A Visit to the Art Gallery of Alberta

August 4, 2015/0 Comments/in Art Inspirations, Exhibitions, Mixed Media, Painting, Sculpture, The Life of an Artist /by Alexis Marie Chute

I love visiting art galleries. It is one of my favorite things to do. Typically, I either leave inspired or disappointed, sometimes neutral. I use the word ‘inspired’ when I’ve seen some truly interesting work that revs me up to get into my own studio, regardless of whether the artwork I saw was paintings, sculpture, photography or instillation art, – or – ‘disappointed’ because I failed to connect with the curator’s vision or the work simply didn’t speak to me.

Claude Tousignant, “Gong” 1966, acrylic on canvas, The Double Bind: Conversations Between Modernism and Postmodernism

Art is so personal. It’s okay to love it – just like it’s okay to hate it. Different art forms/artists/concepts/etc. speak to different people, each in their own unique way.

My recent visit to the Art Gallery of Alberta was a mix. The Jack Bush exhibit was fascinating and I learned so much. I’m eager to find a biography of Bush’s life. If anyone has read a good one, please let me know! The Modern/Postmodern show was a bit confusing. The description to differentiate the successive artistic periods was excellent, but I was hoping the visuals exhibited would bring the words to life. Unfortunately, the gallery room was a bit sparse.

Jack Bush

May 30 – August 23, 2015

The Double Bind: Conversations Between Modernism and Postmodernism

May 2 – September 13, 2015

If you make it out to any of the Art Gallery of Alberta shows, let me know what you think!

Have you seen any interesting exhibits lately?

Here are some photos from the visit:

Jack Bush exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta

The Double Bind: Conversations Between Modernism and Postmodernism

Sculpture by Barbara Hepworth, The Double Bind: Conversations Between Modernism and Post Modernism, Art Gallery of Alberta

Brian Jungen, “Companion” 2013, steel, deer hide, Audi fenders, freezer

Inspiring Quotes for Artists

July 9, 2015/1 Comment/in Art Inspirations, Art Update, Painting, Quotes, The Life of an Artist /by Alexis Marie Chute

Here are eleven quotes by great minds on the topic of creativity. These words encourage me and I hope they do the same for you. Below you will find the list, but over the next few months I will take each one of these quotes and write a little reflection on life as an artist inspired by the quote. I’m looking forward to it already! For now, just soak up the words:

“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced” – Vincent Van Gogh

“Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it” – Salvador Dali

“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people” – Leo Burnett

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club” – Jack London

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will” – George Bernard Shaw

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try” – Dr. Seuss

“Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that’s easy. What’s hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity” – Charles Mingus

“Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas” – Donatella Versace

“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things” – Ray Bradbury

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, the just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while” – Steve Jobs

“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not’?” – George Bernard Shaw

Mentoring to take your creativity to the next level

July 2, 2015/0 Comments/in Art Inspirations, Art Update, Coaching, Photography Update /by Alexis Marie Chute

I love people, business and creativity. When these three fuse together, I overflow with ideas, which I’m happy to share. I have been a professional writer and artist for almost fifteen years and one aspect of my job which I love is mentoring others to become more successful.

I am currently mentoring a musician, a photographer, a writer, an artist… They are great minds and I am honoured to help them get where they want to go.

Here is a quote from one of my mentees:

“Being mentored. A wonderful experience of discovery and focus.

The best part about guidance from Alexis Marie Chute, professional artist, has been the inexhaustible amount of knowledge she can apply to your situation or seemingly unsolvable problem. Alexis Marie honestly and without judgement pointed out that in my case, spreading myself too thin with multiple projects and talents, would only result in a lack of finishing my projects and that I needed to find my focus or passion, and specialize.

After two weeks of intense thought on the homework she gave, I came up with precise lists of capabilities, skill levels and what I enjoyed the most. Alexis Marie used effective constructive criticism to then guide my focus as to how I would approach selling my products and gave suggestions for solving the problem in a positive and productive manner. As someone increasingly interested in the arts I would recommend her to anyone interested in putting in the time to seriously start their own artistic endeavours.

On that note, she is a kind and enthusiastic individual whose talent is beyond paint and portrait. Her life experience lends to her awareness of the sensitivity others may need and contributes to her knowledge that sometimes life doesn’t work out as planned so we all periodically need a little encouragement to seek out our hearts’ desires.”

Heather Groeller, Artisan

It is always rewarding for me to hear the positive feedback of clients – and these individuals are often an inspiration for me as well. Get in touch for more information about my mentoring services: info@alexismariechute.com. I charge $50/one-hour session. It is a worthwhile investment.

Here are other posts about my mentoring:

Get Focused, Be Productive & Tap into your Creativity through Mentorship

http://www.alexismarieart.com/index.php/get-focused-be-productive-tap-into-creativity-through-mentorship/

Mentoring for the Modern Writer

http://www.alexismariewrites.com/index.php/mentoring-for-the-modern-writer/

Coaching, Mentoring & Consulting by Alexis Marie Chute

http://www.alexismariewrites.com/index.php/services/coaching-mentoring-consulting/

Wilfred Kozub Photography: Special Guest Post

June 23, 2015/1 Comment/in Art Inspirations, Blogging, Curating, Exhibitions, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Inspirations, The Life of an Artist /by Alexis Marie Chute

Alexis Marie: Are you enjoying the InFocus Alumni photography blog series? Today I would like to introduce you to Wilfred Kozub, photographer and artist of many mediums.

Welcome Wilfred!

GUEST POST

Wilfred Kozub, Multi media Artist

These are exciting times as I seem to have a lot of art projects on the go. I have gradually branched out from being a painter and pop/electronic musician to becoming a multi media artist.

“Treads” copyright Wilfred Kozub

I feel that colour and motion are the most conspicuous features in my paintings. These are elements that I typically bring to my photographic images, and to my music, too. I am now applying the same sensibility to my recent ventures in making little lyric videos to post on YouTube for my tunes. An extended music-based film titled “The Weather” will come out in the fall of 2015.

“Go North” copyright Wilfred Kozub

My paintings are frequently populated by swallows, magpies . . . and electrical activity. The goal has always been to engage the viewer with interesting ideas in an accessible format – keep it simple and make it striking! My painting, No One Gets Zapped is a good example of the electrical motion and vibrant colour that I’m talking about, and you can hear its audio equivalent in my song, Wilfred In The City.

“Delirious World” copyright Wilfred Kozub

Although photography isn’t at all new to me, I have recently brought my camera into action more and more with my photographic images now sharing nearly equal billing with my paintings on art cards and prints that I regularly show at the Royal Bison Art & Craft fair. My paintings have also been displayed in group and solo art shows with The Works, at the Artery, and other Edmonton gallery venues. It was a proud moment for me to ‘come out’ officially as an artistic photographer at the inaugural InFocus show for the Exposure Photography Festival in Edmonton (February, 2015). What a fine show it was, and such an excellent opportunity to have some of my new photographs displayed alongside the works of terrific Edmonton photographic artists.

My artwork and photography frequently can be seen in the graphic design for albums by my band, Wilfred N & the Grown Men. I have come to recognize the decorative quality of many of my paintings which use repetitive images (see I See By The Colour of Your Eyes That You Are One of Us). A new painting titled Delirious World has become the centerpiece for new cards and prints – and for my freshly designed, Delirious World printed silk scarves. That image is going to be expanded and transformed to be re-purposed as the cover art for my upcoming tenth Wilfred N & the Grown Men album titled Passing Through Time. A debut solo Wilfred Kozub album, “What’s Gonna Become of Us” is also in the works, and my photograph Ancient Flowers, Rome will be the cover image for that one. Lots going on! . . . I had better get to work!

Listen to “Wilfred in the City”

Wilfred Kozub

Contact Info:

Email: wilfredkozub@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wilfred.kozub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wngm

Links:

The Wilfred Kozub Art & Ponder Tumblr Page:

http://wilfredkozub.tumblr.com/

Wilfred Kozub on Soundcloud

https://soundcloud.com/wilfred-kozub

Wilfred N & the Grown Men on Bandcamp

https://wilfrednthegrownmen.bandcamp.com/

Wilfred N & the Grown Men on AmazingTunes

http://amazingtunes.com/wilfrednandthegrownmen

Videos:

Nobody Has To Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yab2dUwo6J0

Wilfred In the City https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WGA9YpxXPo

Thunder on the Tundra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVmQUZgcR_U

Art through the Lens Exhibition

June 19, 2015/0 Comments/in Art Update, Exhibitions, Photography Update /by Alexis Marie Chute

This summer, one of my portraits from The Quiet Rebuild will be featured in an exhibition called Art through the Lens held at the Yeiser Art Center in Kentucky. The exhibition was curated by juror Sarah Sudhoff.

Here is some information about Art through the Lens, curtisy of the Yeiser Art Center:

HISTORY

Originating in 1975 as the Paducah Summer Festival Photo Competition, Paducah Photo has grown from a fledgling contest into an international juried exhibition. Over the past 40 years, this exhibition has become one of the Mid-South’s most prestigious annual photographic events.

In 2013, Paducah was bestowed the honor of being designated a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network in the area of Crafts & Folk Art. To embrace both this international honor and reflect the international growth of the exhibition, this year Paducah Photo will take on a new name, Art Through the Lens.

Art Through the Lens is open to all without restrictions on size or content. It provides photographers with an outlet for their art, encouragement for growth in their vision and presentation and cash rewards for works of exceptional merit. Each year from the hundreds of works submitted, 60 – 100 images are selected for exhibition by a highly qualified juror, with five of them receiving cash awards. An awards presentation will be held during the opening reception.

Yeiser Art Center is a non-profit visual arts organization celebrating more than fifty years of serving the community with exhibitions and education throughout the Tri-State Region. It is situated near Paducah’s riverfront at 200 Broadway in the historic 1905 Market House building.

Plan a visit to Art through the Lens:

Yeiser Art Center

200 Broadway

Paducah, KY 42001

Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Exhibition dates: June 20 – August 1, 2015

The Quiet Rebuild in The Bellingham Review

June 12, 2015/0 Comments/in Art Update, Exhibitions, Photography Update, Press & Media, Volunteer for The Quiet Rebuild /by Alexis Marie Chute

I am honored to have three of my fine art photographs featured in the recent issue of the Bellingham Review. Their Spring 2015, seventieth-Issue arrived in my mailbox all the way from Western Washington University. I am always impressed with publications that merge multiple art forms into one. Placing photography and art beside written literature is wildly stimulating for readers – who are also viewers.

My images in The Quiet Rebuild are about the resiliency of the human spirit to press on after hardship. The people included in the portraits are volunteer models who responded to a public call. They felt that participating would be a healing step on their journey – and I believe they are right. The Quiet Rebuild is an exciting and provocative project with a big heart. I am always blessed by the people that pose and share their stories.

If you would like to be one of them, email me at info@alexismariechute.com with the subject: The Quiet Rebuild.

Art on the Block Photos, Art Gallery of Alberta

May 29, 2015/0 Comments/in Art Inspirations, Exhibitions, Fundraising, Gallery Openings, Painting, The Life of an Artist /by Alexis Marie Chute

The Art Gallery of Alberta knows how to put on a fun party. Their fundraiser this year was no exception. Here are a few pictures from Art on the Block at the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Alexis Marie & Aaron Chute, image copyright Alexis Marie Chute

“Blue Flow” acrylic painting copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Mayor Don Iveson & Alexis Marie Chute, image copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Aaron Chute at the silent auction, copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Art on the Block, Art Gallery of Alberta, copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Mentoring for the Modern Writer

May 6, 2015/2 Comments/in Creative Writing Update, Mentorship Magic, Register for this Awesome Class!, The Writing Life /by Alexis Marie Chute

Your writing is too important not to search out the support you need to take it to the next level. No matter what genre, I am the cheerleader you’ve always dreamed of rooting for you, and the coach you’ve always wished would see your potential and push you to succeed.

I have been mentoring people for years, though not always calling it as such. I have helped creative individuals utilize their talents, work smarter not harder, tap into the potential of blogging, social networks and other forms of marketing, and hone their literary craft to say exactly what they mean – and to do all this with style. I am the encouragement you need when you feel stuck.

Let me help you be excellent at all you do.

Alright. Alright. That’s enough! It’s boring to toot my own horn. Here is what one of my current clients has to say:

My mentoring sessions with Alexis Marie changed my view on how I was doing things. I learned that I wasn’t doing anything wrong, but that there are so many more things I could be doing right. I no longer sit around and wait to be discovered, I go out into the world and make people discover me.

Alexis Marie gave me direction, and taught me ways of achieving my goals I didn’t know existed. She taught me how to connect with people through words and construct a more powerful self-image that people would be intrigued with. I learned how to turn my weakness into strength and how to use my strength in the right way. Before Alexis Marie’s mentoring I was running in circles, now I’m finally on the right track.

– Evan Crawford, up-and-coming musician @ecrawfordmusic

If you are curious about mentoring, send me an email at info@alexismariechute.com and book a session. The best way to see if I can assist you on your creative journey is by getting started. Let’s do that today.

Best wishes for all your writing projects!

Win Free Tickets to the Edmonton Home and Garden Show

March 20, 2015/0 Comments/in Art Update, Commissions, Exhibitions, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography Update, The Life of an Artist /by Alexis Marie Chute

The Edmonton Home and Garden Show kicked off yesterday and what a fun event! I painted live and had passers-by peering over my shoulders watching the painting progress. I’m in an area called The M(art)ket with other creative folks; painters, photographers and crafters. My booth numbers are 1373 and 1474 in hall B.

Come visit me and find some art for your space!

I have tickets to give away to the Home Show and am doing a random draw from NEW WEBSITE SUBSCRIBERS FROM TODAY. So, if you want free tickets please click here and subscribe. Enter your name and email address at the bottom of my homepage. With the subscription you will receive tasteful and timely notifications of my blog posts about upcoming exhibitions and other fun artsy events and features to check out.

Subscribe today to be in the running for Edmonton Home and Garden Show tickets!

Subscribe at the bottom of my homepage.

Also, visit me on Twitter where I’m running another competition for free tickets. My handle is @_Alexis_Marie

The theme of the home show is: Real Advice, Real Inspiration, Real Experts. In that line of thought, please comment below on what inspires you. For me as an artist, I find inspiration in nature, in its colours, textures and movement.

Happy Friday everyone! And good luck!

Edmonton Home and Garden Show:

Friday, March 20 – Noon to 9pm

Saturday, March 21 – 10am to 9pm

Sunday, March 22 – 10am to 5pm

Edmonton Expo Centre

7517-118 Avenue NW

Check out my artist business information on the home show website, click here.

I will also be offering consultations for personalized art commissions – the perfect way to get amazing art with a story behind it.

Musical Performance by Evan Crawford at “The Quiet Rebuild: New Portraits” Exhibit

February 24, 2015/0 Comments/in Art Update, Artist Talks, Exhibitions, Gallery Openings, Photography Inspirations, Photography Update, Volunteer for The Quiet Rebuild /by Alexis Marie Chute

The Quiet Rebuild: New Portraits exhibition is this coming weekend and I’m excited! There are new portraits from individuals and families from across Canada. These photographs capture people who inspire viewers with their strength, determination and resiliency to overcome challenging obstacles and hardship. Their stories will touch your heart. They touched mine.

I am excited to announce that Evan Crawford will be the musical feature at the opening reception Saturday night, February 28th. I am passionate about supporting local musicians – plus, cross-discipline collaborations are awesome.

Get to know Evan Crawford:

Coming from a family of talented musicians, Evan Crawford learned to find something he loved about many different kinds of music. His early influences include country, blues and rock and roll. His country roots taught him how to make something beautiful in its simplicity, while incorporating the darker sound of blues, and the edgy lyricism of rock and roll. These things combined create an alternative sound that can be enjoyed in both peaceful and up-beat environments.

His upcoming EP called In Her Hands, marks his coming to grips with falling in love, while at the same time thinking that anybody who loved him was fated for unhappiness. The five song EP begins with the initial concept of not wanting nor deserving love and ends with a song conveying his acceptance. His single Among the Stars pays tribute to his guitar teacher who passed away when Evan was fourteen, who still remains his single greatest influence in music.

Preview his music on Reverbnation and check out Evan on Facebook.