What Do You Need To Feel Good?

You Know You've Got it if it Makes You Feel Good by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

It is with great appreciation I share that my original abstract painting was sold earlier in the year. The one-of-a-kind painting is titled You Know You've Got it if it Makes You Feel Good.

I would like to send a heartfelt thank-you to Ms. Lasquite of Talisay City, Philippines for your incredible enthusiasm and passion for my artwork. 

I am so grateful to not only have worked together at Elephant Stock, but to now have you as one of my collectors. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

About this painting

Vibrant colours dance across the canvas, bursting with energy in a symphony of blue and green hues. The large, bold strokes of colour pulsate with life as they lead your eye around the artwork.

The title of this playful and energetic painting was inspired by the lyrics of the song Piece of my Heart, which was a huge hit for Janis Joplin. You can hear her version of the song and follow along with the lyrics in the YouTube video below.

The original painting measures 9” x 12” and is acrylic on paper.

My Little Gems Series

This little painting is part of my Little Gems Series, which I use for testing new techniques and practicing old ones. They are infused with the joy, love, and passion I feel in the studio. That energy is imbued into the painting as my gift to you!

You can see more original paintings in this collection here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/painting-collage/Litte-Gems-Small-works-on-paper-and-loose-canvas/499285/160111/viewTK 

Prints for Sale Online

While the original artwork has been sold, you can get prints and reproduction in a variety of sizes and formats here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-You-Know-You-ve-Got-It-If-It-Make-You-Feel-Good/499285/11237901/view  

Reproduction prints on Saatchi Art are available in 3 formats:

Fine Art Paper

310 GSM, 100% cotton linters, archival quality, natural white finish with a slightly structured, soft-textured surface.

Metal

Specialized inks infused into specially coated, thin, high gloss aluminum sheets. Exhibit mounted on 2mm black Styrene and finished with a black Metal Inset Frame.

Canvas

Museum grade, matte textured (20.5 mil), bright white, poly-cotton blend with no additives or agents.

New Original Artwork: Becoming I of II

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

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

About This Painting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prints and Original Artwork for Sale Online

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

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.

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.

Original Painting “Rocky Mountain” Sold and Shipped to Seattle

Rocky Mountain by Deb Chaney (11” x 15”)

My original painting, Rocky Mountain, recently sold in April, and I would like to extend a deeply appreciative thank you to K. Robertson in Seattle for buying this original “little gem” mixed media work. It truly is a unique piece in my collection and I hope it is a welcome and treasured addition to yours.

The Power of Buying (and Selling) Art

When a patron buys original artwork, it has a profound impact on my career as an artist that goes far beyond the monetary. First and foremost, knowing that my art is connecting with someone, fuels my creativity and fosters inspiration. So your support means the world to me.

I remember the day I became an art collector. It was a Wednesday in December of 2007, and the painting was an Untitled piece by Houston-based artist Michelle Y. Williams. I was thrilled. So thrilled that I wrote about it here while reflecting on why people buy art.

I listed off a number of reasons for why I bought the painting, including everything from the satisfaction of supporting an artist achieve their dreams to the obvious aesthetic reason of adding beauty to my home. Just as (or more) importantly, it cultivated a deeper feeling of connection to both the artist and the gallery.

And what I wrote 15 years ago, still stands today. I would LOVE to hear from art collectors about why you chose a certain piece of artwork or what buying art means to you.

About This Artwork

Rocky Mountain is an essential part of my Little Gems Series, which is a collection of small, one-of-a-kind mixed media abstract paintings. I’ve been doing the series for years, using it as an avenue for technique exploration and a means of testing my creativity. Beginning as demos or projects in one of my workshops, a chosen few emerge to become real paintings!

At 11” x 15”, Rocky Mountain is a couple of inches longer and wider than most works in the series, which are typically 9” x 12”. The painting is a mixed media collage on paper.

Similar Original Artwork and Prints for Sale

I usually like to suggest a similar original artwork to look at, but Rocky Mountain is such a unique piece, that search proved to be a challenge. However, you can purchase a high-quality print of the painting here at Saatchi Art. 

You can choose to have the print on paper or canvas and even have it sent to you already framed. And one of the great things about prints is that you have a choice of sizes–meaning you can get Rocky Mountain all the way up to 30” x 40”.

You can look at more paintings in the Little Gems Series on Saatchi Art. There are many original paintings available for purchase to add to your art collection. They’ve even got a “View in My Room” tool that lets you see how each piece of artwork will fit into your home.