Newest Batik... an aspirational subject!!
With all the traveling we are missing, it's hard not to look at images from other people's travels and not add to your bucket list. We've been to North Africa, Morocco to be precise, and absolutely loved it. Some day we'll go back... but not the Africa of amazing savanna animals and wide golden grasslands! My parents, however, have been there several times and have stunning photographs to tell of it! As much as I'm drawn to their images, I've always avoided painting them because "I" hadn't been there. But recently I decided to branch out, do something really different, and this wonderful feline was the result! This leopardess was photographed by my father in Tanzania, along with several other cats which may appear on this website some day!
"Let Sleeping Cats Lie - Tanzania"
18" x 28.5"
$1662 (unframed)
photograph by my Dad (Bob Olafson)
18" x 28.5"
$1662 (unframed)
photograph by my Dad (Bob Olafson)
Upcoming July show... hopefully!
After an uncertain, worrisome, looooong year, we can finally see a possible end to this hideous pandemic!! With that in mind, we are hoping for a relatively "typical" summer and I am excited to be teaming up with friend and local painter, Wayne Peterson, to host a show July 9 to 15!! ASSUMING COVID numbers decline and the gallery can open (right now there is no plan for opening), we foresee this upcoming event will be like a breath of fresh air, reinvigorating our creative energy, resulting in a wonderful show. Once again, Sidney BC's charming, seaside ArtSea Gallery will be the venue, but our pairing is new!
Wayne (https://www.waynepetersonart.com/), a long time friend, has worked with acrylics and oils all his life, but only recently full time, and has exhibited at the Sooke Fine Arts Show as well as the Sidney Fine Art Show. Like me, his subjects range considerably, from landscape and wildlife to still life and portraits, so the show should be eclectic with something for everyone!
As with my last show, the batik subject matter will be a combination of local Westcoast work as well as international images from past trips ... a result of yearning for travel during COVID! I will also have a VERY small selection of Giclées, having lost my printer! As wax comes off the batiks, I will post a teaser of small format images below. What you see is a collection of the pieces to be exhibited; there may be some pre-sales and, at this point, one is part of my collection. More detail on each can be found in the Batik Gallery drop down above.
Wayne (https://www.waynepetersonart.com/), a long time friend, has worked with acrylics and oils all his life, but only recently full time, and has exhibited at the Sooke Fine Arts Show as well as the Sidney Fine Art Show. Like me, his subjects range considerably, from landscape and wildlife to still life and portraits, so the show should be eclectic with something for everyone!
As with my last show, the batik subject matter will be a combination of local Westcoast work as well as international images from past trips ... a result of yearning for travel during COVID! I will also have a VERY small selection of Giclées, having lost my printer! As wax comes off the batiks, I will post a teaser of small format images below. What you see is a collection of the pieces to be exhibited; there may be some pre-sales and, at this point, one is part of my collection. More detail on each can be found in the Batik Gallery drop down above.
Flattering quotes from my Patrons!
"To me the true test of art is the ones that draw you in and keep you coming back for a more discerning look. . ." Chris
". . . and if I did not make it very clear, I think your work is transcendent. Very very wondrous and I hope to see you again someday. You are not only gifted, you are a gift to all!" James
"Without a doubt, the Rug Merchant is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever seen" Pat
"Your paintings are a love letter to the Universe!" Unknown gentleman
. . . just sitting in the Living Room with a glass of wine and enjoying looking at [our batik]. We so love it! It makes me think & feel summer! I would very much like to scramble across those rocks and lay out at the far end near the water in the sunshine for awhile like a seal! Then have a picnic under the Garry Oak in the shadows!" Bob
"I admired your paintings at the Sidney Fine Arts Show. They are beautiful in colour, detail and light." Gisele
"To me the true test of art is the ones that draw you in and keep you coming back for a more discerning look. . ." Chris
". . . and if I did not make it very clear, I think your work is transcendent. Very very wondrous and I hope to see you again someday. You are not only gifted, you are a gift to all!" James
"Without a doubt, the Rug Merchant is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever seen" Pat
"Your paintings are a love letter to the Universe!" Unknown gentleman
. . . just sitting in the Living Room with a glass of wine and enjoying looking at [our batik]. We so love it! It makes me think & feel summer! I would very much like to scramble across those rocks and lay out at the far end near the water in the sunshine for awhile like a seal! Then have a picnic under the Garry Oak in the shadows!" Bob
"I admired your paintings at the Sidney Fine Arts Show. They are beautiful in colour, detail and light." Gisele
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
After years of expressing other people's ideas through murals, I was eager to create artwork that was uniquely my own - this culminated in painting batiks. Manipulation and fusion of wax, water and dye on fabric pushes me outside my comfort zone of crisp reality, restraining the complete control that I'm so accustomed to. Having worked with the medium for over 6 years, I still feel like I'm dancing with the devil as my dye-laden brush lingers above the wet cotton. Unlike any other medium I've worked with, painting a batik requires continuous forethought and focus throughout the creation - my mind can't wander. The fluid technique of batik allows me to create uniquely organic paintings particularly suited to the interplay of light and shadow, smooth gradations of colour and reflections on water. Batik has become an endless creative challenge for me and I love to test myself to see how far I can take it.
After years of expressing other people's ideas through murals, I was eager to create artwork that was uniquely my own - this culminated in painting batiks. Manipulation and fusion of wax, water and dye on fabric pushes me outside my comfort zone of crisp reality, restraining the complete control that I'm so accustomed to. Having worked with the medium for over 6 years, I still feel like I'm dancing with the devil as my dye-laden brush lingers above the wet cotton. Unlike any other medium I've worked with, painting a batik requires continuous forethought and focus throughout the creation - my mind can't wander. The fluid technique of batik allows me to create uniquely organic paintings particularly suited to the interplay of light and shadow, smooth gradations of colour and reflections on water. Batik has become an endless creative challenge for me and I love to test myself to see how far I can take it.
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