New Original Artwork "Yearning Warmth and Light"

Yearning Warmth and Light by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to announce and celebrate finishing a new abstract painting. Yearning Warmth and Light has recently become available for sale on Saatchi Art. You can currently still purchase the original painting or choose to order high-quality prints in a variety of sizes.

About This Painting

This is the second of the 3 spiritually-inspired paintings that I mentioned in last week’s post. recently created. The newly created small paintings are the result of my trying to figure out how to go about creating my new large-scale Drishti Painting Series. These small practice pieces have helped me work out how to integrate sacred geometry marks using textures and layers.

Whereas the first painting last week, Turn the Lights On, was a canvas full of vivid pinks, Yearning Warmth and Light is a verdurous palette of greens and blues. Viridescent layers of olive, emerald, and lime greens combine with aquamarine, light blues, and splashes of white.

Textured sacred geometry is repeated up and down and across the canvas with stencils of the Flower of Life, creating movement and depth, as though the canvas itself has been cut away.

The choice of gentle greens and blues is intended to create a sense of calm and be a nourishing, grounding influence.

This contemporary mixed-media painting is part of my Little Gems Series.

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

You can buy the original painting of Yearning Warmth and Light online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Yearning-Warmth-and-Light/499285/10417065/view

You can buy high-quality prints of Yearning Warmth and Light online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Yearning-Warmth-and-Light/499285/10417065/view

More paintings in my Little Gems Series can be found here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-works-on-paper-and-loose-canvas/499285/160111/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 and no agents.

New Original Artwork “Turn The Lights On”

Turn The Lights On by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate the completion of a new abstract artwork. Turn The Lights On is now available for sale on Saatchi Art. You can currently buy the original painting or high-quality prints in a variety of sizes.

About This Painting

Fresh out of the studio, this is one of 3 new spiritually inspired artworks that I recently created. The small paintings were inspired by the process of figuring out how to create my new large-scale Drishti Painting Series. I have been using these small practice pieces to work out the integration of sacred geometry marks using textures and layers.

A gamut of vivid pinks, including magenta, rose, and salmon, are spotted with dimples of yellow and gold, while textured layers of sacred geometry create mesmerizing depths to lead your eye around the canvas.

Concentric circles and stencils of the Flower of Life are repeated across the canvas on multiple layers, floating above light yellows, blues, and whites far in the background.

The bright pinks are uplifting and exuberant in creating this loving, heartfelt piece of art. This contemporary mixed media painting is part of my Little Gems Series.

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

The painting is also available as originals, prints, and for licensing for your design and/or TV Film set production projects. Please contact me directly for licensing inquiries at info(at)debchaney(dot)com.

You can buy the original painting of Turn The Lights On online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Turn-The-Lights-On/499285/10417021/view

You can buy high-quality prints of Turn The Lights On online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Turn-The-Lights-On/499285/10417021/view

More paintings in my Little Gems Series can be found here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-works-on-paper-and-loose-canvas/499285/160111/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 and no agents.

New Original Artwork "He Sailed to Platea"

He Sailed to Platea by Deb Chaney (11'“ x 15”)

This post is to celebrate the availability of my abstract painting now available for sale. You can buy both the original painting and high-quality prints (in various sizes) online through Saatchi Art. In a recent post, I mentioned that I had just found some paintings of mine from 2019 that had not been catalogued. He Sailed to Platea is one of the artworks that was among those paintings.

When I came upon the 3 paintings, I immediately set about photographing them for the website in order to make them available to share with you. This is the final painting in the trio and, like the two before it, He Sailed to Platea can now be seen for the first time since its creation 4 years ago!

These newly found abstract artworks are now all officially part of my Little Gems Series.

About This Painting

My Little Gems Series is an ongoing collection of paintings that start out as practice pieces. I use them to try out new ideas and techniques as well as to practice old ones. The passion and enthusiasm and love for art that I feel in the studio is expressed in every piece I create. And all of this energy is passed on through the canvas as my gift to you.

He Sailed to Platea is a mixed media collage painting measuring 11” x 15”. That makes it a little bigger than my other Little Gems, which are typically 9” x 12”. Like the other 2 pieces of art in this newly found trio of paintings, its inspiration comes from the collaging of old books and the beautiful tissue paper of dressmaking.

Sharing the same colour palette with the first 2 paintings, He Sailed to Platea is composed of yellow and ochre, many shades of grey, and a striking line of turquoise that evokes a river. The earth tones, bright blues, and hints of organic elements further create a connection to the natural world.

A dynamic arrangement of geometric shapes, lines, and pencil strokes evokes a sense of movement and energy that emanates throughout the entire piece. And typed pages torn from old books are collaged with layers of acrylic paint, charcoal, gesso, and pastels. Like ancient texts, the pages are aged with yellows and browns, inviting us to explore the past.

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

You can buy the original painting of He Sailed to Platea online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-He-Sailed-To-Platea/499285/10399995/view

You can buy high-quality prints of He Sailed to Platea online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-He-Sailed-To-Platea/499285/10399995/view

More paintings in my Little Gems Series can be found here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-works-on-paper-and-loose-canvas/499285/160111/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 and no agents.

New Original Artwork “One of The Originals”

One of the Originals by Deb Chaney (11” x 15”)

This post is to celebrate a piece of my original artwork becoming newly available along with high-quality prints. I recently discovered One of The Originals along with some other prints that I painted back in 2019. They are part of my Little Gems collection but had yet to be documented. So, after photographing them, I’m excited to share them with you. This is the first of 3 paintings, which can now be seen for the first time since its creation!

About This Painting

As mentioned, this painting is part of my perennial Little Gems Series. These small paintings are my practice pieces which I use to explore and test new techniques and ideas, while also honing and practicing old ones. Every painting is infused with the joy, love, and passion I feel in the studio when creating art. And that energy is imbued into the painting – my gift to you!

Measuring 11” x 15”, this mixed media painting is a little bit bigger than the typical 9” x 12” size of most of my Little Gems. It is inspired by the process of collaging old books and the beautiful tissue paper used in dressmaking.

Collaged pages of old books mingle with rich layers of acrylic paint, charcoal, gesso, and pastel to create a visually dynamic surface that invites expiration and contemplation. Distressed surfaces alongside striking marks and scratches juxtapose more curious and playful looping pencil strokes and circles.

The book pages are aged with yellow and ochre paints to create a sense of antiquity, while other colours include splashes of vibrant turquoise, patches of black, and a lot of grey and white.

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

You can buy the original painting of One of The Originals online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-One-of-The-Originals/499285/10399923/view

You can buy high-quality prints of One of The Originals online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-One-of-The-Originals/499285/10399923/view

More paintings in my Little Gems Series can be found here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-works-on-paper-and-loose-canvas/499285/160111/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 and no agents.

The Universe is Your Sanctuary i

The Universe is Your Sanctuary i by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate my newly completed original artwork, The Universe is Your Sanctuary i. The original painting is available for purchase online through Saatchi Art. High-quality prints are also available for your collection.

About This Painting

This painting is the first in a series of 3 paintings that are part of my larger series, known as my Little Gems Series. These paintings are my practice pieces, small artworks that I use to explore new methods and ideas and practice old ones.

Each piece of artwork that becomes a Little Gem is infused with the joy, love, and passion I feel in the studio. That energy is imbued into the painting and is my gift to you, the collector!

The 9” x 12” painting is acrylic on loose canvas.

At first glance, it’s like looking into deep space through the Hubble telescope, as the painting exudes a sense of cosmic energy and celestial wonder. Sacred geometry intermingles with stars against a striking black-and-white composition layered with splashes of rich blues, teals, and magenta, conjuring the depths of the universe. Together the colours create a harmonious symphony of tones to evoke a sense of serenity and tranquility.

Evoking the vastness of the universe, the abstract artwork invites contemplation and introspection. It would particularly make a great addition to any room where you’re looking to ignite your imagination.

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

You can buy the original painting of The Universe is Your Sanctuary i online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-The-Universe-is-Your-Sanctuary-i/499285/10303801/view

You can buy high-quality prints of The Universe is Your Sanctuary i online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-The-Universe-is-Your-Sanctuary-i/499285/10303801/view

You can see more small paintings in the Little Gems Series here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-works-on-paper-and-loose-canvas/499285/160111/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 and no agents.

New Original Artwork “Let It Be Easy”

Let It Be Easy by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This is a post to celebrate the completion of my new original artwork, Let It Be Easy. The new original painting is available for purchase along with high-quality prints.

About This Painting

The painting is part of my Little Gems Series, which begin as my practice pieces. They are small studies for exploring new ideas and techniques as well as practicing old ones. They are infused with the joy, love, and passion I feel in the studio, and that energy is imbued into the painting – my gift to you!

This acrylic-on-paper painting is a harmonious blend of blues, greens, and turquoise, with sacred geometric shapes and the Flower of Life stenciled across layers of the artwork. It exudes emotion with a sense of healing and truth reinforced by its spiritual flow and energy.

The many layers create a richly textured surface that adds depth and visual interest to the piece, while expressive brushstrokes and gestural marks contribute to its overall sense of freedom and fluidity.

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

You can buy the original painting of Let It Be Easy online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Let-It-Be-Easy/499285/10303535/view

You can buy high-quality prints of Let It Be Easy online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Let-It-Be-Easy/499285/10303535/view

Reproductions 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.

New Original Artwork: Becoming I of II

Becoming i of ii by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate the completion of my new original abstract painting titled Becoming I of II

About This Painting

Throughout the creative process, while painting this abstract artwork, I contemplated my journey of becoming an artist. I reflected on how it all began and remembered the sense of flow and fun that I experienced each step of the way.

Years ago, when I was living in California, I took part in the Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show along the waterfront. One of the very first paintings I completed was called Nouveau Monde, and I actually sold it quite quickly after I painted it. It really made me feel like I was truly becoming the artist I wanted to be.

Prints of the Nouveau Monde are available for purchase online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Nouveau-Monde-ii-of-ii/499285/4079403/view

The pink-gold colours in Becoming I of II are reminiscent of that earlier painting, as are the simplicity of composition and thin horizontal lines dragging lazily across the canvas. It resembles an aerial view of the ocean and the beach. Its calm, subtle energy has a delicateness to it, which is something we feel when we are beginning a new experience or chapter in our lives.

This mixed-media-on-paper painting measures 9” x 12” and is part of my Little Gems Series paintings.

You can buy the original painting online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Becoming-I-of-II/499285/10134823/view 

You can buy high-quality prints online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Becoming-I-of-II/499285/10134823/view 

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

This painting’s image is available in a high-resolution digital format for licensing for your interior design projects, TV and Film Sets, or personal art needs and print projects. Please contact the artist directly via email at info@debchaney.com for licensing agreement and costs.

New Original Artwork: The Matrix

The Matrix by Deb Chaney (16” x 16”)

This post is to celebrate the completion of a new original artwork called The Matrix. Both the original artwork and prints are available for purchase.

About This Painting

This painting was inspired by the opening credits of the movie The Matrix, in which bright, neon green computer code rains down the screen. Letters and numbers continue to fall from the “computer sky”, and this effect inspired the alphanumeric-like marks on this painting.

Blue is the dominant colour in this painting – with hues like sky blue, azure, cerulean, cyan, and indigo – where it is the colour of both the sky and the sea. The painting is integrated with layers of bright gray and iridescent, lustrous silver, with hints of purples like indigo amethyst.

The square painting has a vertical composition, and words are written sideways in black with gestures and cursive text that flows up the canvas. The overall geometric patterns are reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphs in contrast to the more modern cursive text.

You can buy the original painting online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-The-Matrix/499285/10135271/view 

You can buy high-quality prints online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-The-Matrix/499285/10135271/view 

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

This painting’s image is available in a high-resolution digital format for licensing for your interior design projects, TV and Film Sets, or personal art needs and print projects. Please contact the artist directly via email at info@debchaney.com for licensing agreement and costs.

New Original Artwork: Love Letter to Myself

Love Letter to Myself by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate a new original artwork called Love Letter to Myself becoming available for purchase. Its prints are also now available to order online.

About This Painting

This painting was inspired by the cultivation of self-love. I started by typing a love letter to myself and printing it out on very large paper. I then collaged and integrated the printed text with handwritten and painted words in multiple layers of the painting. It was created for and during an online workshop I conducted during the pandemic called “Mastering Mixed Media Abstract Painting”. More details on the process of creating this painting can be found in my previous blog post.

This painting has 2 main colours — ultramarine violet and yellow iron oxide. With hues such as lavender and periwinkle, light purple is the dominant colour. Spiritually, purple is associated with the crown shakra, which is the energy centre of the top of the body. The colour is associated with a sense of belonging and connection, and the knowledge that we are all divine.

Light yellow supports the purples with shades of amber and gold, while text, both typed and handwritten, is embedded within layers of the painting.

You can buy the original painting of Love Letter to Myself through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Love-Letter-to-Myself/499285/10015165/view

You can buy prints of Love Letter to Myself through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Love-Letter-to-Myself/499285/10015165/view 

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

This painting’s image is available in a high-resolution digital format for licensing for your interior design projects, TV and Film Sets, or personal art needs and print projects. Please contact the artist directly via email at info@debchaney.com for licensing agreement and costs.

New Original Artwork: Ho'Oponopono - Sepia

Ho'Oponopono - Sepia by Deb Chaney (30” x 40”)

This post is to celebrate and announce a recently completed new abstract painting, Ho'Oponopono - Sepia.

About This Painting

This painting was inspired by the story and power of Ho'oponopono, the Hawaiian shamanic prayer of reconciliation and forgiveness.

I was introduced to the book Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace, and More by Joe Vitale and Ihaleakala Hew Len in 2019. The book recounts the extraordinary true story of Hew Len’s healing work at a prison for the criminally insane, and how he transformed and healed the prisoners through using this prayer.

I was approached by a heart-centered craniosacral healer in Vancouver, BC who asked me to paint a deeply textured painting inspired by this prayer and its Hawaiian origins. I created 3 paintings for her to choose from, and the prayer – I'm sorry, please forgive me, I love you, thank you – is creatively integrated into them in a variety of ways. Two of the paintings now remain and are available to add to your own art collection: Ho'Oponopono - Blue and Ho'Oponopono - Sepia.

This painting possesses a grounding, earthy ambiance full of browns, umbers, and earth tones. These colours were applied with textured layers of ink, gels, and paper. Looking closely, you can see the prayer words of Ho’oponopono in the background, repeated over and over in typeface. The words are also etched into the paint and written in pencil and ink, in both cursive and stenciled block letters. Finally, the semblance of a tree form connects all of the words together.

There is a second Ho'oponopono - Sepia original painting that follows the same inspiration, and it is also available for your collection.

You can buy the original painting of Ho'Oponopono - Sepia through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Ho-Oponopono-Sepia/499285/10015107/view 

You can buy a print of Ho'Oponopono - Sepia through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Ho-Oponopono-Sepia/499285/10015107/view 

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

This painting’s image is available in a high-resolution digital format for licensing for your interior design projects, TV and Film Sets, or personal art needs and print projects. Please contact the artist directly via email at info@debchaney.com for licensing agreement and costs.

New Original Artwork: Ho'Oponopono - Blue

Ho'Oponopono - Blue by Deb Chaney (30” X 40”)

This post is to celebrate and announce a recently completed new abstract painting.

About This Painting

This painting was inspired by the story and power of Ho'oponopono, the Hawaiian shamanic prayer of reconciliation and forgiveness.

In 2019, I was introduced to the book Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace, and More by Joe Vitale and Ihaleakala Hew Len. The book recounts the extraordinary true story of Hew Len’s healing work at a prison for the criminally insane, and how he transformed and healed the prisoners through using this prayer.

I was approached by a heart-centered craniosacral healer in Vancouver, BC who asked me to paint a deeply textured painting inspired by this prayer and its Hawaiian origins. I created 3 paintings for her to choose from, and the prayer – I'm sorry, please forgive me, I love you, thank you – is creatively integrated into them in a variety of ways. Two of the paintings now remain and are available to add to your own art collection: Ho'Oponopono - Blue and Ho'Oponopono - Sepia.

There is a second Ho'oponopono - Sepia original painting that follows the same inspiration, and it is also available for your collection.

This painting creates a soothing and healing feeling with its blue and gold horizontal lines, and the integrated black, grey, and cerulean text in both cursive and block letters. The focal point is a bold white and gold 'uki'uki (Hawaiian lily) symbolic of the Hawaiian shamanic healing tradition.

You can buy the original painting of Ho'Oponopono - Blue through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Ho-Oponopono-Blue/499285/10014999/view 

You can buy a print of Ho'Oponopono - Blue through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Ho-Oponopono-Blue/499285/10014999/view

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

This painting’s image is available in a high-resolution digital format for licensing for your interior design projects, TV and Film Sets, or personal art needs and print projects. Please contact the artist directly via email at info@debchaney.com for licensing agreement and costs.

New Original Artwork: Understanding Statistics

Understanding Statistics by Deb Chaney (60” x 40”)

New Original Artwork: Understanding Statistics

 This post is to announce that prints are now available for Understanding Statistics, the new original abstract painting I recently completed.

About This Painting

The inspiration for this painting came to me on a rainy day in December. I was strolling along the beach at the edge of UBC’s campus and came across a damp and tattered textbook called Understanding Statistics. At first, it represented the misery of first-year university survey courses. But then it spoke to me and I recognized the beauty in math and how much it relates to abstract expressionism. (See my earlier blog post for more on how I found and came to embrace this book.)

The painting is a very modern contemporary art piece. The colours include light ochre yellow hues as well as black, white, and grey text elements. It has an edgy feeling to it and a slightly sarcastic tone, as a university textbook with the same title as the painting – Understanding Statistics – has been torn into pieces, then reconstructed into a mixed-media collage painting of abstract construction. 

The original painting measures 60” x 40” x 1.5” and is available for purchase here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Understanding-Statistics/499285/10012725/view 

Prints can be ordered in a range of sizes and are available here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Understanding-Statistics/499285/10012725/view 

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

This painting’s image is available in a high-resolution digital format for licensing for your interior design projects, TV and Film Sets, or personal art needs and print projects. Please contact the artist directly via email at info@debchaney.com for licensing agreement and costs. 

The Story Behind My New Painting “Stats 101”

Stats 101 by Deb Chaney (60” x 40”)

Every painting has a story to tell, and I’d like to share the tale behind this piece of contemporary abstract artwork I recently finished. It’s an acrylic mixed-media painting called Stats 101 and it measures 60” x 40”. 

I think it’s a really fun piece, so I’m eager to share not only the story behind it but to show the creative process and final result as well. Therefore, you can see photos of its various stages during the past year in the gallery further down the page.

It Was a Rainy Day in December…

This painting had its origins last year during the Christmas season. And for anyone familiar with Vancouver, the weather shouldn’t come as a surprise. December is typically quite wet in the city.

It was the end of the semester at UBC (the University of British Columbia) and my daughter was writing her final exam. So, I decided to go down to the campus and hang out while she wrote it. As she sat in the lecture hall, I wandered to the west end of campus and walked down the steep hillside steps to Wreck Beach.

It was raining, but it was really beautiful. And there were actually quite a few people down on the beach. As I strolled along the sand, taking in the lush nature of my surroundings, I happened upon a discarded book. It was a wet, tattered and torn textbook called Understanding Statistics.

My immediate reaction was the feeling I had gotten from my daughter about that whole “first-year” experience you get at university. It’s that early phase in your post-secondary education when you take all these non-elective, core courses outside your major or area of interest. They’re usually survey courses like “Statistics 10” and the farthest thing from joy you can imagine. Totally enjoyable, gruelling, overwhelming, and brutal.

I found it kind of amusing – and perhaps serendipitous – to find this abandoned textbook on the beach. I was compelled to pick it up and started turning its soggy pages. It was, of course, full of these math formulas, differential equations maybe, I wasn’t sure, it’d been so long since I took math. But the way the book and the chapters and the pages were laid out – the words, graphs, equations – it spoke to me from an artistic perspective.

The Relationship Between Mathematics and Contemporary Abstract Expressionism

From an artistic standpoint, math is beautiful. So, I hiked back up the staircase from Wreck Beach and picked up my daughter from her exam – with this dripping-wet copy of Understanding Statistics in my hand. I took it back to Grandma & Grandpa’s for Christmas and set it on the toasty hearth of the fireplace, turning the pages every now and then over the course of the holidays.

The first thing I did when I returned home was paint a series of Little Gems using ripped-out pages from the book for collages. (Read this post or this post to learn more about how I use my Little Gems to develop my art.) And in my opinion, some of those paintings turned out beautifully, having a really edgy, textured contemporary art look to them.

I had this old 60” x 40” frame and also had some canvas lying around, so I borrowed some stretcher bars from my friend Elsa, another artist here on Gabriola Island, then I just started collaging pages and pieces of pages onto the canvas and really digging into the themes and the numbers – and really riding on the energy of how math can be really frustrating, especially when you’re forced to do it in a first-year course you don’t even want to take.

But also, math can be much like art in the way that you’re in the process of figuring things out. And that’s what an abstract painting is. You’re trying to make it all work, trying to balance the marks and lines and gestures – and the whole composition. They’re all part of the equation. You’re wanting to add excitement, but you also need to add areas of negative space to exemplify the exciting bits. So, you find yourself adding new elements and taking things away. And, after a six-month journey of addition and subtraction, I finally finished the painting the week before last.

The Final Result

Meeting with another artist last month – who paints intuitively by following her heart – pushed me to finish the painting. I ended up stencilling the textbook’s title across the front of the painting – Understanding Statistics – which to me, is one big metaphor.

The truth is, I love this painting, and I’m really proud of it. There are so many layers to it and there’s so much thought put into it, and it’s just a really fun piece.

Original Artwork and Prints for Sale Online

The original painting of Stats 101 is available for sale for $5,500 USD. The price does not include shipping, insurance, and tax. Please email me directly about purchase inquiries.

The painting is not up on Saatchi Art yet, but I’ll update this page as soon as it’s available and the links are online. Until then, you can browse through my collection on Saatchi Art’s online gallery. You can also find many of the paintings in my Little Gems Series on Saatchi Art. 

Saatchi Art offers multiple options to suit your personal tastes or needs. You can choose to have your print on paper or canvas and choose from 4 sizes to best fit your room. You also have the option to have it framed in white, black, or natural wood.

A Prelude of What's to Come...

‘ A Prelude of What’s to Come’ 9” x 12” Mixed Media on Loose Canvas.

This painting, part of my Little Gems Series , is indicative of what is going on in the studio these days...

That is, I am playing around and figuring out a new larger format series which involved repeating patters such as sacred geometry that are created with interwoven layers of paint colour, polymer mediums and textured mediums.

This painting is a study helping me figure out what I am doing and getting me ready to take it to big size paintings!

‘A Prelude of What's to Come’ is available for your art collection and can be purchased via Saatchi Online Gallery. Click here to order the painting today: https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-A-Prelude-of-what-s-to-come/499285/9084707/view

Three New Paintings All About Creative Practice!

Serafina iii 9” x 12” Mixed Media on Paper, Little Gems Series, (c) 2022 Deb Chaney

I was hanging out with a friend and fellow artist a few weeks ago and we were talking about the conundrum that many of us creatives face regularly. That is, the need to rest, self care and take care of basic life stuff - housework, exercise, paperwork, etc - and the desire to execute and bring our big and grand creative ideas to life! Paint those big paintings, creative sculptures, write and record music… Often the former items win out on our time and we end up feeling sad about another day going by and we not getting to our creative dreams..

Perhaps you are curious how I get around this?

What I shared with my friend was a middle ground approach that has been my Little Gems Series for over two decades now (where does time go? !). These small paintings are a quick way for me to get into the studio, play around within given parameters that I give myself, and get my ‘creativity on’ without over doing it.

My friend and i went to the studio after talking about “the conundrum” and we both blissfully painted 3 paintings each within the same parameters we gave ourselves:

1) These paintings were inspired by play and fun

2) We were only ‘allowed’ to use turquoise and burnt orange

3) We decided we’d use a vertical composition.

The above featured painting is one of my three paintings from this little parallel session artist date, the other paintings can be found here on Saatchi Online Gallery.

The featured painting is available for your collection and may be purchased online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Serafina-iii/499285/9100277/view

New Painting BIWT i ! This Original Modern Layered Textured Abstract Painting is all about the Transformative Power of Creativity!

BIWT i 36 W x 24 H x 0.5 D in mixed media, collage, spray paint on Canvas (c) Deb Chaney 2021

As we continue the experience of the world wide pandemic unexpectedly into its second year the majority of us are in the situation of nowhere to go, not much to do. For artists, this is ideal for creative production and I found myself handling the inability to make travel plans as my ability to go inward and to make art, more art and even more art.

One of my teachers would say that going into her studio and making art was her way of running away from home without really leaving. I love this!

Making art means that I get to dive into unknown world of layers of spray paint, collage, paint gestures, layers of translucent mediums and nobody can stop me! I get to create!

This painting called BIWT stands for ‘ Because I Want To’ and created in series at the time when the quarantine was the most intense.

It is really and truly stands for the power of creative process and how it can be the healthiest and most beautiful way to handle stress, challenges and tragedy.

Angry, frustrated, or fed up with the current situation? Then why no make art about it ? That is how I choose to move forward. My art statement for this painting is the transformative quality of being in creative process and how we can turn challenging emotions into beautiful creations.

This painting is available for your collection and you can purchase it here online at Saatchi Art Gallery.

Five New Original Artworks Inspired by The Ocean Underwater

new art iii

Introducing five new original abstract paintings from my Little Gems Series fresh from the studio! The inspiration and background behind these acrylic and ink on paper fine art creations is that I watched the beautiful, inspiring and oh-so emotional documentary film ‘My Octopus Teacher’ and became enthralled by the beauty of the ocean. Total honesty? I cry just re-watching the trailer. This film is magnificent. The paintings are a by-product of my experience watching this movie.

New art iv

These are predominantly blue coloured paintings with hints of water-inspired turquoise, green, and azule, sky blue, azure, cobalt (blue), sapphire, cerulean, navy (blue), saxe (blue), Oxford blue, Cambridge blue, ultramarine, lapis lazuli, indigo, aquamarine, teal (blue), cyan, colour of the sky, of the colour of the sea and/or ocean. These colours in resonance with spirituality, intuition, inspiration and inner peace.

new art i

These gentle ocean paintings would work well to support the interior design of your bedroom or living room. Placing these paintings, with their soothing analogous colours and soft shapes, in a room where you intend to relax and let go of your day would work well to support you in creating a sanctuary in your home.

Following the principles of Feng Shui, and using the bagua concept, these paintings would accentuate the introspection and inner wisdom area of your life development and personal growth, as well as supporting your inner peace, specifically by placing them in the back left hand corner room of your room/home/office.

new art ii

These original contemporary modern one-of-a-kind hand-painted creations are available for your art collection and can be purchased online here; https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/499285. This link also offers the option of fine art prints and giclee reproductions in variety of sizes.

I’m curious, which of the five paintings is your favourite?

New artwork 'Sleepy Hollow'

SleepyHollow2017DChaney
SleepyHollow2017DChaney

All this rain lately makes me want to crawl back in bed and inspired the name for this new piece; 'Sleepy Hollow' 11" x 15" mixed media on 300 pound paper (c) Deb Chaney 2017 original available date of post $270 info@debchaney.com or text (604)736-5111.  Original out of your price range? I'll have prints & giclee's available shortly at https://www.saatchiart.com/debchaney.