mean matching the room perfectly — if your intention is to create a room that features bold, statement pieces, you might like to choose artworks that stand-out against the interior. If your intention is to buy a piece that reflects your personal style, tastes, and loves – selecting art becomes an extension of you, it is your way to be a collaborator in the creative process that reflects your personality – the art you choose becomes an extension of YOU. (Art Collector Homes – Inside A Contemporary West Coast Home)
Communicate with the artist. Our lives are a collection of memories, experiences and stories. You have your eye on an artwork, but would like to know the inspiration behind it, reaching out to the artist will help in painting a fuller picture of the piece and in turn develop your appreciation for the piece. Communicating with the artist will give you a whole new understanding of the piece, the intricacies of the creation, and the backstory of the work behind a piece of fine art. (A Day in The Life – documenting the creative process)
The only rule in buying art, buy what you love. Buying art is a very personal thing. If you connect with a certain painting, it will represent more than just a painting hanging on a wall; the art you choose is an expression of who you are. If you find an artwork that speaks to you, BUY IT. Fear of missing out can be an awful feeling.
Testimonials are another way to instill confidence that you are buying from a reputable gallery or independent artist, these references offer some idea of what your collecting experience will be like as a buyer. (Appreciation From Art Collectors)
If you LOVE it, if you ABSOLUTELY have to have it, then BUY it, you will never be disappointed when you buy something you LOVE.
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Art Collector Homes: Custom Home on Vancouver Island.
Art collector homes – a look inside a contemporary west coast home. Serious Art lovers design their homes around their art collections, some opt to hire an architect or designer to assist in creating their dream homes to put their art center stage. Some people simply have a great eye for art and design, and when the two combine, something magical is created. Recently this one of a kind custom home by award winning designer Wil Peereboom, a Vancouver Island dream home, went up for sale on the real estate market here in Victoria, BC.
A stunning three story contemporary home built Oceanside with views framed by the coastal forest including towering Douglas Fir and Yellow Cedar. Featuring lovingly collected mid-century modern furnishings and Scandinavian design, this eclectic contemporary home incorporates natural and modern textures and finishes including concrete. This home features seven paintings by Victoria based Canadian artist, Brandy Saturley and was listed with Victoria based Realtor, Matt Loken. UPDATE: this home is now sold.
Below are a few photos of the paintings featured in this collectors home, created by Brandy Saturley.
In this art collector’s home you will see a variety of paintings. Including landscapes and figurative works inspired by the artist’s hikes in and around areas on Vancouver Island. This home also features paintings of the rocky mountains of Alberta. See more paintings by this Canadian artist now.
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The IOC Trophy for Sport Art, shortlisted painting about hockey.
TORONTO, ON April 2015 – This week we received news from the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) that the painting, ‘Goalie’s Mask: red, white & Dryden’, by Canadian visual artist and painter, Brandy Saturley, has been shortlisted for the 2014 IOC Trophy in Sport and Art.
Another accolade for a painting that launched a new body of work titled, #ICONICCANUCK, in 2010, and later was exhibited as part of retrospective exhibitions, ‘Canadianisms’ in 2017 celebrating Canada150. The Goalie’s Mask painting continues to ignite interest and engage viewers in passionate discussion about Olympic hockey, Dryden, Habs and Canada. From The Glenbow Museum Lobby in Calgary, to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, from Gallery @501 in Sherwood Park, Alberta, to Okotoks Art Gallery in, Calgary, Alberta. This iconic and important painting has been included in numerous exhibitions across Canada including; Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto. The painting has been featured across the web, from art publications like Galleries West Magazine, Montreal Canadiens Instagram, to on-line Habs communities including AllHabs Magazine.
The Goalie’s Mask Painting – shortlisted for the Olympic Trophy in Sport & Art 2014
An homage to Canada, hockey, Habs, goaltenders and the American painter, Georgia O’ Keeffe; the painting has touched many and enjoyed accolades and a range of polarizing feedback from art lovers and hockey lovers alike. Bridging a gap between sport and art and bringing together two communities, often at odds over funding.
“The annual International Olympic Committee (IOC) Trophy was established in 1985 to promote the teaching of Olympism in various areas. For 2014 the IOC intends to reward artistic expression. With the Canadian trophy, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) wishes to recognise artists and creators who, through their talent, have promoted Olympism and left a legacy through art.” ~ Olympic.ca
Olympism is defined by the IOC as follows:
“Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”
As accolades and press pile up, the value of the original piece has increased considerably over the past decade. With the continued building of interest and fascination in the painting, the artist suggests it may now be time to offer this important Canadian painting for sale. Update 2021: learn more about this painting.
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A Day in The Life of An Artist: documenting the creative process
An artists diary – inside the studio of Brandy Saturley
At the end of the work day, I take whatever paint I have left on my palette and I use it to make a small abstract painting on a torn out page of high-gloss magazine paper. I think I began this ritual about five years ago and it shows a day in the life of an Artist. I found that it gave me a time at the end of the day to break concentration and freely create something loose and immediate, a mental stretch of sorts to end a day of highly concentrated painting. Instead of scraping the paint off my palette and saving it, something that is very hard to do with acrylic paints, the leftover paint was helping to birth a new creation. Each page has come to represent a ‘day in the life’ of a painting, a painting diary of sorts. These 8×10 abstract paintings were forming a diary and a dialogue about working as a painter. Over the years I have saved thousands of these pages, most survived, not all as some became stuck to one another and i was unable to save them, and some I cut into shapes that I am certain will be used in future paintings, perhaps paintings with collage elements worked into the composition. A painting diary is a wonderful thing, it offers a record of my palette over the past few years, painting swatches if you will, a journal of colours.
From Vincent Van Gogh to Georgia O’ Keeffe, keeping a diary, or journal, has always been a crucial part of the artist’s life. For some, it helps formulate a better conceptual understanding of works created through sometimes intuitive processes. For others, it can be a reference for future art making. Whether a detailed written journal like that of Van Gogh, or a more visual diary of sketches, studies and even colour swatches, journals are a necessary part of the creative process and provide fuel for future discovery.
I recently gathered most of my ‘abstract palette pages’ and arranged them for a photo shoot in my studio. I spread the pages from floor to ceiling, running up my studio walls, integrating them with paintings in progress, the result is a vivid and energetic environment. How I imagine the inside of my mind looks at any given time. These photos show a glimpse inside my creative process, which heavily relies on intuition these days. A peek inside the artists’ process.
The Artists’ Diary – in the studio of Brandy Saturley
Behind the scenes – in the studio of Brandy Saturley
Photo Shoot – in the studio of Brandy Saturley – image courtesy the artist
Photo Shoot – in the studio of Brandy Saturley – image courtesy the artist
Photo Shoot – in the studio of Brandy Saturley – image courtesy the artist
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