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.

Commissioned Artwork: Michelle’s Drishti Painting

Michelle’s Drishti Painting by Deb Chaney (48” x 36”)

This post is to celebrate a commissioned painting I recently completed in 2021. I’d also like to share that I offer commissioned artwork and that the commission in-take form is available online here: https://www.debchaney.com/commissions. 

About This Painting

This abstract artwork was inspired by healing affirmations, with carefully chosen colours, and a grounding texture of local sand. Each element was specifically selected with the support of the patron who commissioned this Drishti Painting. 

The overall inspiration behind all of my Drishti Paintings is to create a healing piece of artwork to enrich the owner’s meditation practice. Therefore, the meaning and significance of this painting are personal to its owner.

This Dristhi Painting is a heavily layered and textured landscape abstract painting. It integrates small and large Flower Of Life symbols from sacred geometry, which represent the positive effects of connection on our personal well-being. The painting is calming yet bold, with shades of turquoise, gold, and deep red-orange colours.

As a commissioned painting, the original has been sold, but prints are available here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Michelle-s-Drishti-Painting/499285/10012607/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. 

Original Painting “The Flower Cup ii” Sold

The Flower Cup ii by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate the sale of my original abstract painting The Flower Cup ii. It was bought by a collector at the art exhibit I did with Sara Graeme last summer at the Free Spirit Gallery on Gabriola Island.

About This Painting

The inspiration for this painting came during the summer when I saw a woman enjoying her coffee in an eye-catching cup, sitting outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. The beautiful demitasse was covered in flowers, and this scene of the woman, her cup, and the flower beds near the gallery in full bloom, inspired my small series of Flower Cup paintings.

This exuberant abstract acrylic painting boasts vivid purples, violets, magentas, and yellows. The bright colours, swirling brush strokes, and white space create a joyful, uplifting mood.

This painting is part of my Little Gems Series, a prolific series of small paintings that are created for fun, with joy, and for creative practice.

You can buy a print of The Flower Cup ii through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-The-Flower-Cup-ii/499285/7224653/view 

See more paintings in the Little Gems Series here: https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-9-x12-Paintings/499285/160111/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.

Original Painting “The Gold is Deep Within” Sold

The Gold is Deep Within by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate the sale of my original abstract artwork The Gold is Deep Within. It was the first painting purchased during my collaborative art exhibit with Sara Graeme last summer at the Free Spirit Gallery here on Gabriola Island. The collector is someone who has been a wonderful supporter of both me and my career.

About This Painting

The inspiration behind this mixed-media abstract painting came about during a workshop I conducted. I was showing the group layering techniques using collage. I used pages ripped from old books for the ground and for the sky, I applied staining and watercolour effects using acrylics.

The painting is a simple abstract landscape with a calming effect that grounds the viewer with blue for the sky and gold for the earth.

This painting is part of my Little Gems Series, a prolific series of small paintings that I create for fun, joy, and creative practice.

You can buy prints of The Gold Is Deep Within through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-The-Gold-Is-Deep-Within/499285/7586325/view 

See more paintings in this series here: https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-9-x12-Paintings/499285/160111/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.

Original Painting “Come on Over” Sold

Come on Over by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate the sale of this original mixed-media abstract painting, Come on Over. It was purchased during the Gabriola Thanksgiving Studio Tour that I was part of last November. I didn’t get a chance to meet them, but I’d like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the art collector who purchased the painting.

About This Painting

This painting was inspired by a beautiful tissue paper collage I received as a gift from someone, which had black lines similar to those down the centre of the painting. The transparent attribute of the black tissue paper allowed me to add it to the artwork while revealing the images on the layers beneath it. I really enjoyed working with this transparency and what it allowed me to do in this collage piece, which also includes text. 

There is a lot of playfulness in this painting, which was done for a workshop to demonstrate collaging and integrating paint into a piece of artwork.

The colour is a yellow ochre, also known as an earthy yellow or Naples yellow, so the painting definitely has earthy tones. These are combined with blacks, whites, and greys, and a very playful, gestural feeling is created using spheres, circles, and lines. There are also torn dictionary pages embedded into layers throughout different parts of the painting.

This painting is part of my Little Gems Series, a prolific series of small paintings that are created for fun, with joy, and for creative practice.

You can buy the original painting of Come On Over through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Come-On-Over/499285/4983687/view

See more paintings in this here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-9-x12-Paintings/499285/160111/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.

Original Painting “The Chartreuse Skirt iii”

The Chartreuse Skirt iii by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This acrylic-on-paper abstract painting was completed last year (in 2022) and the original is available for sale. 

About This Painting

This playful abstract painting was inspired by the skirt I saw a woman wearing at a craft fair. I was visiting a friend of mine on Hornby Island and we had gone on a bike trip for the day. We stopped at the fair and the colours and pattern of this woman’s skirt caught my eye. It had a chartreuse green and a robin’s eggshell blue, all surrounded by grey. And I just got really inspired by the pattern, so I went on a retreat and took only the colours in the skirt.

The colours used in this painting are a bright chartreuse green, which is like a lime yellow-green, and a bit of cerulean blue. Surrounding these 2 colours are lots of blacks, whites, and greys combined in very painterly gestures and blended around the coloured spherical forms that look like little stones or rocks. The painting has a very playful flow to it and is a very simple abstract painting.

My retreat resulted in this painting as well as 2 other abstract paintings of the chartreuse skirt. The paintings are part of my Little Gems Series, a prolific series of small paintings that are created for fun, with joy, and for creative practice.

You can buy the original painting of The Chartreuse Skirt iii through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-The-Chartreuse-Skirt-iii/499285/9748933/view

The other 2 paintings in the series are available here: https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-9-x12-Paintings/499285/160111/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.

Original Painting “New Year’s Eve” Sold

New Year’s Eve by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate the sale of my original abstract painting called New Year’s Eve. Like Seraphina iii, the painting mentioned last week, this was sold during the Gabriola Thanksgiving Studio Tour in November. I didn’t get a chance to meet the collector but would like to thank them for their support. And I think it’s great that we’re posting about this painting so soon after New Year’s Eve!

About This Painting

This painting was inspired by playing around and experimenting with different media and exploring what we can do by integrating them with words and numbers in different ways. The painting was created in front of an art workshop, so it was also inspired by joy and exuberance – as evidenced by adding FUN in all caps.

The colours I’m playing with in this abstract painting are iridescent gold, white, and black. As this is a mixed-media artwork, I’m also using a sand texture medium as well as an encaustic formula that I was teaching my students. The encaustic creates a very waxy and iridescent translucent layer. In the lower-left corner, you can see small circles over the word FUN. They’re textured indentations that look like real wax, even though they’re not.

For some of the text, I used India ink as well as vinyl lettering. And on another layer, I also applied micaceous gold, so in the bottom-right and upper-left corners you can see a mica gold texture. And finally, in the centre of the painting, there is a lot of sand. 

This painting is part of my Little Gems Series, a prolific series of small paintings that are created for fun, with joy, and for creative practice.

Purchase a print here: https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-New-Year-s-Eve/499285/4990087/view

See more paintings in this series here: https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-9-x12-Paintings/499285/160111/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.

Original Painting “Seraphina iii” Sold

Seraphina iii (9 x 12) by Deb Chaney

About This Painting

This post is to announce the sale of my original painting Seraphina iii. Unfortunately, I don’t know who the collector who purchased it is, but I am thankful for and appreciative of their support. This abstract painting was the first of my paintings sold during the Gabriola Thanksgiving Studio Tour this past November.

Seraphina iii was inspired by a collaborative painting lesson with my friend Seraphina. She had visited my studio and I asked her to choose 2 colours. We then both played around with her 2 colour choices and created 3 paintings each. What’s particularly touching about these paintings is that Seraphina passed away in October of 2022, just before the studio tour, and this was the first painting that sold. I’m not sure whether the collector knew that I’d painted this series with Seraphina, so it’s particularly special to me.

This original mixed-media abstract painting has light turquoise with burnt umbers and burnt sienna, giving it an earthy, watery appearance. The flow of the painting, creating a sense of earth and sky, indicates that it’s inspired by an abstract landscape. The painting also has dried coffee grounds collaged into the piece for texture. We used several techniques in this painting, including etching, alcohol removal, and adding various layers of acrylics.

This painting is part of my Little Gems Series, a prolific series of small paintings that are created for fun, with joy, and for creative practice.

Purchase a print here: https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Serafina-iii/499285/9100277/view 

See more paintings in this series here: https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting/Litte-Gems-Small-9-x12-Paintings/499285/160111/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.

Original Painting "The Moon at Night" Sold

The Moon at Night by Deb Chaney

About This Painting

This post is celebrating the sale my original painting The Moon at Night. Thank you to its new owner and art collector who purchased this art piece my Open Studio Tour in 2022. Whenever a painting sells I feel supported and excited to continue painting. I am so grateful for your support, Thank you!

The Moon at Night was inspired by a friend’s story. He shared with me that no matter where he is, he loves to look up at the moon and feel a sense of connection and healing from her. I loved hearing about this kindred lunar connection and really felt it while creating this piece.

This original mixed media abstract painting has a beautiful contrasts of darks and light colours with peachy pinks and soft lemon yellows placed against dark blue-black. There is an ethereal feeling of space in this painting. And, if you look closely you will see an old fashioned clock in the background created with texture and integrated within the painted layers.

This painting is part of my Little Gems Series, a prolific series of small paintings that are created for fun, with joy, and for creative practice.

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

This painting 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 for licensing agreement and cost.

The Process of Painting “A Love Letter to Myself”

A Love Letter to Myself by Deb Chaney (30” x 40”)

With my first Gabriola Studio Tour in the rearview mirror, I’m still moved by what a fantastic experience it was. And seeing how interested people are in the artistic process, I’m encouraged to share more “behind the scenes” posts. Therefore, this is the story behind my abstract painting, A Love Letter of Myself.

Mastering Mixed-Media Abstract Painting

This abstract expressionist painting began in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. During that time, I offered an online course called Mastering Mixed-Media Abstract Painting, or MMAP for short. It was 2 months long and it all took place on Zoom – which was necessary as people signed up from all over the world.

The course consisted of 3 projects and there was so much that I wanted to share with people within that short time. But in the context of A Love Letter to Myself, I’d like to focus on 2 key overarching ideas that I sought to impart to students in the workshop.

The Fundamentals of Abstract Expressionism

My first goal was that I really wanted to give them the fundamentals of abstract painting. These concepts would empower them to create paintings that support their ideas and communicate what they want to say in a visually intelligent and effective way. During this project – and the course itself – they were learning the basic fundamental elements of what you need for abstract painting to succeed as a piece of artwork.

The Mediums and Techniques of Mixed-Media Painting

The second goal I had with my workshop was to have them understand the mediums and techniques used in mixed-media acrylic painting. For example, if you walk into an art supply store and go to the aisle with all the gels and pastes and powders, it can be very daunting and overwhelming. You’ll probably just stand there, staring at the seemingly endless selection, wondering what to choose. And when you do choose something, when do you use it – and how? I didn’t simply want to give them an overview of all the mediums you can combine with acrylics, but rather show them how to really apply them.

I use a lot of different mediums to create really cool effects in heavily layered paintings like A Love Letter to Myself. It was on display during the Thanksgiving Studio Tour and it was actually the first time I’d ever shared it with the public. I got so many positive vibes and comments about it — people really loved it — and the most common question that came up was whether I had used wax. It looks so waxy, so they wondered whether it was an encaustic painting – an ancient technique popular with the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.

And while it is not an encaustic painting, my technique emulates wax by using translucent acrylics to create layered effects that people think are real wax. And this “encaustic formula”, as I call it, was one of the techniques I shared with my workshop.

The Many (Physical) Layers of Abstract Expressionism

Laying the Foundation

The first step in creating this painting was writing the love letter. I wrote it on my computer, just putting down the free-flowing thoughts of all the things that make me feel good and loved and spiritually nourished — and supported and safe — and give me a sense of belonging. All of these thoughts and ideas went onto the page which I then had printed at Staples on a large engineering print. I had it mirror printed, so the words were reversed – which was critical for the first step. (You can see each step in the slideshow above.)

The next step (in the second picture) was applying a clear gel medium directly onto the words on the engineering print, then turning it over and sticking it face down onto the canvas. Following that, I took the canvas out in the backyard and ran the garden hose over it. Then I took a hard-bristled scrub brush and scrubbed. Then scrubbed some more. (With a 30” x 40” canvas, it was quite the workout!) But what happens is the pulp peels away and the words are left behind. And because they were mirror-printed and pasted facedown, they become legible when the ink is transferred onto the canvas.

Building Layers Upon Layers

After my love letter was transferred onto the canvas, I continued on the journey by adding further layers. The next step, which you can see in the next photo, was handwriting my letter using an acrylic pen. So each layer is a new medium, as you can see I’m mixing paints on my palette in the next photo, which I applied in the next step.

In the 7th picture, you can see me fingerpainting. And in the next 2 shots, I’m adding translucent acrylics and mediums, then laying down another layer of text in order to create these floating words. And this is the technique I most wanted to share with students, where it emulates the transparency of an encaustic painting. Then, in the final shot, I’m once again scrubbing away the pulp to reveal the letters.

The entire process lasted for the duration of the 2-month course and, in fact, I only truly completed the painting a couple of weeks before the open studio on Thanksgiving weekend. After the course, I hung it on the wall and let it gestate until it revealed itself to me and I knew the next step. This waiting period – letting a painting just hang there unfinished – was something I was reluctant to do in the past. But I’m now quite comfortable with it, so it’s just become a step in the process.

Original artwork and prints for sale

The original painting of A Love Letter to Myself is available for sale for $1,800 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.

Reflecting on My First Gabriola Thanksgiving Studio Tour

Deb Chaney stenciling in the studio

As I mentioned in September, I participated in the 2022 Thanksgiving Studio Tour here on Gabriola Island. It was the 26th time the Gabriola Arts Council held the free event and 65 artists took part in it. And I’m so glad that I was one of them. So I’d just like to take this opportunity to reflect on the weekend and record my experience.

Nature Was on Our Side

A fundamental storytelling maxim is never open with the weather. But when you’re talking about the Gulf Islands in October and you get a weekend full of sunshine, it deserves to be mentioned. And the weather was amazing.

If you haven’t read my earlier post, the studio is just what it sounds like. Local artists on the island open their studios (and/or homes) to the public for 3 days during Thanksgiving weekend and people can visit them at their leisure – for free. Over the course of those 3 days, we probably had around 100 people come by the house. And we basically had 2 things going on for the tour.

Two Paths for Visitors to Explore

First, we converted the house into a gallery (see the slideshow below!) with plenty of paintings of all sizes for visitors to enjoy. Many were hanging on walls, while I also had plenty of my Little Gems, unframed, that people could browse through.

Second, in the studio, I was giving demonstrations of how I work and inviting people into my process. I took the opportunity to really share about the Drishti Paintings, the large-scale new series that I’m working on. I shared the intention and inspiration behind them, along with the parameters I’m following in the creative process. By taking unfinished paintings off the wall and adding layers, I was able to share my intuitive process of painting only in situations where I know the next step. Trusting that, I keep working on it and the painting then reveals to me the direction it's heading.

It was really fun and exciting and I got the sense that people really enjoyed seeing the process up close. It was actually the first time I’ve done demonstrations during a studio tour and I found it to be a great way to connect with visitors.

The True Meaning of Community

My daughter and her friend Angelica tended to the “house gallery”, assisted by a rotating crew of helpers from the island. And we were all so touched by the incredible sense of community support.

Six different women showed up at our house for morning and afternoon “shifts” on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to help in any way they could. They did everything from greeting visitors and answering questions, to sweeping up, to preparing the hot chocolate and muffins we provided to anyone who stopped by.

And even though we’ve got a small island community, I didn’t actually know any of them personally before. They’d simply seen our request for help on the Community Facebook page and volunteered their time and assistance. 

It was such a good feeling and I’m so grateful for the good fortune to live in such a place. The experience was really unlike any other studio tour I’ve been involved in before. Gabriola Island is not only home to a lot of artists, but the community at large has such strong support for its artists – and these 2 factors combine to create a thriving art culture.

With all the other artists around, one of the things I found most exciting was when other artists came to visit my studio. It’s always such an honour and privilege. One of the artists to stop by was Gwen Spinks, whose exhibit I attended last year. And another was Karen Cain, who is a highly regarded artist and instructor. I’m really excited to visit her studio at some point. There were others as well, and each interaction was special and amazing.

Cherishing Those Magic Moments

The weekend was full of magic moments. I collect sand from our Twin Beaches here on Gabriola Island. And when kids came by, I showed them how I mix the sand with gel medium to use in my paintings. I got out my stencils and palette knife and showed them how to apply it, and some people watching announced that they wanted to go home and do it.

They were so inspired and that’s what I love – because art can be so fun and healing. If I can share what I’m doing and people get excited about it, it’s an incredible thing to witness.

Other magic moments include:

My friend and neighbour Paul stopped by with a prayer plant for my new studio.

My friend Moe came by with his partner Ocean, a wood carving artist, and she brought me the most delicious pear. (Which was perfectly timed with my growing hunger.)

Then my neighbour Nadine brought me some beautiful flowers.

And my other neighbour Larry noticed my doorknob was in need of little love – so he came back with his toolbox and fixed it for me. It’s a wonderful feeling to have these supportive and loving neighbours.

There were other moments too… like when strangers were gathered in the studio and someone pulled out a bottle of wine to share. Or someone suddenly started singing. Or chanting. Or all the conversations about spirituality and healing, and people just being open and authentic, sharing some of the most personal aspects of their lives.

This is a truly special place.

We even had Surprise Visitors

Like special guest stars surprising a studio audience, I had a couple of surprise visitors show up. My life coach, Michelle Falcone, whom I wrote about in August, texted me to say that she’d be coming over to the island with some friends. And one of those friends turned out to be my friend Susan Greig! (Susan is an artist as well and she owns and operates Braid St Studios, which I also wrote about earlier.)

My jaw dropped. I couldn’t get over that she was here. And she also ended up purchasing The Moon at Night, and it always deeply flatters me when another artist buys my work. It means the world to me that they are spending their hard-earned money to add my artwork to their personal collection.

Original Artwork Sold (plus Prints for Sale Online)

We sold a lot of other smaller paintings as well, and we have 2 larger paintings on hold while the interested buyers measure their home. We also had little notepads for sale, which turned out to be quite popular. They were a fun keepsake for people to remember the studio with.

If you were unable to attend the tour, 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 there. 

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.

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.

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.

2 of My Original Paintings Featured in “Fresh” Movie on Hulu

Fragments of Life #19 by Deb Chaney (23 x 30)

With so much going on to get ready for the Gabriola Art Studio Tour next week, this is a good time to mention 2 of the other paintings featured in the movie Fresh that is currently streaming on Hulu. The paintings are called Fragments of Life #19 and Fragments of Life #24.

Wikipedia classifies the movie as a “black comedy horror thriller”, which may not be my favourite genre, but it certainly seems to be a popular one. If you’re interested in a sneak peek, there’s a preview video in an earlier post from May when I wrote about Subtle Shift, another painting of mine that is also featured in the film.

About the Paintings

The paintings are both part of my Fragments of Life series, which explores pure abstract expression using a limited colour palette of heavy body and liquid (thick and thin) acrylics, as well as other materials such as charcoal, conte, and pencil. To these, I add the fragments of everyday life – photographs, papers, maps, song lyrics – anything that makes an impression on my life that day.

Both of these paintings are the same size (so, they make a nice set!), measuring 23” x 30”, and are mixed media and acrylics on 300-pound cold press watercolour paper. They’re mounted on custom wood panels that are wired, varnished, and ready to hang.

If you’d like to see how nice of a set they make, they’re hanging vertically together on the living room wall, right around the 1-hour mark in Fresh.

Fresh (2022)

See the Paintings in Person

For those of you who are planning to attend this year’s Thanksgiving Studio Tour on Gabriola Island, both paintings are here in my studio and will be on exhibit. I’m Studio #49 on the tour and located at 1063 Chappel Place, which you can find easily on the online map that lists all the studios taking part in the tour.

I’m looking forward to seeing people stop by and answering any questions they have! My studio will be open to visitors from 10 am to 5 pm each day on the long weekend:

• Saturday, October 8th

• Sunday, October 9th

• Monday, October 10th

Original Artwork and Prints for Sale Online

If you’re unable to visit our beautiful little island for the tour, the original paintings of Fragments of Life #19 and Fragments of Life #24 will also be available to purchase through Saatchi Art online gallery. Of course, their availability will depend on whether they’re bought during the studio tour.

If somebody buys these 2 particular paintings during the tour, you can order prints for each painting through Saatchi Art using the links above. With prints, you get to choose the size, material, and framing to suit your personal taste. Prints come in 4 sizes, on paper or canvas, and you add a frame of white, black, or natural wood.

There are also many other paintings in the series available through Saatchi Art, and you can scroll through the whole Fragments of Life series on the website. If you like the 2 paintings above, you may want to check out Fragments of Life #20, Fragments of Life #23, and Fragments of Life #29, all of which still have their originals available.

My Collaboration With International Art Consultants

See With Original Purity by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

One of the most exciting opportunities I’ve been approached about recently is a collaboration with an art consultancy based in the UK. They found me through my collection at Saatchi Art online gallery, which has been a wonderful platform for bringing me together with collectors and people with an interest in contemporary abstract art.

Spreading Art Around the World

Peter Millard & Partners is a London-based international art consultancy that specializes in creating artwork schemes for hotels and luxury residences. They draw on everything from paintings to sculptures ranging in size from small to monumental.

With 30 years of experience in the art world, they work with interior designers, individuals, or hotel groups choosing artwork and planning unique layouts suitable for each location.

“Our ethos is to make each artwork enhance the interior adding dimension and vibrancy to each space.”

— Peter Millard and Partners

Their projects circle the world, with installations in Europe, The Middle East, Africa, and Japan, for clients such as Fairmont Hotels, Four Seasons, Marriott, and Sheraton, as well as many other high-end chains and smaller boutique hotels.

They chose 2 of my paintings for a new installation, so I’d just like to show my appreciation and mention what wonderful work they’re doing by brightening the world with art.

A Million Little Pieces of Art

The series of paintings that caught the attention of Peter Millard & Partners is closer to a dozen paintings than a million. But when I was painting the series, I’d just finished reading A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. The book’s protagonist is struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, and when he finally decides to get better, he falls in love with the sanctuary, hope, and equanimity that he finds in the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (also spelled Laozi).

It really touched me, so I went out and bought a copy of the book. And still, to this day, I keep my copy of this little book of ancient Chinese wisdom on my nightstand. I love being able to open it up to any page, picking a phrase at random, and being open to the wisdom it has to offer. 

With the Tao Te Ching in mind, this series was inspired by the idea of simplicity, and all of the paintings in the series have titles based on phrases and excerpts from the book. The two paintings selected by the consultants at Peter Millard are both green, black, and white – very simple – with titles drawn from the Tao Te Ching: Through Sustained Activity and See With Original Purity.

The paintings are one of my “series within a series” in that they’re part of my Little Gems Series, which you’re probably familiar with if you’re a regular reader. I’ve written about them recently (such as here, here, and here) but in a nutshell, they’re small pieces – usually 9” x 12” – that I use to try out new techniques or practice old ones. And some of them result in real works of art!

Original Artwork and Prints for Sale

Both original paintings are available to buy through Saatchi Art online gallery. Through Sustained Activity and See With Original Purity are both acrylic and ink on paper and measure 9” x 12” in size.

You can also order prints of both paintings and 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. You can also choose to have it framed in white, black, or natural wood.

The “View In A Room” image gives you an idea of its size and lets you see what it looks like on a wall. But take it one step further with the “View in My Room” tool that lets you see what it looks like on your wall.

Taking Part in Gabriola Island’s Annual Thanksgiving Studio Tour

Taking Part in Gabriola Island’s Annual Thanksgiving Studio Tour

I’m excited to announce my participation in another upcoming art event – Gabriola Island’s annual Thanksgiving Studio Tour. The event is organized by the indefatigable Gabriola Arts Council and is free to attend.

The event is quite unique in that artists from around the island open their home studios to the public for 3 days — meaning you can do the tour your own way, at your own pace, and enjoy exploring. Furthermore, many artists go beyond simply displaying their work and also offer demonstrations for a truly intimate, creative experience.

It’s been a while since I took part in an open studio tour. The last was in the spring of 2019 when I was at Braid St Studios, which I’ve mentioned in a recent post. Prior to that, I was part of an open studio tour while living at ARC Live Work Studios in Vancouver — and we had a few thousand people come through.

However, those were somewhat different. This is the first time I’m inviting people into my home as part of a studio tour. And I think there’s something special – and beautiful and vulnerable – about viewing artwork in a home setting.

A Little Bit About Gabriola’s Thanksgiving Studio Tour

The unique 3-day art extravaganza has been a success since its founding and has evolved into one of the premier art events in the Pacific Northwest. Having celebrated its silver anniversary in 2021, this year marks the 26th occasion of the wonderful event. 

You can meet with 65 artists and enjoy their creative works up close and personal in 56 studios spread across the island. With so many studios to choose from, it’s difficult (or impossible) to visit them all. So, it may help to plan your visit in advance using this interactive map of the tour. You can also find the full list of studios here, which includes examples and descriptions of each artist’s work.

The Thanksgiving Studio Tour runs for 3 days, October 8th to 10th, with participating studios open from 10 am to 5 pm. However, Tour Central – the tour’s headquarters – will be open from October 6th through 10th, and it’s got a Preview Gallery where you can view works by nearly all of the participating artists. It’s above Nova Arts and Craft Boutique in the centrally-located Folklife Village.

There’s also a raffle fundraiser for a chance to own an original painting by Gabriola artist Tony Grove, which you can read more about here.

Artwork I Have on Display for the Studio Tour

I’m setting up my house as a gallery and I have one wall with about 20 framed paintings from my popular Little Gems Series, which I’ve mentioned recently (such as here and here). There will also be a variety of large-format mixed-media paintings hung throughout the house. There are about 9 of those, ranging in size from 30” x 40” to the biggest at 48” x 72”.

I’ll also have paper paintings, such as from my Fragments of Life series, and up to a couple hundred other loose Little Gems. So, there’s a lot of art to be enjoyed!

There will also be one finished piece from The Drishti Paintings – the new large-scale series I’m currently working on. The series is very special to me and a culmination of everything I’ve learned in my journey as both a healer and an artist. The paintings embody 3 core principles about healing – which I’ll reveal once there’s a body of work ready for a gallery exhibit.

What I’m Looking Forward To With This Tour

I’m really excited to meet people and connect with not only the people I know and love but with those who take the time and effort to come over to the island. It’s an amazing feeling to see a person connect with a painting that is right for them, and I welcome the opportunity to help people find the perfect match.

Also, something new I’m doing with The Drishti Paintings is offering commissioned works for people who want something for their home or meditation room. So, I’d love to talk to anyone coming through the tour who’s looking to create a visual anchor for their personal well-being.

Attending the Tour (and Getting to My Studio)

For those who have never been to our beautiful Gabriola Island, it’s just a 25-minute ferry from Nanaimo Harbour at the edge of downtown Nanaimo. For those coming from the mainland, it’s located between the Duke Point and Departure Bay Ferry Terminals.

I’m Studio #49 on the tour and located at 1063 Chappel Place. As mentioned above, there is also an easy-to-read online map with pins for all the studios. There is street parking available out front, then you just go through the gate and walk straight to the house.

Original Artwork and Prints for Sale Online

If you are unable to attend the tour, you can browse through my collection on Saatchi Art’s online gallery.

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.

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.

Painting Series Inspired By Our Underwater World

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:

• New Art i Painting

• New Art ii Painting

• New Art iii Painting

• New Art iv Painting

• New Art v Painting

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.

Original Painting "Silent Sky" Sold to a Local Artist

Silent Sky by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

Selling a painting is always an amazing feeling and I’m really grateful to each and every collector. But it’s the greatest honour when another artist purchases my artwork for their personal collection. It’s just on a whole other level when somebody who knows how to paint themselves chooses to become a collector. Therefore, I’d like to take this opportunity to give a big Thank You to my neighbour, friend, and fellow artist Waheeda Byron.

A Little Bit About the Collector

Waheeda Byron is a watercolour painter based on Gabriola Island. She paints with an informal local art group called Gabriola Palette People, which “was formed many years ago to provide an inclusive and creative art environment where members come together regularly to develop their artistic skills.” They meet once or twice a week, creating art with watercolours, acrylics, oil paints, or mixed media.

Aside from that, she’s currently in the process of painting a series of 20 watercolours for a book that she’s illustrating. The book is a collaboration with a school librarian who grew up in a Sikh family with six kids in East Vancouver. It’s a children’s book that she’s writing and Waheeda is doing the watercolour drawings that are reflecting back on “East Van” life in the 1970s, showing parts of her life and family life growing up.

While I was visiting and having tea with Waheeda, I had the privilege of seeing the progression of these incredible paintings that will be in the book. It’s truly wonderful to get to see this project she’s been working on for the better part of year (at least), while the woman writes the book.

I asked Waheeda why she chose Silent Sky and what she likes (or loves) about it, and she had a few things to say. First, was that she loves the simplicity of it. And then paired with that simplicity is the sense of drama observed in the landscape. She also said that it reminded her of where we live, here on Gabriola Island. She really loves the wet-on-wet technique and how the painting says so much, so simply, in just a few strokes.

About This Painting

Silent Sky is part of my Little Gems Series, which I’ve mentioned in previous posts (such as when a collector bought another one of my Little Gems called Rocky Mountain). I’ve been painting my Little Gems for years and they’re essentially a collection of small paintings I use to try new techniques and test my creativity. Not all of these artistic explorations become part of the collection, but a select few rise above to emerge as real works of art!

The painting is India ink on paper using a wet-on-wet technique, which – just as it sounds – involves using wet paint on top of a layer of wet paint or wet paper. It’s a quite austere black & white painting, which, as noted above, is partly what attracted Waheeda to it. And, like most of my Little Gems, it measures 9” x 12”. 

Similar Original Artwork and Prints for Sale

Silent Sky stands out in the Little Gems series as many of my paintings are acrylic or mixed media, but there are other ink paintings in the collection. Find the Red Dots and Something in the Air are both black India ink on paper, similar to Silent Sky, while Sun Scorched Earth and Roses in the Dust are orange and pink, respectively. You can also find more ink-on-paper paintings by browsing through the complete collection.

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 while the original Silent Sky 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 lets you see what it looks like on a wall.

Springtime Pop-Up Art Show by Braid St Studios

Focus by Deb Chaney (24” x 24”)

As my current exhibit with Sarah Graeme is underway, it feels like a good time to mention an earlier exhibit from back in the spring. The Braid St Studios Pop Up Art Show took place in April at The Gallery at Queen’s Park in New Westminster. (For those not familiar with the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, “New West” is in the centre of the Greater Vancouver area).

A Resilient Co-Working Space for the Art Community

Before moving to Gabriola Island (and joining its incredible art community!) I was fortunate enough to be part of another wonderful art community. Braid St Studios was located in a 12,000-square-foot industrial heritage building in New Westminster. With a large gallery, event space, and over 70 artists working in 46 studios, it was the largest collaborative art studio outside of Vancouver. 

The founder, owner, and artist behind 100 Braid St Studios is a phenomenal woman named Susan Greig. Her vision for a supportive arts community where visitors could see (and be inspired by) working studio artists was realized in Braid St Studios, which she describes as “an incubator for artists in transition [and] established artists” focused on achieving major career goals.

However, as with almost everywhere, when the pandemic hit, everything shut down. Then on top of that, the developers who owned the warehouse decided to tear it down in order to pursue the Lower Mainland’s favourite pastime – condo development.

Fortunately, Susan didn’t let a global pandemic and the forces of gentrification stand in her way. She’s already established a small gallery in Port Coquitlam and has been creating an online platform to support artists while continuing to look for larger spaces where she can continue hosting art shows, open mic and poetry nights, and other events.

The studio hosts artists working in a wide range of diverse media, which has grown even more diverse since moving online. As Susan posted in June:

“In our original brick and mortar studio, we had resident artists who worked in: oil & acrylic painters, artists who worked in resin, all kinds of textiles, reclaimed wood, charcoal, mixed media, jewellery & metalsmithing, digital art and photography. There were puppet makers, sculptors, musicians, performance artists, writers, acapella singers, songwriters and more.”

In addition to providing studio space for artists, 100 Braid St Studios fosters creativity in numerous ways. These include mentorship, a lecture series on professional development, exposure for artists, social events, fine art classes, and more. For more info on all the ways in which they support artists and the local community at large, check out the studio’s About Us page.

The Braid St Studios Pop-Up Art Show

The Braid St Studios Pop Up Art Show was held April 22-24, 2022 at The Gallery at Queen’s Park, which is operated by The Arts Council of New Westminster. 

The show’s 3 featured artists were Susan, Michael King, and Iris Mes Low. Other artists included me, Melissa Burgher, Tony Durke, Steven Elford, Omanie Elias, Fran Friesen, Unky Kim, William Liao, Dizz McGruber, Monica Moscoso, and Judy Villett.

One of Susan’s Instagram posts from the event sums up not only the ethos behind Braid St Studios but also the importance of art and a sense of community:

“So many people have come in to visit and the support from the broader New West community has brought me to tears many times. There have been stories I’ve never heard before-about relationships and friendships that have developed because of our arts community and there have been stories of the many struggles we’ve all had thru COVID. I’ve been reminded time and again of the core purpose of Braid St since its inception-to help artists live lives of courage in harmony with their values…to chart their own unique path, to support them to grow, to provide a warm and nurturing space.”

My Artwork in the Pop-Up Art Show

Susan kindly featured one of my paintings at the show. The painting is called Focus and is conceptually about how important focus is to healing and mental wellness. 

It’s a 24” x 24” acrylic on canvas and the original is for sale through Van Dop Gallery. You can find this painting (and others) in the online gallery, then click the link at the bottom of the page to email the gallerist, Trudy Van Dop.

You can see Focus and many other pieces on display in photos from the exhibit in the slideshow below.

Braid St Studios Exhibit

Braid St Studios Exhibit

Susan Grieg with Ch'ich'iyúy Elxwíkn The Sisters - The Lions at Night, acrylic on canvas 30” x 24”.

Braid St Studios Exhibit

West End (36” x 24”) by featured artist Iris Mes Low displayed prominently on its own wall.

Braid St Studios Exhibit

Braid St Studios Exhibit

Braid St Studios Exhibit

Braid St Studios Exhibit

Braid St Studios Exhibit

Prints and Other Original Artwork for Sale

Prints of Focus as well as a much larger collection of my artwork – both originals and prints – are for sale online at Saatchi Art.

Saatchi Art has a range of options to fit your individual preferences and needs. You can choose to have your prints on paper or canvas, and most are available in 4 sizes to fit any room. There is also an option to have it framed in white, black, or natural wood.

The “View In A Room” image gives you an idea of its size and lets you see what it looks like on a wall.