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12 Years Painting Canada

Celebrating 12 Years Painting Canada.

July 1, 2019 marked my 12^th year as a full-time professional visual artist, painting Canada. This past week I received an email from an art dealer in the Silicon Valley, their first question to me, “how long have you been an artist?” This is always a very strange question to an artist, as artists’ we have all been making art since we were children, and as such we have always considered ourselves artists.

This means, I have been an artist for over 40 years. My professional career, where I began showing and selling my work, began about 30 years ago, while still in high school. Over the past two decades, I have spent a considerable amount of time setting myself up as an independent self-representing artist. For many years I worked a side job, while producing artwork, mostly drawing. I began painting, seriously, about 18 years ago.

The past 12 years have been all about painting, exhibiting, traveling, and selling my art. Over the past 8 years I have worked hard at immersing myself deeply into the Canadian art communities of Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Toronto. I have created two collaborative projects, written for numerous Canadian publications and artist websites and have contributed to the Canadian Arts community through advocacy groups and on public art committees. I’ve visited a few art fairs, won a few awards and been paid to show my work. I have been commissioned to make work for corporations and private clients, and have licensed my work to many unique brands in Canada and the USA. As I head into my 13^th year, I am reflecting on some works of the past.

Twelve paintings for 12 years. It was hard for me to pick twelve, as I have painted near 400 now. It was also more challenging to pick favourites as the years increased. I am finding I now have more favourites than I did in the beginning. Maybe it highlights consistency as an artist as my years of experience grow, or as my passion for painting deepens. You would think after 12 years of painting daily my interest would wain, but it is quite the opposite, the intensity and passion grow. Rather than focus on my accomplishments of the past twelve years, I want to focus on the personal side of my journey as an Artist, and how life and art are intertwined and have become one in the same.

Here are 12 paintings for 12 years;

2007

The TREES Period: in 2007 I was fresh out of the gate with full days to concentrate on painting, naturally I began with nature. My live/work studio at the time was a 6^th floor view of Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC – nothing but trees for miles. I guess I had trees on the brain, and still love finding the character in each tree I meet.

Arbutus Hug – 40×30, acrylic on canvas, 2007, Brandy Saturley

2008

The VEGAS Period: in 2006 I was married in Las Vegas, by Elvis of course! The sheer ‘overload’ and ‘overstimulation’ provided by this loud landscape was putting electric images in my head. The otherworldly shows of Montreal born, Cirque Du Soleil, helped push these ideas as my mind spun like a top.

Cirque Reflections – 48×24, acrylic on canvas, 2008, Brandy Saturley

2009

The BEATLES Period: this marks the year that I FULLY connected with the Beatles and their entire catalogue of music. I was born years after they broke-up, but once I fully embraced their music, they have played consistently in the background of my studio. The Beatles channel on Sirius satellite radio is a revelation, and the narratives of their music, as well as their album covers continue to inspire my brush. The Beatles Period has never really ended and continues to creep into my work.

Passion Gnu Solo (Glass Onion Soup) – 48×48, acrylic on canvas, 2009, Brandy Saturley

2010

The TRANSITIONAL Period: as I continued to move forward with mastering figurative techniques in my paintings, my romance with the landscapes of Canada remained. This year I moved my home and studio into a space more than double my previous. My view turns to lagoon, ocean and estuary, with birdsong and nature at the helm. The greenness of BC and the trees brought inspiration for my largest painting to date, at 48” wide by 60” wide, this piece is a showstopper of soothing green and abstract forms.

Aerial Landscape: Crossroads – 48×60, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2010

2011

The #ICONICCANUCK Period

2010 brought the Olympic games to Vancouver BC – Canadian stereotype and pride was at an all-time high on the west coast of Canada, a place where we usually escape the stereotypical mounties, beer, moose and hockey. It made me think. What does it mean to be a Canadian? I began with hockey; the rest is history.

Goalie’s Mask: red, white & Dryden – 36×48, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2010

2012

As I continue with my ‘Canadian’ comment I incorporate the Canadian flag for composition purposes, on the landscape. Travels through the Rocky Mountains imprint on my mind. Emboldening my comment on Canada.

Poppies For Louise – 48×36, acrylic on canvas, 2012, Brandy Saturley

2013

With a Goalie Mask on the Canadian flag, my initial representation of Canada, my focus turns to nature and a black bear skull on the iconic Hudson’s Bay Company stripes. A good representation of Canadian symbolism in art.

HBC Skull – 36×48, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2013

2014

The CANCER Period: the end of 2014 marked a bit of exhaustion and a diagnosis of cervical cancer, with a radical hysterectomy and lymph node removal, the remedy. In December, I had major surgery. It was another transitional time, and reminder that art does not happen without health. This year changed my outlook on life, and as an artist.

Dreaming in the Colours of Eh – 48×36, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2014

2015

The CANADIANISMS Period: the beginning of 2015 marked my comeback from surgery and aftereffects. It took me a while to get my core muscles back, as I began the year with some very small works. By the Summer I was back at it with this large format piece, at 48×48 inches. I was thinking beyond the stereotypes of Canada and turning back to the landscapes, nature and our connection to the land.

Canadian Subconscious – 48×48, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2015

2016

The REBIRTH Period: a new body, a new mindset and a renewed interest in the landscape, this time interjecting myself into the famous landscapes of Lawren Harris and the Group of Seven. My commentary as a female Canadian painter was deepening, as my fearlessness in art and life had grown to new heights. I felt fully prepared to take on the greats and claim my spot in Canadian art history.

Let Your Backbone Rise – 36×36, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2016

2017

The CANADA150 Period: with the past 5 years painting themes of Canadiana, the public galleries came calling for content. With a traveling solo retrospective, numbering more than 30 paintings, my year was filled with celebration, art talks, conversations, and stories that would fill my next bodies of work. As the past paintings connected with audiences in other parts of Canada, I continued to paint myself into the landscape. Marveling at it’s grandeur, examining it’s importance in Canadian art, honouring the land and holding it safely for future generations.

A Landscape to Go – acrylic on wood panel, 36×36, Brandy Saturley, 2017

2018

The LANDSCAPE AS PORTRAIT Period: with 2018 came another change in life, a move into a new home and studio, my largest studio to date. With this change a need to move my comment on Canada forward. I began looking more to my feelings, expressing these feelings through use of colour and form, while continuing to keep a figure in the landscape. My new, visionary paintings collage different, unexpected elements of Canadiana rendered in my characteristic pop aesthetic. These landscapes 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. These new paintings are otherworldly, transportive and playful.

Raised in The Sky – acrylic on canvas, 36×48, Brandy Saturley, 2018

Onto lucky number 13.

2019

The LONDON Year: taking my art, International.

As I head into year thirteen, I am preparing for a new adventure and opportunity to push the boundaries of my painting. For one month I will be making new work at the Royal College of Art in London as part of their Contemporary Art Summer program. It will be an intense three weeks of art making in the largest city in the European Union, and one of the world’s major art centres. As I work on preparing materials for my trip, I am looking forward to connecting with my Cornish heritage. Bringing my ‘Canadianisms’ to London – I am excited about this new opportunity to examine my work, through a British lens.

You can watch my progress in London on Instagram, my Facebook fan page or here on this blog.

July 4, 2019

The Artist and Her Muse

People Of Canada Portrait Project

The Artist and Muse: the 13th Canadian Portrait

A muse’s job is to penetrate the male artist and bring forth a work from the womb of his mind, right? Historically speaking, the artist’s muse, is a great source of artistic inspiration. In mythology, the Muses were nine goddesses who symbolized the arts and sciences. There have been many famous traditional artist/muse relationships over the years such as Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol’s poor little rich girl, or Dora Maar who inspired several of Picasso’s most famous paintings. For women throughout art history, the relationship between female artist and male muse has often been more subtle, hidden behind the canvas, rarely depicted.

In today’s world, a muse is a person who serves as an artist’s inspiration, and there are more female artists painting their male muses. Traditionally male artist’s, and men in many professions provided, and women raised the family and took care of the household. Gendered expectations of women as primary caretakers of others, would get in the way of women pursuing cultural production.

My grandmother was one of these women, as she was busy raising a family and helping run a business on the Canadian prairies. Recently I discovered my grandmothers hand written recipe book, with about twenty blank pages at the end. Thinking there was nothing more most would just close the book and toss to the side. I thought it was strange and flipped to the back of the book where I found lists. These lists were ideas, and information, perhaps read in newspapers or seen on TV and heard on radio. The lists included a budget for art supplies and painting lessons. It seemed in later years my grandmother found a way to save her pennies and put this money towards making art, mostly in secret. My grandmother owned and ran a gas station, ran a restaurant and nightclub, sewed and weaved traditional Ukrainian textiles. My mother was very close with my grandmother and she also began cooking, and enjoying creative pursuits such as drawing and painting. These women instilled a love for the arts in my life. I did not take to the domestic side of life, I dreamed of grander pursuits and envisioned a wildly creative life.

Fast-forward to 2014, I began creating a body of work that would rely on collaboration with everyday Canadians, and people not necessarily connected to the arts or near major art centers. I suppose looking back now, it is like I am reaching back in time and trying to bring art to those that did not have access or see the value of artistic pursuits, or perhaps it is that I am reaching out to everyone in hopes to touch their lives through art, to speak to them through painting. This project, the ‘People of Canada Portrait Project’ relies on Canadians to send me a photo of themselves, in their authentic clothing, central to their identities. Through the process of interview questions, I decide on a background for the painting and then paint the subjects into the background, in many cases.

Now five years in and 13 paintings, the project has grown organically and at a much slower pace than I had originally anticipated. As the project has been a side-bar to my core work as an artist, I give it what time I can as I work on several projects concurrently, including running my business as an independent artist. As such I have been able to watch my work grow as my technical abilities for portraiture mature.

As I am coming into my 13th year working as a full-time professional artist, it seemed appropriate to paint a self portrait and the person who is integral to my life. Not only is he my greatest muse, he is my greatest supporter and sometimes collaborator. He is my husband and as I write this I realize that we will also be celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary this December. Seems like the number 13 is our lucky number.

In numerology the number 13 tends to accomplish most things without the need of others or relying on them to make the decisions. Most of the goals are about building the foundation for the future. 13’s are very determined and tend to go after their goals with persistence. The basic meaning of 13 is composed of the ideas of focus, pragmatism, secure foundation, independence, and creative self-expression.

Referenced as #ICONICCANUCK and the #KILTPIPER on the People of Canada Portrait Project website, we are a couple of gregarious and life loving Canadians who live for the moment, and road trips in our ruby red JEEP.

As with the previous portraits we will participate in answering questions about ourselves and our thoughts about being Canadian, through grilling one another. For now here is the portrait; The Artist and The Muse. More to follow…

June 26, 2019

Collectors Art

Buying Art, Canadian Art

Collectors Art: curated art collections, ready for you to purchase.

In our first article about curated art collections, we talked about the inception of the idea for these collectors art boxes, crated and ready for you to purchase.

The first release of ‘BOX SETS’ in March was a great success. A limited time offering to own curated art collections; ready to hang in your home, corporate art collection or office. With the first limited time offering, we presented five distinct hand painted art crates filled with various sizes of important original fine artworks, paintings created by Canadian artist, Brandy Saturley. With the first five crates we offered a range of sizes from small artworks in the 12″ x 12″ size to larger artworks such as 30″ x 40″ and 36″ x 36″. These art collections ranged in price from $3000.00 to $29,000.00. With this second release of fine art to collect, we are going bigger, not only in the size of artworks available, but in the size of the art collections contained within each crate.

Crate #6 is a stunner! The paintings of Canadian Artist Brandy Saturley, are stories of the landscape told using brush on canvas. These artworks are vivid love letters inspired by Canada and beyond. This crate contains a wealth of art; not only in value, but also in beauty. The ‘Beauty’ collection includes six original fine artworks painted between 2010 and 2017. Artworks included in this collection feature iconic Canadian landscapes such as; views of Lake Louise from Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Babel, Robson and Assiniboine mountains from the Rocky Mountain range, the commemorative Canada150 tulip, the red maple leaf, and red poppies. These paintings are more than your average landscape painting, much more. Employing the artists’ signature vivid and saturated palette and utilizing abstract form and shape, these landscapes tell stories far beyond the landscapes themselves. Offering you, the collector, the ultimate way to invest in an art collection. Pre-selected and ready to hang, with the finest coated hanging wire professionally affixed to the back of each piece. Making collecting original fine art online, easy.

More than landscapes, I am telling visual stories.

“I am continually and obsessively consuming this world and expressing it vividly on canvas, I am not just painting what I see, I am painting the story of what I see. I am continually collecting experiences, spurned by my travels. My excavation of the world around me begins with exploring, I am continually exploring the world, and drinking it all in, through my eyes, ears, nose and tongue. As I move throughout the world, I am continually collecting and re-imagining. I am a storyteller, but not the writing kind, words are not my forte and reading a book can take years. With everything I experience my mind begins to draw, so as reading can inspire thoughts and images in my head, it can also impede me from finishing a chapter as my mind begins to paint.

Most of the paintings you see, begin with an idea and a photograph, I begin with a central theme or focal point and then the brush tells me where to go. I do not plan out my paintings from beginning to end, I do not begin with a number of sketches or rigorous blueprint. I have tried creating from sketches, and while they are a great starting point, much like my photos, they are just the point of inception. Once the painting begins, the painting tells me where to go, and it doesn’t always work out, and this allows for innovation. I drink it all in, and then I paint it all out. I make art because it is what I have done my whole life. I never really had a choice in the matter, art chose me and I obliged. My biggest fear is that I will die with all these ideas left in my head, and yet the more art I make, the more I have to make. Art never sleeps and the job of an artist never ends.”

As for the crate that the paintings are safely stored within, it is imbued with it’s own signature artwork.

There are many passionate stories being expressed in this art collection. Below we will highlight each painting with a comment about each piece from the artist.

Here are ‘THE PAINTINGS’ in BOX SET #6:

Poppies For Louise

A painting of ruby red poppies on the shore of Lake Louise with a signature red canoe, turquoise waters, glaciers and mountain in the background – Canadian flag imposed. A love letter to Lake Louise, this piece is inspired by the composition of the Canadian Flag set against the turquoise blue waters of Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. The red canoe, features the number nine, the most star worn number in professional hockey and the NHL. An ode to Canada, from sea to sky and sport to nature.

2. Patchwork Nation

A painting of a Canadian Maple Leaf on an aerial view of the prairies and the multicolored crops and lines as seen by air when you fly over Mantioba and Saskatchewan. Canada is a Patchwork Nation and this piece is a re-imagining of the Canadian flag against the abstract aerial view of the prairie crops.

3. Assiniboine

This painting is my representation of Mount Assiniboine, a pyramidal peak mountain on the Great Divide on the BC/Alberta border. This peak is nicknamed, ‘the Matterhorn of the Rockies’, for it’s resemblance to the Matterhorn in the Alps. I imagined Warhol painting these peaks, with his POP Art palette. In total there are 13 peaks in this series, some of the most famous and least known peaks in the Rocky Mountain range from BC to Alberta.

4. Robson

This painting is my representation of Mt. Robson, it is the most prominent mountain in the Rocky Mountain range and the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. Bordering BC and Alberta, Mt. Robson is awe-inspiring and takes your breath away as you drive into the park and hike to the base of the mountain. In 2010, I found myself on a new journey, this time travelling through the land of giants, the Rocky Mountains of the Western Canadian Landscape. I felt utterly alone in a hauntingly impressive landscape as I watched sunrise paint these snowy peaks, casting shadows and vivid shades of blue, purple, orange, blue-green depending on time of day and position of the sun or moon. From the Group of Seven to Robert Genn, these mountains have romanced many and the love affair continues.

5. Babel

Part of the, ‘I See Mountains’ series inspired by peaks in the Canadian Rocky Mountain range from BC to Alberta. Mount Babel is a peak in the Bow Range in Banff, Alberta that bears a resemblance to the tower of From the Group of Seven to Warhol, these mountains have romanced many and the love affair continues.

6. Charity

My expression of the Canada150 tulip. The most common meaning for tulips is perfect or deep love. Because tulips are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, they can mean rebirth. Victorians often associated tulips with charity, and the Dutch associate tulips with “Thanks” to Canadian soldiers that liberated The Netherlands in World War II.

As for the crate that the paintings are safely stored within, imbued with it’s own signature artwork. As seen below;

This crate safely houses the artworks of BOX SET #6, is painted with a graphic rendering of the painting ‘Poppies For Louise’ which is contained within the crate itself.

On the reverse side of the crate the words, ‘Beauty Day’ emblazon the crate – a common saying in Canada on a beautiful sunny day.

Art to talk about for generations to come, view the collections now.

June 3, 2019

The Art of Collaboration

Collaboration

The Art of Collaboration: Inspired by Famous Art Collaborations in History

There I was, a young artist beginning art college, excited about all the possibilities of art and romanced by the stories of famous artists’ lives and artists of the past. As a Canadian artist the most famous artist group is perhaps the Group of Seven, created and led by Canadian landscape painter, Lawren Harris. Assembling a number of Canadian painters into a group or club, Harris managed to direct the aesthetic of the group and create the ‘aesthetic of the North, the aesthetic of Canada’. Though not truly a collaboration, the group did create an outcome of a group effort, much like a collaboration achieves. They showed us the art of collaboration.

Back to that art history class. Art history classes begin with the ancient, European Art, which mystifies and romanticizes the artist life. Ancient art and specifically paintings were based on technique, craftsmanship and knowledge. Fast forward to the 1950’s and early 60’s of the New York City art world, a movement which challenged the traditions of fine art by including imagery from popular and mass culture. This movement included many artist collaborations, which saw artist’s paint together and even on the same canvas, imagine two artists painting in opposite, yet complimentary styles, on the same canvas. Inconceivable!

Most famous is perhaps the collaborative pop art meets street art paintings of Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat, where a famous Warhol took a less famous Basquiat under his wing and painted together on the same canvas in his studio. Even though some critics didn’t appreciate Basquiat and Warhol‘s relationship — some claiming that Basquiat was a fame-hungry leech trying to ride on Warhol’s reputation while others stating that Warhol was an opportunist who was using Basquiat’s talent for his own ends, the truth seems to show that the relationship was genuine, if fraught with frustrations. Whether intentionally exploitative of Warhol or not, it is true that the young Basquiat felt deeply for the man, and created masterpieces with his idol.

Fast forward to artists in Canada in the 20th century, and one in particular, Douglas Coupland. For his major solo exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 2014, ‘everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything’. Often incorporating everyday materials and objects such as plastic lids, children’s toys, pencils and books, Coupland’s work and installations require a collaborative effort with everyday people, asking them to participate through collecting and sending him items to include in his pop culture creations.

Collaborative art is an interesting phenomenon, I mean we are artists, we are very independent with singular signature visions of what we want to create, so how can visual artists collaborate? If you look at the musicians, collaboration is important in their process and often better when one or more are together, such as the case with Lennon and McCartney and the Beatles. Collaboration made these artists better and stronger as they riffed off each other and pushed each other forward. Prior to the establishment of formal artistic training schools, the close bond between artists was often forged in the studio or the gallery. The sense of camaraderie – as well as competition – between artists presented opportunity for them to learn, and steal, from one another – collaboration can create better art through outcomes you cannot control.

So what is collaboration in terms of art? is it teamwork? The key difference between teamwork and collaboration is that in teamwork, a group of people perform their individual roles to contribute to the achievement of a goal whereas in collaboration, all individuals are partners that share work as well as ideas and insights to achieve a common objective.

In the footsteps of past artist collaborations and famous artist collaborators I came to create two collaborations in art. The first began in 2014, shortly after I visited the Douglas Coupland exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The People of Canada Portrait Project, a collaborative portrait painting project, between myself and everyday Canadians. Through photos submitted by Canadians, I paint portraits based on the stories they share with me about their lives as Canadians.

For the project, I used social media and the internet as a tool for connecting to a diverse audience of subjects. I never know what photo will grab my attention and you never know what the backstory will be, but the photo has to ‘grab’ me, I have to be invested in the subjects I will paint. The original images selected as reference points for portraits are displayed in a stream on the project’s website (Peopleofcanada.ca). Through interviews, process photos, and short films the original subjects of the photographs become part of the project’s archive, material for future excavation into how people define themselves as Canadian. By choosing their own photographs, my subjects participate in their own self-representation. Yet they also cede control as I invent a landscape intended to amplify the relationship between the people and landscapes depicted.

As this Canadian portrait project continues to grow and evolve, the project guidelines I set forth in the beginning have also evolved, because of the collaborative experience.

The second collaboration I am currently working on, is inspired by the tradition of landscape painting in Canada, and the Group of Seven. In 2017, I began collaborating with another Canadian painter, based in Calgary, Alberta. The idea: paint mountain peaks on the provincial border of Alberta and British Columbia (the border that divides us as artists) Painting mountains on the continental divide, the painting begins in one artists’ studio in Calgary, and the painting is completed in the other artists’ studio in Victoria. Inspired by famous collaborations of art history past, such as Warhol and Basquiat, Johns and Rauschenberg, and Rivera & Kahlo – this was going to be interesting as in our case we live 1059KM apart, a 13 hour drive and a ferry boat. Each painting rendered in brushstrokes from each artist. Each painting a collaborative effort and celebration of two styles, creating a new language, expressing a combined love of the Rockies. Beyond the borders of the paintings, and beyond the borders that divide two provinces that have been locked into a political battle over a pipeline. Moving us beyond the borders of our differences, and bringing us together, over art. In honour of Group of Seven luminary, Lawren Harris, we selected a name under which to paint, and the Mountain Forms Collective is born.

The art of collaboration is truly one that requires patience, an openness to learning no matter your level of experience and expertise (leave your ego at the door) respect of your collaborators, working as a team to achieve something bigger than yourself, the creation of a new community in which to grow and propagate your ideas and the unique experience of creating something important, together. For if it is important to you, it is important to make it heard in any way you can conceive!

Sincerely Yours,

Brandy Saturley

May 15, 2019

International Women’s Day

Canadian Art

Women in Canadian Art – Celebrating International Women’s Day

For many of us our first mentors are our parents. As our world’s grow and change we look to our teachers, our elders and the heroes and heroines in the stories we read and even see on the movie screens. For me, my first mentor in art was my mother, an artist herself as was my grandmother. As my interest in the Arts grew, so did my investigation into those who came before me, and those whose work I admire. From that first art teacher in high school to my instructors in college, there were many women who paved the way and nudged me forward into a career as a professional visual artist. To celebrate International Women’s Day, here are five women artists, who inspired me to add my voice to the Canadian Art landscape.

Emily Carr – the first woman artist who captured my attention was Emily Carr. I was born in the city that was the final home of the iconic female painter who was an adventurous and independent spirit. Her home now a museum called ‘Emily Carr House’ on Government Street in Victoria BC. Emily Carr was one of the first painters in Canada to adopt a Modernist painting style, Carr did not receive widespread recognition for her work until late in life. Carr had a very ‘rough’ life and was thought to be somewhat crazy by her Victorian neighbors. I recall my uncle telling a story of walking around the neighborhood and passing Carr’s house, he was just a little boy and recalls how badly she was treated by passersby. She was known to keep a monkey as a pet and would often trade paintings for handiwork around her home. The subject matter of her painting shifted from aboriginal themes to landscapes—forest scenes in particular. As a writer, Carr was one of the earliest chroniclers of life in British Columbia. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes her as a “Canadian icon”. Lawren Harris says of her: “The work of Emily Carr and the circumstances in which it was achieved are unique in Canada. She was a passionate, powerful and creatively determined individual who turned fully to her beloved woods and skies and Native Villages. From the earliest work of her girlhood and on into the work of her last years, in hundreds of paintings and sketches, there unfolds the inner story of a vital adventure, full of intense struggle to achieve and the reward of the living embodiment in paint of her love.” The Indian Church(renamed Church at Yuquot Village in 2018 by the Art Gallery of Ontario) 1929. Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris bought the painting to showcase it in his dining room, and called it Carr’s best work.

Prudence Heward – I first enjoyed a Heward original portrait up close and personal at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. I was struck by her provocative depictions of the everyday woman, against soft and idealized backgrounds. Her palette choices were bold as were her strokes. I am drawn to the simplicity and abstract quality of the forms in the background juxtaposed with the more realistic portraits in the foreground. Heward was a frail child and she suffered from asthma her whole life, the frequent attacks forcing her to cease painting for various lengths of time. This part of her story I could relate to very well, as I too suffered with childhood asthma and experienced many hospital visits and sick days for the first 25 years of my life. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I find myself drawn to her brooding portraits. Her work inspired some of my choices when painting the portraits for the People of Canada Portrait Project. She was a member of the Beaver Hall Group and a co-founder of the Canadian Group of Painters and the Contemporary Arts Society. This is ‘Rollande’ painted in 1929 – National Gallery of Canada collection.

Molly Lamb Bobak – Bobak was a Canadian teacher, writer, printmaker and painter working in oils and watercolours. During World War II, she was the first Canadian woman artist to be sent overseas to document Canada’s war effort, and in particular, the work of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, as one of Canada’s war artists. In one of the first generations of Canadian women who earned their livings as artists, Bobak became known for her paintings, drawings, and watercolours. For her role in the Second World War and many other accomplishments she was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1973 and presented with the Order of Canada. I must admit I was not that familiar with Bobak’s work as Canada’s war arist, Alex Colville eclipsed any other work of the time. Bobak’s work is sublimely feminine and energetic, there is much movement in her work much like the impressionists, looking at her work is more like taking in a film at the cinema than staring at a sedentary 2-dimensional canvas.

Mary Pratt – Pratt is an icon of Canadian realism. Her paintings of everyday domestic life make you feel like you are in your grandmothers kitchen watching her work. Her hyperealist paintings of fruit are overflowing with juicy realism, ready for plucking and eating right off the canvas. An internationally-recognized Newfoundland-based Canadian artist, Pratt recently passed away at the age of 83. Canadian film maker Kenneth Harvey is currently working on a film about her. The way she captures the light in her paintings, it’s electric and brings feelings of being in my mother’s kitchen watching her bake while waiting patiently to lick the spoon. Pratt attended Mount Allison University, studying Fine Arts under Alex Colville, Ted Pulford, and Lawren P. Harris.

Myfanwy Pavelic – also hailing from my hometown of Victoria BC, Pavelic was known for her portraiture. Born in Victoria, British Columbia to an upper-class family, her first interests in fine art came after meeting with Emily Carr on Vancouver Island who later gave a brief series of instruction to Pavelic. I recall her portrait of Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, father of our current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. A copy of the award-winning portrait hangs in my Giclee print makers shop in Vancouver BC, Zhee Clay Fine Arts. The painting went on to be featured on a Canada Post postage stamp in 2000 after his passing. She was one of the few Canadian artists to be shown at the National Portrait Gallery in London, and her official portrait of Trudeau was unveiled in the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa in 1985.

A remarkable group of women, from all walks of life, who painted from their distinctly Canadian perspective, they leave quite the legacy for those of us who are working to fill their shoes and lead the next generation of Canadian artists. Here are a few contemporary paintings created by a woman in Canadian Art.

Sincerely Yours,

Brandy Saturley

March 8, 2019

Making Art in London

Art Career, London Art Scene

Making Art in London: From Victoria, BC to the Royal College of Art

She was just a girl living in her own world, her bedroom walls covered in pink and purple rose wallpaper. The carpet was green like the Spring grass, and she would sit for hours on this grass dreaming up ideas and writing down thoughts. It was her English Garden. The tape cassette player clicking and pushing out tin can sounds of great, and not so great but popular, music. The Beatles Greatest Hits, Billie Holliday, the soundtrack for Miami Vice and AC/DC. It was the 1980’s and her world was mostly created, in this room. The walls were lined with stacks of magazines; Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Top Model, British Elle and the European Newspaper. Making art in London was a dream.

Fast forward to 2019, with nearly two decades working as a professional visual artist and a dozen years working full-time developing my artist voice as a painter, I am now looking forward to the next challenge and opportunity to ‘freshen-up’ my practice and perspective as a contemporary artist. As long as we are persistent in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continue to grow.

It has been said that there is a number when it comes to mastery, related to time spent practicing an activity, that number is 10,000 hours. In recent years this popularized rule of numbers, was clarified. Within that study, there was no magic number for greatness. 10,000 hours was not actually a number of hours reached, but an average of the time elites spent practicing. Some practiced for much less than 10,000 hours. Others for over 25,000 hours. Where the rule has been challenged, is in the quality of time spent, versus the quantity. Meaning, someone who was not genetically pre-disposed or exposed to a practice, such as painting, might not attain expert level ability just be practicing daily. The research found that there’s much more to mastering a skill than just months, even years, of practice. Genetics may play some role, but science is also giving us glimpses into what else we can do to learn more efficiently.

There are many things that make a master; hard work, persistence, patience, and an early introduction in life to the activity, in my case art. (painting, drawing and photography) Equally important skill acquisition, and particularly rapid skill acquisition. Exposure to mentors and learning that teaches advanced skills, short-cuts and new forms of creative problem-solving and reasoning. As long as I can remember I always sought out the elders in the room, because they were better at things than me, more experienced, and I wanted to learn.

My study in the arts began with my artist mother, with my eyes being opened with that first public school art teacher. This led to the study of fashion design, cinema, and time working in the motion picture arts. These experiences led to the fine arts with schooling in sculpture, graphic design, drawing, painting, and art history. These experiences found me obsessed with taking my drawing practice to the canvas and once I began painting, I never looked back, I was hooked. Photography came to play a role in my practice and complemented my time in the studio, while it also gave me an opportunity to break from my studio practice and explore the world, behind the lens.

I am a fan of shaking up my perspective, and challenging my practice of art and I am now preparing for a new opportunity for learning, in one of the world’s art centres.

In July and August his year I will be shaking up my practice and perspective while I make art at the Royal College of Art in London, United Kingdom as part of the Contemporary Art Summer School program. I will be making art where some of my favorite masters, walked before.

The Royal College of Art and its predecessor schools have numerous notable alumni in many fields. Alumni from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries include the sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, painters Frank Auerbach, David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Sir Peter Blake and Charles Tunnicliffe, artists Jake and Dinos Chapman, Tracey Emin and R. B. Kitaj, fashion designers Ossie Clark and Zandra Rhodes, industrial designers James Dyson and David Mellor, film directors Tony and Ridley Scott, designers Thomas Heatherwick and Sir David Adjaye, prominent member of the suffragette movement Sylvia Pankhurst, the musician Ian Dury and the actor Alan Rickman.

The world’s number one art and design university, the Royal College of Art. The only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the world. The RCA has three campuses, in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. The Darwin Building in Kensington Gore.

I will be making art, alongside a small group of international artists, on the Battersea campus. Battersea is a district of south west London, England, within the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located on the south bank of the River Thames.

Bringing my Canadian art voice to the country that is the birthplace of my paternal grandparents and ancestry. I will be making art and disrupting my perspective and art practice for the months of July and August. Looking forward to sharing this experience with you!

February 19, 2019

Figurative Art

Artist Process

Sharing The View – Figurative Art

When I am not in the studio, I am outside exploring with my Nikon camera. I have always enjoyed observing life, appreciating the details, and looking for the connections. One thing I have noticed over the years is how the immense beauty of our natural landscapes and events, do not go unappreciated. Whether at the base of a great Rocky Mountain in Banff, or sitting on a dock with a seaside view; nature’s marvelous events cause us to gather, stop, and take notice. They offer a backdrop to a special occasion and a place to return to for celebrations. Sometimes these grand backdrops are simply a place to pause, to gather our thoughts, to process our day, and even help find solutions. Whether you practice yoga, meditation or mindfulness; nature grounds us. It may be a place to enjoy a glass of vino and a good conversation, a place to fall in love, or enjoy that first coffee drink of the day with friends. No matter the reason for seeking a moment in nature, it is something that will always be there as a silent witness, no pressure, just awe-inspiring beauty. Figurative art of nature, these paintings celebrate sharing the view.

Here are three new paintings that speak to these moments of pause, in three distinct landscapes.

A Sunset Between Us – painting of sunset on BC Ferries Boat

Here Comes The Sunset – painting of sunset in Tofino harbour

Stare Time at Lake Louise – enjoying the view at Lake Louise

Canadian Artist Brandy Saturley in her studio

February 5, 2019

Making Art in Canada

Inspiration, NEWS

Making Art in Canada – Becoming the Voice of Canadian Pop Art, in 2018

Making Art in Canada in 2018 was exhilarating, here is a recap of all that happened during the year I became the Voice of Canadian Pop Art.

January – POP Canadianisms are born

New paintings, new work expressing a symbolic view on our landscapes and culture of the time. What began as #iconiccanuck in 2011, morphed into #Canadianisms in 2017, this year coming full circle, re-framing the idea of landscape painting in Canada. These are figurative landscapes, with vividly saturated palettes.

February – Takashi Murakami in Vancouver

Art & The City Trip: Travel for connecting to a worldwide art market continued with an opportunity to participate in the momentous Takashi Murakami visit and exhibition in Vancouver BC. While the Octopus may have eaten his own leg, I enjoyed hearing why from the mouth of the artist himself at SFU in Vancouver BC. The following days included the members opening and dinner of the International art exhibit presented by the Vancouver Art Gallery. A great way to begin the year, the learning never stops and this was one opportunity this year for continuing education.

March – University of New Brunswick

In March, I was contacted by the UNB requesting use of one of my images for their current project; Pioneer Lies and Propertied Lives: Cultures of Colonial Unknowing on Turtle Island. “Let Your Backbone Rise” painted in 2016, is featured on the project website.

April – Art Collector Homes

Sometimes the art on the walls helps sell the home, and sometimes they want the art thrown in! A collector of my work puts their custom dream home on the market in Cordova Bay, BC and we have the opportunity to peek inside and view the paintings on the walls. The house sold, they did not include the artwork, we shipped that out to their home in Edmonton, Alberta.

May – Collaborative Paintings Taking Shape

Formed at the end of 2017, The Mountain Forms Collective, named for Lawren Harris famous work, is in full creative flow. With two female Canadian painters, one from Victoria, BC and one in Calgary, AB. These paintings are a first in Canada, with two painters working together to paint Rocky Mountain Peaks onto the same canvas. As this project grows more news will follow, for now, here is a little peek at what is to come.

June – Move to a BIG studio & some Vimy Jamming

In June I bid adieu to a condo with an ocean view, my work now taking over the entire living space, it was time to find a larger space to continue my work as my career and the size of my work grows. I finished two portrait paintings for the People of Canada Portrait Project, both presented opportunities to connect with those who serve in military and civilian roles here in Canada. Vimy Jam went on to become one of my most popular paintings of 2018 as it garnered much attention and support across Canada and abroad.

July – Toronto Show & Cover Feature

In July my work, ‘BALANCE’ made it into the Society of Canadian Artists 50th Annual Juried International Art Exhibition. Taking place at Papermill Gallery in Toronto, this show featured the best of the best from across Canada and overseas. My painting also made the cover of the catalogue, which was published to the Library & Archives of Canada.

August – Maui Residency & Whitehot Magazine

Maui was on the docket for the whole month of August, as I continued to re-trace the steps of Georgia O’ Keeffe and find deep connection and inspiration in the landscapes, flora and fauna on the garden isle of Maui. While there I had the chance to discover many new art galleries and institutions including the stunning property at the Hui N’eau Arts Centre in Makawao. I also spent time getting to know photographer Michael Gilbert. Acting as Curator of Corporate Collections at the Waldorf Astoria and Director Napua Gallery, Gilbert originally hails from Toronto, Canada and splits his time between Maui and Paris, both as photographer for hire and as instructor. Other gallery visits included; Paia Art Projects and the many galleries on the Lahaina strip. In August I also found myself talking with Whitehot Magazine, NYC about my Pop Canadianisms and gaining notoriety as the voice of Canadian Pop Art.

September – On the Cover in the UK

In September my painting, ‘Let Your Backbone Rise’ graced the cover of Art Reveal Magazine UK, as I became the featured artist for the September issue. I became a supporting patron of the Canadian art cataloguing service developed by Ryan Mayberry, of Mayberry Fine Art, called ArtMoi. This revolutionary cataloguing service is helping to record the provenance of artworks around the globe through a unique identifier, much like an ISBN number issued by libraries. This year’s commissioned work began as I started in on a large diptych for a client in Victoria for his home in Palm Springs.

October – Art Toronto & The Falls

Art Toronto: founded in 2000, Art Toronto is Canada’s international contemporary and modern art fair, and this year was my second time attending the fair. Highlights included works by; James Lahey, Ivan Eyre, Katherine Boyer and Jason McLean. After the fair I took a road trip to ‘The Falls’, Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. It was my first time visiting the falls and it is one of the world’s natural wonders and must be experienced by all. Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York. They form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge. During peak daytime tourist hours, more than 168,000 m³ (six million cubic feet) of water goes over the crest of the falls every minute. Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as measured by flow rate.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpc2Vp8DMCW/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpfoDmFD_8J/

November – Art in Vancouver

My mission in November was three-fold; visit my art crate maker, take in the remarkable opening of Guo Pei at the Vancouver Art Gallery and explore some new landscapes and viewpoints in greater Vancouver. With every trip comes new opportunities for learning and sharing, further inspiring the direction of my work. These trips are a continuing education and an opportunity to connect with others in the industry.

December – Another Magazine and a Charity

My annual self-published magazine is mailed out every December as a thank you to clients who have collected my work over the years. This year the title for the new magazine is #POPCANADIANISMS and offers collectors a look at new work as well as a review of favourite paintings from the past decade. This year my charities of choice included CARFAC Alberta, Nature Canada and BC Children’s Hospital. A favourite painting from the past of a child nose to nose with a polar bear graced the face of thousands of Christmas cards in Vancouver and across Canada, with proceeds going to support the invaluable programming and services of this remarkable organization in Vancouver.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq8QeBkD-FA/

And finally, your favourite nine on Instagram in 2018!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Br_pFasjp8H/

That’s a wrap! Wishing you a healthy, prosperous and art-filled 2019.

Cheers ~Brandy Saturley

December 31, 2018

10 Paintings to Collect

Buying Art

10 Paintings to Collect from the past 5 years.

I love painting. I have loved painting every since I was properly introduced to the medium at art college over 20 years ago now. I used to draw portraits in black in white, graphite and pencil, I used to live in a world that was void of colour. Drawing is an important medium to learn the basics of composition, form and light. Drawing is considered the foundation for becoming a great painter. Then I squeezed vivid magenta from a paint tube, it’s glossiness grabbing the light and reflecting it back to me in 3D, I was in love and I found my new drug. For me painting is the language of passion, love and happiness and my signature as a painter became my bold use of vivid colour. When I think about 10 paintings to collect, I have trouble nailing things down to just ten.

As the creator of the paintings, I have a love/hate relationship with the work and perhaps this is because I remember all the ups and downs of the painting. As with any great painting, there must be struggle, and struggle births solutions. Without rain, flowers do not grow and without that internal struggle, the artwork cannot evolve. I find that the paintings which become my favourite, are rarely the favourite of the viewer, as their only relationship with the piece is the end result, and my relationship with the work happens during the process. I recall every stroke and every challenge we went through, in order to create the final work seen by the art lover.

This holiday season I have decided to select 10 artworks from the past five years, that I truly love, that continue to be favourites. (not including sold works) These are works that I feel define my identity as a painter and my signature as a Canadian artist. These are paintings I love, as they are more than ‘pretty pictures’, they tell stories and engage viewers. There is something that everyone can connect to in these paintings, and they offer a respite from other forms of entertainment. Much like a good book or a great film, these paintings go deep and offer much in return. “Talking pieces for your guests, your clients and your loved ones. Enjoy these ten paintings, and remember to click through on the links provided to see the paintings in larger detail and more vivid colour.

Canadian Karaoke

30″ x 24″ – acrylic on canvas – 2018

Current Price and view larger

BALANCE

48″ x 36″ – acrylic on canvas – 2017

Current Price and view larger

Raised In The Sky

48″ x 36″ – acrylic on canvas – 2017

Current Price and view larger

West Coast View

48″ x 36″ – acrylic on canvas – 2017

Current Price and view larger

YIN Rising

48″ x 36″ – acrylic on canvas – 2017

Current Price and view larger

A Landscape To Go

36″ x 36″ – acrylic on wood – 2017

Current Price and view larger

Remember Us

36″ x 36″ – acrylic on canvas – 2014

Current Price and view larger

Complimentary Canoes

24″ x 48″ – acrylic on canvas – 2016

Current Price and view larger

We Can Fit in My Canoe

24″ x 48″ – acrylic on canvas – 2016

Current Price and view larger

Leaf In Repose

24″ x 24″ – acrylic on canvas – 2016

Current Price and view larger

Delivering now until December 15th, purchase before the next price increase in January 2019. Questions? Contact the artist: art@www.brandysaturley.com

November 30, 2018

10 Remembrance Day Paintings

Remembrance Day Art

10 Remembrance Day Paintings: Honouring Canada’s Role in the Wars

Every year on November 11th a somber mood blankets Canada, as a Canadian artist this national day of Remembrance has bled into my artwork. Some Canadian artists’ express their thoughts through poetry, music and even film. My chosen mediums are painting and photography and I have used these mediums to honour the day in many different ways. When thinking about 10 Remembrance Day paintings, I think of world history.

When I was younger my first encounter with ‘Canadian wartime art’ was through the eyes of painter Alex Colville. A celebrated Canadian painter, illustrator and lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy, Colville’s work from the fields of war and beyond, touched my soul and captured my attention. In fact, he was the first Canadian artist to which I could relate at the age of 12, perhaps this was because I came from a family, like many of my generation in Canada, that had grandparents and even parents active in Canada’s military. His paintings appeared ‘simplistic’ and ‘designed’ these paintings edited out what was necessary and focused on a central ‘tone’ thorough muted palettes. At closer look, his technique was incredibly detailed and rigorous, not unlike that of regimented life in the military.

Say a Little Prayer – painting of Remembrance Day poppy on jean jacket lapel, 2024, Brandy Saturley

Over the years I have come to express my thoughts on Remembrance Day, influenced by the poetry of Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, with his iconic poem, “In Flanders Fields”. A poem heard annually on November 11th, since the day I was born. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres. According to legend, fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae, initially dissatisfied with his work, discarded it. “In Flanders Fields” was first published on December 8 of that year in the London magazine Punch.

So much art created out of war, and we are thankful for all the expressions, giving us a unique window into the souls of the artists who experienced it first-hand and perhaps into the souls and minds of those on the battlefields. Many of these great works cataloged in the Canadian War Museum, a journey into the past, one that we hope not to repeat in the future.

Remembrance Day, was first marked in Canada on Nov. 11, 1919. That date marked the one-year anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the First World War. This Sunday marks the 100-year anniversary of the end of the war.

To celebrate the 100-yr celebrations of Remembrance Day, and that crimson red poppy which signifies the day and honours those who have served and are serving in the Canadian Military. Remembrance Day Art created between 2011-2018 honouring ‘Poppy Day’ and our Canadian military.

Spirit of Remembrance – I’ll carry that weight…a vivid and dynamic modern painting capturing my feelings about Remembrance Day in Canada.

Remember Us – a symbolic painting honoring the Canadian Women’s Army Corps and their roles in the military

Poppies For Louise – a symbolic painting with Canadian flag imposed on the horizon and red poppies in the foreground, symbolizing remembrance and freedom

Golden Ram – a somber landscape painting with Big Horn sheep and red poppies against the Rocky Mountains of Golden, BC

Freedom Canoe With Poppies – Freedom canoe is a green canoe filled with red poppies referencing Remembrance Day in Canada.

THE 100 POPPIES PROJECT – Photography from 2017 Remembrance Day project which honoured the 100th anniversary of Vimy, in which a donation was made to the the Veterans in exchange for 100 poppies as photographed in the project

The People of Canada Portrait Project – a crowd-sourcing portrait project between myself and Canadians across the country, in which Canadians send in photos and I paint their portrait and a background based on my interview with the subjects. Currently 20 portraits have been completed, as we head into Remembrance Day 2022. Below are portraits, ‘Vimy Jam‘ honouring a meeting at the 100th anniversary Vimy celebrations in Vimy France.

There we are, 10 artworks for Remembrance Day – some painted on canvas and some photographic. On this Remembrance Day my hope is that we continue to come together as we work towards tearing down borders on a course to becoming one world. Honoring the past, on a course set for the future.

See more paintings with red poppies here.

November 8, 2018