Author Archives: Paige Mortensen

About Paige Mortensen

I have always had an inner need to create and have explored colour and design in many forms. My art explorations began in earnest in 2011 when I enrolled in the University of Saskatchewan’s Certificate in Art and Design. My initial exposure to the ancient medium of encaustic art was through a family connection in New Zealand. The vibrant colours and luminous qualities of the waxes are fascinating and I needed to explore its capabilities for myself. What could be more fun than melting the waxes and then opening oneself to the surprises that unfold in the process of creating with these wonderful, rich colours? Quite possibly for me the answer is watercolour batik. This is a process of combining wax and watercolour, layer upon layer on Ginwashi paper, working from lights to darks. The final step is to iron off the wax and watching the end result appear. It is always an exciting moment for me!

Summer Fun – Water & Watercolour

There are so many wonderful things about summer – and this summer water is one of them! While watercolour is my favourite art medium, I have been taking some time out to just enjoy water in many forms.

It is pouring out today but we went so long with no rain this year that it is wonderful to hear and see. We have a skylight in the living room and the sound as I sit here reminds me of camping and the sound of rain on the tent trailer roof. Wonderful, if wet, memories!
PaigeMortensen_Rain

These beautiful swirls of colour in the swimming pool fascinated me. Combined with the sounds of my grandchildren’s swimming lessons they created another wonderful memory!
PaigeMortensen_LumsdenPool

And then there was a wonderful early morning walk by the water in southern Saskatchewan.
So calm and peaceful!
PaigeMortensen_Valeport

Saskatchewan Craft Council Members’ Show & Sale

Stories Inside XIX 12×18″ $350

This week I am excited about the reception for the Saskatchewan Craft Council’s 40th Anniversary Members’ Show & Sale. I am one of about 60 artists with pieces in the show. There is no water in these ones but they are watercolours!

Stories Inside XVII 24×36″ $1,100

I hope to see you there!

SCC-40thAnnShow_invite-front

I hope you too can take a moment to enjoy water this summer!
Thanks for reading,

Studio Tour Connections

We couldn’t have asked for better weather than we had for the 2015 edition of the 263 Art Studio Tour! Thanks to Donna, we also had a fantastic venue in their family garage which even had freshly painted walls!

Donna Cessna is an acrylic and mixed media painter, Jeannette Lussier paints her originals in oil and then uses a colour sublimation process to create tiles from digital copies of the originals. My works are watercolours done using a batik-like process on Ginwashi paper. Three artists – three individual styles! Here we are, ready to start making connections with our visitors.

And connect we did. As I said in my last post, as artists we create the works but it is not until others view it that it is complete. Everyone who came by seemed genuinely excited to be on the tour and interacting with the wide variety of art. We enjoyed talking about our inspirations and processes.

We had the opportunity to share our art with people who call Saskatchewan home and others visiting the area from Alberta, New York and Belgium. We heard stories about work they had already seen at other studios on the tour and talked about what they were going to see next. This is Saskatchewan and the seven degrees of separation between people seems smaller here so many of our conversations led to the people or places we knew in common.

PaigeMortensen_Blooming Briefly_263StudioTour2015_Web.jpg

©Paige Mortensen Blooming Briefly Watercolour 16×16″ $525

Beyond the connections with our visitors there were a few highlights for me:
~ I had time to get to know two wonderful artists! I enjoyed the weekend with both of you!
~ Sharing the experience with family who drove 2 hours just to stop in and see our ‘gallery’!
~ After I got home a friend sent me a note saying: “A friend of mine was one of the visitors and just raved about your work, recommended that I look at it!” Funny that the visitor and I hadn’t found our link – but thanks to her for sharing her enthusiasm!

And, an added bonus was that we were at the lake and I could spend some quiet time sitting by the water!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s 263 Art Studio Tour!

263 Art Studio Tour

The process of creating art never feels complete until someone sees it. This weekend is your chance to complete the work of the artists participating in this year’s 263 Art Studio Tour at various sites around Christopher and Emma Lakes.

Garden Bouquet July2015
My latest simple garden bouquet brings a smile every time I see it. I hope my watercolours do the same for you.

263 Art Studio Pieces

I have several new watercolour pieces using my batik-like process. They are framed, labelled and ready to show. All of these were done on Ginwashi paper but as you can see, some are framed behind glass and others I have mounted on canvas for a different look. I’m curious to hear which way you prefer.

I will be at Site #7 along with Donna Cessna and Jeannette Lussier!

A map can be found here.

I hope to see you there!

Delivering Watercolours for Members’ Show & Sale

Today was delivery day! I dropped off my two watercolour pieces at the Affinity Gallery on Broadway Avenue for the Saskatchewan Craft Council 40th Anniversary Members’ Show & Sale July 17 until August 29, 2015.

Paige Mortensen Stories Inside XIX 18 x 24″ $350

The show includes works by some of the Saskatchewan Craft Council’s founding members and others by emerging artists. Over 50 artists working in fibre, ceramics, photography, wood, metal, glass, and visual art are included.

As pieces are sold, they will be replaced with new ones so remember to stop by often as the show will be changing over the seven weeks.

I am very excited that my watercolours will be a part of this and I plan to be there to see all the amazing works on Friday, July 17th!

PaigeMortensen-StoriesInsideSeriesXVII Watercolour Batik 24 x 36" $1,100

Paige Mortensen Stories Inside XVII Watercolour Batik 24 x 36″ $1,100

I will also be at the reception on August 7th. I hope to see you there!

SCC-40thAnnShow_invite-front

Thanks for your support!

Northern Saskatchewan Fires

Raging forest fires are burning in northern Saskatchewan and at last report about 13,000 people have been evacuated. They have had to leave their homes and the relative quiet of northern living and come to big cities where many of them are living in gymnasiums full of people. Those that have stayed are fighting fires that are dangerously close to the communities. I wish them courage, strength and a safe return to their homes.

We have a cabin about an hour’s drive from the major fires but we didn’t go this weekend because even here in Saskatoon the smoke was thick enough to keep us from doing anything outside. I feel very thankful to have the choice and to be safely here in my own home.

An extra weekend at home meant more time in my studio! The fireplace is only used as a display case for pieces I have recently finished. This is what is there today:
Fireplace Display 07-05-2015

Daisies are one of the simple little things in life that make me smile and bring happy thoughts. They are blooming beautifully right now and some were sitting on my table. They just had to turn into paintings too.

In the midst of the trauma of fires and being forced from their homes I hope the evacuees can find some simple things that bring a smile to their faces too.

Wishing everyone a safe return home!

Remembering the Mendel in Watercolour

Mendel Farewell, Paige Mortensen 12×36″ Watercolour $625

As I usually do, I ended my last visit to the Mendel Art Gallery with a stop in the Civic Conservatory to enjoy the flowers. This was just days before the Gallery closed to prepare for the opening of the Remai Modern in 2016. The Civic Conservatory will remain open as the rest of the building transitions into a Children’s Discovery Museum but for the moment I was looking for something to remind me of all the times I wandered the Mendel galleries. These were the flowers that drew me in. I took some pictures, came home and made my own watercolour batik memories.

A couple of weeks later the Mendel Art Appreciation Group had its last gathering, a tour of Doug Bentham’s studio south of Sasaktoon. It was a beautiful day and as with most studio tours I really enjoyed hearing Doug’s stories as he talked to us about his sculptures.

Summer is Here!

Yesterday was the first official day of summer but the robins have been around for quite a while. This spring they have been a favourite subject for my watercolour batiks. Here are two of the little ones.

Spring Pause by Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik on Ginwashi paper 8×8″ mounted on canvas $125

Building a Nest by Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik on Ginwashi paper 8×8″ mounted on canvas $125

Happy Summer!

Dimensions 2015

By the Canal
Paige Mortensen
Watercolour Batik on Ginwashi paper
12 x 18″

As we wandered the narrow streets of Venice, away from the noisy, crowded tourist areas we found this tiny, peaceful spot. In a city of water, bridges and stone, this felt like a place to pause and enjoy the moment.

The architectural qualities of the old stone and brick are ideal for the watercolour batik process. Working on Ginwashi paper, I alternate layers of wax and watercolour working from the light to dark building the subject as I go. The textures of the finished piece are revealed in the final step when the wax is ironed off.

I am honoured my watercolour batik piece (“By the Canal“) was selected to tour with this amazing collection of Saskatchewan handcrafted works! This Friday (June 19th at 7 pm) is the Gala Reception and Fine Craft Awards ceremony for Dimensions 2015 at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, in Regina, SK.

Dimensions Invitation full page

Dimensions 2015 will be on tour as follows:

May 23 – August 16, 2015 — MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, SK
September 10 – November 21, 2015 — Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse, YT
December 1, 2015 – January 23, 2016 — Affinity Gallery (SCC), Saskatoon, SK
July – August, 2016 — Chapel Gallery, North Battleford, SK
September – October, 2016 — Godfrey Dean Gallery, Yorkton, SK

Mini-Vacation

We were away for all of 36 hours but I really feel like we had a vacation!

Saturday evening was the reception for my Guest Artist Show at Jocelyn’s Fine Art Gallery in Esterhazy. I really enjoyed the evening of music and conversation! Thanks to everyone who attended, and those who purchased pieces. I am delighted to know who has them!

Thanks to the Flav’R Country Blues band for the entertainment!

And, most importantly, thanks to Jocelyn & Sandra for this opportunity and the evening!

Our weekend continued with a fantastic performance of Mary Poppins at Regina’s Globe Theatre!

There was even time for quick stop for supper at our daughter and family’s acreage where we got to meet their new babies – kittens, chickens and lambs! So exciting for them!

Jocelyn’s Fine Art Gallery

Last weekend I delivered pieces to Jocelyn’s Fine Art Gallery in Esterhazy where I am their guest artist for June, July and August 2015. The gallery is wonderful and I really enjoyed meeting Jocelyn and Sandra!

Thanks to Jocelyn and Sandra the show is up and looks wonderful! They are also organizing a reception for this coming Saturday (June 6th at 7:30 pm) It should be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to meeting everyone who attends the event!

Paige Mortensen Poster_web.jpg