Respect For Earth's Last Week

Hey everyone

I just wanted to show you some shots from the awesome group exhibition

I was lucky to be included in recently called "Respect For Earth" at the Novah Gallery.

It was a showing of almost 20 local artists and over 50 pieces of artwork

all pertaining to our own unique viewpoint on this one precious home we call Earth. 

This is one of five pieces I had hung in the show "She Took Care Of Her Kindred Spirits"

The gallery space at Novah is pretty cool, two long nicely lighted hallways

and a really cozy common area to show the artwork, a really nice space for an art show.

It was an honor to be included.  North Bay may be small but we have amazing talent aplenty.

And first time curator Sarah Carlin-Ball did a really amazing job at putting it all together.

Sarah made these gorgeous weaved baskets and we were supposed to set an intention or make a wish

on an object or on a piece of paper which we than put into the baskets...all were welcome to do so.

My wish was that more people make the connection and choose to go vegan for the Earth's sake.

My other wish was that I am able to keep being a voice for the voiceless & a home for the wayward.

And I set an intention to start using less plastic when grocery shopping (more on that later).

This was one of my all-time favorite pieces in the whole show,

there's an honesty to this piece that touched me.

Here is another of my pieces in the show called "She Was Nourished By Green Living"/

This is my friend, mentor, high-school teacher and one of my very first supports and reasons why I became an artist, David Carlin.  How cool it feels to be in the same show with him.

The exhibition has a multitude of mediums, including pottery in the outdoor space,

like this outdoor piece by local potter Pat Stamp.

And multimedia metal pieces by one of my favorite local artists Carol Davidson.

The opening was a crowded, lovely, uplifting afternoon with beautiful company.

Here's another of my pieces called "She Wished On Every Star To Always Be A Safe Haven",
this one is a self-portrait (it's for sale but I am more than okay if this particular piece never sells!).

(Pottery by Pat Stamp)

I truly think there's something for everyone in the show.

On the big poster my bio says "...(Mandy) firmly believes that the best & biggest way to respect our one Earth is to go Vegan" and I know that will 'annoy' some people but it's an opinion I feel very strongly about and here exactly why...meat agriculture is irrefutably the main leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, dead ocean zones, mind boggling rates of species extinction and mind boggling mass deforestation...the simple act of adopting a vegan lifestyle is one of the biggest and best ways a person can actively not participate in all the things that are killing our world! 

So if you are in the North Bay area and are local to me (I know the majority of you are not however)

hop on by and check out the show at the Novah Gallery located at 176 Lakeshore Drive

This Saturday June 15 is the very last day...
however there is a possibility that the show just might be made into a book, wooowww, so exciting.

Respect For Earth

I was so happy to be asked to join an awesome group of artists for this group exhibition in May.

I am not sure which pieces I will show quite yet but I am really looking forward to it.

(correction:  The exhibition will actually be running until mid-June)

One Of My Favourites

My dear friend, mentor, inspiration and high-school art teacher Dave Carlin
has had an exhibition "50 years in the hole"
running at the Alex Dufresne Gallery in Callander
(I highly recommend a visit if your anywhere local to me before it closes this coming Saturday).

 Dave means so much to me because of his strength and zest for living,

but also as an artist who is never ever done pushing, learning and growing.

I am a very proud and happy owner of several of his works and every time I pass them

I am not only inspired to dig deeper into what I do but I am happier.

 I am happier because they remind me of how important it is to have visual splendor in the world.

 They remind me that it's a amazing thing to share our stories and vision....

and very much like Dave, I jump on every single day that I get to create

& add a spark of beauty to the world.

I am was so so lucky to have had someone like Dave in my early life as an artist

& I am extra lucky to still have him in my life now as an established artist...he continues to push me.

I hope every artist out there is lucky enough to have a 'Dave' in their life...

if you don't, seek one out because it sure does make life that much more inspirational...

and to me, inspired living is one of the big things this is all about XO.  

Stories, Dreams & In Between Exhibition

My 4th solo exhibition 'Stories, Dreams & In Between'
was pulled down a couple weeks ago.

I am so very very happy with how it all went.

 

The show was well attended during it's run and

the closing reception was wonderful and very busy with over 200 people coming through.

 

I wish I could have bottled up the energy and good vibes I was receiving.

I wish I could have recorded all of the amazing comments and

lovely conversations & connections made...

it was humbling and exciting and had me buzzing for quite some time after.

 

It was an awesome realization that I really really needed at this point in time...

that people love my work and
that it's striking chords with young and old and male and female.

 

It was also a great chance for me to let people read the quirky little stories I come up

with for some of my characters...I admit, I was REALLY nervous to do so

but they got such great response.  I saw people reading every single story I put up, laughing and smiling and turning around to grab someone to share it with...I LOVED THAT. It felt priceless.

 

All my thanks to the W.K.P Kennedy Gallery, to Alex Campbell the director,

to Sheila the indispensable gallery docent/volunteer.  To all my family & friends who came out

and to everyone else, known & new who came by, your encouragement means the world...

it was truly wonderful, my favorite showing yet.



Stories, Dreams & In Between

Here's the poster and write up for my upcoming solo exhibition 

 

Spring is on its way finally!

We’ve been in this deep white freeze for much too long now

and Mandy Saile’s upcoming exhibition “Stories, Dreams & In Between” is the perfect way

to usher in spring with lots of fresh bright colours and an abundance of joyful whimsy.

 

With this collection of coloured pencil and mixed media works

Mandy will show mostly newer pieces but also a few of her older favorites as well. 

The theme is just as the title suggests, pictures about dreams; ones dreamt of and ones longed for, fantastical stories for a motley crew of quirky characters and a few images where the viewer

can decipher if the story is based in myth or truth or somewhere in between. 

This exhibition opens to the public in Gallery 1 of the W.K.P Kennedy Gallery

on April 26th with a closing reception on May 16^th

in conjunction with the Downtown Gallery Hop.

The artist will be present at the closing reception and loves to chat about her work.

Mandy encourages adults to bring their kids, for her images are for adults and children alike. 

 

Solo Exhibition

I am booked for another gallery exhibition.

 

This will be my 4th solo show.

 

This time around it'll (hopefully) be all brand new works (if my head cooperates) and all figurative.
The message of this exhibition will again be along the same theme that I always try
to hit with my work...one of connection & kindness to animals & to our own tender hearts.

 

I am excited.

 

I am excited because I know that when I have a gallery show coming up,

I'll be pushing myself to do the more conceptual pieces that I really enjoy making the most.

My last show was 'Birds of a Feather' and it was a cool showing BUT
When I think on a year of work where I was really super crazy in love with what I was making,
it wasn't for that exhibition but for my solo exhibition a few years back in 2009
called 'A Woman's Work' (click here to see the archive site).

I want to capture that feeling of utter pride & excitement with my work again this time around.
Exhibition work just tends to be a time when I make the pictures where my story-telling &
messages can flourish and grow in more depth and with more room.

Sometimes blogging can be passive-aggressive, ha ha

because it over time quietly captures me into this tight cycle of doing smaller, quicker works

for the sake of making sure I am continually showing you all new pieces!
I always try to do a fair balance of new artwork, life sweetness's & rabbit goodness...
I am not at all saying that I am not in love with what I've been making & showing you, not at all,

It's just time to do some more conceptual figurative pieces that tend to take a tad longer to make,
and I've been feeling that need for a shift in artwork...which is why I jumped on the offer to exhibit.
 

 

But whiles I will not let this show be all consuming like my last exhibition was!
I will allow myself to work on what I need to work on so I can feel awesome about what I am showing....and my dear little blog will just have to follow suit!

because the images I have in mind for it are pieces that must be made even if I wasn't having a show.

They've been tugging on my creative heart for a long while now,

begging to make an appearance outside of my sketchbook! 

So in order to bring them to life, I'll succumb to the fact that perhaps

I'll be showing you more 'works in progress' more often.

But you all won't mind that will you?!!

You all seem to like it when I show you

the beginning & middle parts of pictures and not just the end results? 

 

So my show is next year.
The public run is slated for April 26 to May 16 of 2014
at the WKP Kennedy Gallery in my small city of North Bay.

and I am sending out a giant wish to the universe...
I want this show to travel to other galleries far beyond my little town.
I want to use this exhibition to push myself further
to exhibit and get into galleries I've never shown in before.  To reach new audiences.

I don't quite know how to do it, even with my gallery history/background BUT I'll figure it out!!!

SO, if you are a gallery director or you know one, or you think my work would suit a
cool gallery in your part of the world, send me a message & lets chat!

The Conversation

Another little tiled piece.  This one is called....

"The Conversation Between Leeson & Thibeault"

...Are they gossiping...

...are they complaining....

...are they being kind and giving each other words of encouragement...

well I guess we'll never quite know...

What would 2 feathered friends be likely to chat about???

(I personally think they are of the gossipy variety, ha ha)

This one is another mixed media on a wood block with a row of tiles.

(I can't believe I messed up the order of the tiles!)

My dad made me some frames for my exhibition and I just adore them so much,

they add so much finish and punch to the pictures.

Have a lovely iced-tea & bird-song filled day....

XO an ice-tea sipping Mandy & her four dandelion munching bunnies XO

Owlette Odalis

Another new Owlette.

This one is named "Odalis"

I love how grouchy he looks, ha ha.

He is indeed yet another coloured pencil on gessoed pine.
I LOVE the colour mixture on this one...the turquoise, greens and oranges...scrumptious.

(Prints of Odalis & the other Owlettes are coming soon).

Tell me, DO YOU like his grouchiness?
It can't always be peaches and sunshine-y goodness now can it!
BUT Let's do try to make sure MOST of the time is, ha ha

XO A Bijou who just adores the sound of her bunnies eating banana XO

BIrds Of A Feather Exhibition

So as many of you know I just finished up my 3rd solo gallery exhibition called

'Birds Of A Feather'

at the W.K.P Kennedy Gallery, here in my little city of North Bay.

I thought I'd share some photos with you...

My sweetie & I are almost done a great little promotional site for the exhibition.

I can't wait to show you all...it'll have more photos not shown here, video & interview sections.

It will act as a lovely little archive of the show, as well as a nice virtual tour of sorts.

There were definitely some 'snags' with this show...
Such as it going from a planned 4 week run and being cut down to a mere 10 day run!

Having no choice but to hang the entire show just a few hours before the opening which was totally exhausting and left me just a tad too popped to thoroughly enjoy my special night...
....etc....
BUT you gotta roll with the punches after all..and try to concentrate on the positives....

It was a lovely space to show in & a treat to have my exhibit in the same place where years ago

I worked as gallery coordinator, alongside the amazing Dennis Geden.

(a job I loved but one I left for pursuit of my own full-time art making).

I had many lovelies & sweet-hearts come out to support me on my special night...

including a large flow of people I didn't know.

Hopefully, my grant will be approved & that will help with costs of the show...fingers crossed!

and it's ultimately something new that is proudly added to my artist's c.v.

I must send out extra love and huge thanks to:
My Jonathan, who has so much patience with yours truly...it's not a light task to live with an
artist, let alone one whose preparing for a show, but no one does it better than my guy...
Thanks oodles to my Dad, he swooped in and made me such beautiful frames for over 20 pieces,
even whiles suffering with a broken foot! 
He's no matter what, always on my side & sometimes that all a sensitive little artist needs...
Thanks to my mom, someone I can count out blindly & who is always there to help
with the tiniest or biggest of things...you rock mom...
and thanks to my pal Jules, who helped me hang my show & who tirelessly
wrestled with demon screws on my behalf...
XXOO to you all.

Thanks so much for having a look.

Have a superb weekend.

(As you read this I am likely prowling a bookstore & sipping on a Starbucks coffee with a bag full of art supplies by my side...so if this be true, I am having a lovely day indeed).

XO Mandy & Ella Luna, whose fur has finally all grown in again all beautiful like XO