This Painting Won an Award in the H20 Exhibition

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Underwater art ii by Deb Chaney (12” x 9”)

I’m thrilled to announce that my artwork won the Bronze Award in a juried exhibition by J. Mane Gallery. This was such a wonderful message to see when opening my email:

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that your entry, Underwater Art ii has won a Bronze award in our 2024 H2O Online Art Exhibition at J. Mane Gallery. 

J. Mane Gallery

About the H2O Online Art Exhibition

“Water is one of the most important elements for sustaining human life.  We live on a water planet. It surrounds us, and we cannot live without it.”

These are the words from the gallery’s exhibition page, following a quote from Van Gogh.

"The heart of a man is much like the sea.  It has it's storms, it has it's tides and in it's depths it has it's pearls too."

Vincent van Gogh

The J. Mane Gallery’s water-themed 2024 H2O online art exhibition encouraged artists “to share their artistic vision and interpretation of abstract art.”

All 5 of my abstract paintings featured in the exhibit are in the gallery below.

In recognition of the other artists

I love that J. Mane Gallery is all about artists helping artists and I would like to share the other talented people who participated in this exhibition. 

Congratulations to all of these other incredible artists!

A bit more about J. Mane Gallery

Award-winning fine art photographer Jessica Kimmel Manelis launched the J. Mane Gallery after continued dissatisfaction with how gallery websites displayed her artwork.

The online gallery promotes the artwork of both emerging and experienced artists with a visually stunning website. The goal is to connect them with art buyers, enthusiasts, and fellow artists.

The gallery hosts monthly themed competitions and exhibitions to help artists gain exposure worldwide. You can read more about J. Mane Gallery here.

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

I had 5 abstract paintings exhibited in this online show. You can buy my award-winning artwork and the other 4 pieces online at Saatchi Art here:

Reproduction prints on Saatchi Art are available in 3 formats:

Fine Art Paper

310 GSM, 100% cotton linters, archival quality, natural white finish with a slightly structured, soft-textured surface.

Metal

Specialized inks infused into specially coated, thin, high gloss aluminum sheets. Exhibit mounted on 2mm black Styrene and finished with a black Metal Inset Frame.

Canvas

Museum grade, matte textured (20.5 mil), bright white, poly-cotton blend with no additives and no agents.

My Abstract Artwork was Featured in Artistonish Magazine

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Re-Claiming i of ii by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

Last summer my contemporary abstract artwork was featured in Edition #35 of Artistonish magazine. The painting was featured in the June 2023 issue is Re-Claiming i of ii. 

About Artistonish Magazine

Artistonish is a contemporary art magazine that focuses on telling the compelling story of significant arts created by brilliant artists from all around the world.

It has both digital and print versions of its issues, reaching art lovers in over 120 countries.

You can view the online version of the issue here or order the print version here.

Re-Claming i of ii by Deb Chaney in the Artistonish Digital Edition

About the painting

The colour palette of this abstract artwork is primarily an uplifting, bright yellow over white, with watery brushstrokes of black. The mixed media artwork is acrylic, water soluble pencil, gesso, and sand on paper.

This painting captures the energy of our third chakra, which is the energy centre about owning our personal power. The affirmation for this region of our body surrounding our naval is “I am powerful”. 

The painting is called Re-Claiming because I painted this while working a day job in the paint department at our local hardware store. When my 3-day workweek ended, I would rest, and then find myself consciously re-claiming my creative practice and getting back into the studio.

This painting is in support of you re-claiming your own creative flow.

I wrote about its companion piece, Re-Claiming ii of ii, in a blog post last May.

About my Little Gem Series

This painting is part of my Little Gems Series of pieces that I create while practicing techniques, teaching art lessons, and for my own fun and creative exploration. I use them to hone my skills and to explore new techniques and ideas. 

Each painting in the series is bursting with the joy, love, and passion I feel in the studio. And all that energy and positivity is infused in every piece of artwork – which becomes my gift to you!

You can see more abstract paintings in the series here at Saatchi Art.

Other Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

You can purchase the original as well as high-quality prints of Re-Claiming i of ii online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Re-Claiming-I-of-II/499285/10117023/view 

Reproduction prints on Saatchi Art are available in 3 formats:

Fine Art Paper

310 GSM, 100% cotton linters, archival quality, natural white finish with a slightly structured, soft-textured surface.

Metal

Specialized inks infused into specially coated, thin, high gloss aluminum sheets. Exhibit mounted on 2mm black Styrene and finished with a black Metal Inset Frame.

Canvas

Museum grade, matte textured (20.5 mil), bright white, poly-cotton blend with no additives or agents.

Painting Series Inspired By Our Underwater World

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New Art ii by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

Painting Series Inspired By the Underwater World

I was looking back on this small series of paintings I did last year and came to the realization that they were inspired by a couple of things – and both have to do with our incredible oceans and the fascinating world beneath the surface. I experienced 2 ocean-related events in the last few months of 2021, which I’ll get to below.

The Incredible Power of Cold Water Swimming

I feel that my first source of inspiration can be attributed to my friend and fellow artist, Susan Grieg, who I mentioned in a recent blog post last month. She’s the founder of Braid St Studios – which is how we first met – but she’s since become a great friend.

Susan sent me a video of her friend and her cold water swimming during the winter. Real winter – as in November through January – not “almost spring” winter. And they weren’t simply doing a one-time Polar Bear Dip (which is a popular New Year's Day tradition in British Columbia). Susan and her friend go for an icy swim 1 to 3 times a week.

Curious and inspired, I hopped online to search for things like the benefits of cold-water swimming. And to my surprise (or not), I found out how good swimming in cold water is for your health. So, I said to myself – Okay, I’m going to go out and do it.

The next day, still committed to the task, I went for my morning walk and took my bathing suit with me. And I simply started. I was literally dunking myself in the ocean. And during the winter, it was cold(!) and it required a lot of courage to get in the water. But I did. And I would stay in the water, counting out loud, teeth chattering, for 60 long seconds.

But when I got out of the water, I would have this incredible, full-body buzz, and I felt so good afterwards. It was like all of my body heat was rushing to the surface of my skin, leaving me incredibly invigorated. I would feel so motivated and would have such a positive, productive day, that I just continued doing it.

These Little Gems were painted after I started the cold-water swimming, and I feel like this activity is reflected in their aesthetic. If you open your eyes while swimming underwater, these paintings are similar to what you might see.

Inspired By My Octopus Teacher

While octopuses are abundant in the waters off Gabriola and its surrounding islands, I did not encounter one during my cold water swims. The section heading is referring to My Octopus Teacher, a 2020 Netflix film that won the Oscar for Best Documentary last year, in addition to numerous other awards.

The film follows a man named Craig Foster as he begins a routine of cold water swimming every day off the coast of South Africa. Over time, he gets to know the local marine life and comes to develop a friendship – and bond – with a curious octopus. Watching the film, you can’t help but fall in love with the beauty and wonder of the underwater world.

I feel that this film and my own cold water swimming routine are the 2 main inspirations for this small series of paintings.

A Series Within a Series

These 5 paintings are part of my Little Gems Series of paintings, which I’ve mentioned in earlier posts (about other Gems, like Silent Sky and Rocky Mountain). They’re “practice pieces” that I use both as a way to explore new ideas and techniques as well as rehearse old ones. Each painting is unique in its own way and some of them grow beyond being practice pieces to become actual works of art.

Most of my Little Gems measure 9” x 12”, and all of the paintings in this “underwater” series follow that custom. There are 5 paintings in total, and four of them are acrylic on paper while one of them is ink on paper. All of the originals (and their prints) are available for purchase on Saatchi Art, which you can find at the following links:

Similar Original Artwork and Prints for Sale

In addition to the underwater series, you can browse through my collection on Saatchi Art’s online gallery.

Saatchi Art offers multiple options to suit your personal tastes or needs. Prints can be on paper or canvas and are usually available in 4 sizes – to better fit your room. So, even though the original New Art ii Painting is 9” x 12”, your print can be the same size as the original or bigger – at sizes of 15” x 20”, 24” x 32”, or 30” x 40”. You have the further option to have it framed in white, black, or natural wood.

The “View In A Room” image on Saatchi Art should give you an idea of its size and let you see what it looks like on a wall.