New Original Artwork: What goes around comes Around

What goes around comes around by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate the completion of my new original abstract artwork, What goes around comes around. The one-of-a-kind original painting is now available for purchase at Saatchi Art online. High-quality prints are also available in a range of sizes.

About This Painting

For the past couple of years, since 2021, I have been in the process of working on a series of very large format paintings I call my Drishti Paintings. I have put a tremendous amount of thought and intention into these paintings. On top of that, working on such large canvases, with layers of mediums and sand, is a lengthy process. One layer must dry before I can add, or take- away, the next layer.

In the meantime, I often add to my Little Gems series of paintings, such as this one, to use extra paint and to allow myself some playtime with a quick and satisfying finished end product.

The title of this painting will be relevant to anyone who knows me personally and is privy to the down point in my life at this time. Not everyone in the world is kind or acts in ways that feel good to us. But I figure “what goes around comes around”. And so does Justin Timberlake.

This playful abstract painting feels uplifting with bright and sunny colours like orange and tangerine. Large, swooping circles and gestures in whites and blacks add movement and a sense of vitality to the painting.

As mentioned above, this painting is part of my Little Gems Series, a series of small paintings that are created for fun as well as for testing new techniques and practicing old ones.

You can buy the original painting of What goes around comes around online at Saatchi Art here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-What-goes-around-comes-around/499285/10144413/view 

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

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-What-goes-around-comes-around/499285/10144413/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 a licensing agreement and costs.

New Original Artwork: Re-Claiming II of II

Re-Claiming II of II by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate my new original abstract painting, Re-Claiming II of II. The original painting as well as high-quality prints are now available to add to your art collection.

About This Painting

This painting captures the energy of our third chakra, also known as the Manipura Chakra, which is the energy centre that determines how we go about owning our personal power. Located in the region of our body around the navel, it is also called the solar plexus chakra. The affirmation to unlock and heal this chakra is “I Am Powerful”.

The painting is called Re-Claiming because I painted this while working a day job in the paint department of our local hardware store. Whenever my three-day work week came to an end, I would rest, then find myself consciously reclaiming my creative practice and getting back into the studio.

This painting is in support of you reclaiming your own creative flow.

This mixed-media on-paper painting is part of my Little Gems Series, which are my practice pieces. They are small-scale studies to explore new ideas and practice old ones. Just as musicians do vocal exercises or practice their scales, this is how a painter practices, so to speak. They are infused with the joy, love, and passion that I feel in the studio, and that energy is imbued into the painting – my gift to you!

The dominant colour in this painting is deep, bright yellow, which is bold and textured, to create a sunny, uplifting flow. Stark black brushstrokes and shadows add more texture, giving it further depth. With a sense of playfulness, adventure, and energy, it can add warmth and vitality to either your living or work space.

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

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Re-Claiming-II-of-II/499285/10134621/view

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

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Re-Claiming-II-of-II/499285/10134621/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: Becoming II of II

Becoming II of II by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

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

About This Painting

This is the second piece in my pair of Becoming paintings. As mentioned in the previous post about the first painting, during the creative process of these paintings, I contemplated my journey of becoming an artist. This involved reflecting on how my journey began and recalling the sense of flow and fun that I experienced each step of the way.

Years back, while living in California, I participated in the Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show along the waterfront. A painting titled Nouveau Monde was one of the first that I completed, and I actually sold it quite quickly after it was finished. It truly made me feel like I was on my way to 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 II of II are reminiscent of my earlier painting, Nouveau Monde. The same is true for the composition’s simplicity and the lines, though stronger, crossing the canvas. Similar to Becoming I of II, it resembles an aerial view of the ocean and the beach, although with a smaller, slightly more turbulent sea. Its 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-II-of-II/499285/10134873/view 

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

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Becoming-II-of-II/499285/10134873/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: 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.

New Original Artwork: The Matrix

The Matrix by Deb Chaney (16” x 16”)

This post is to celebrate the completion of a new original artwork called The Matrix. Both the original artwork and prints are available for purchase.

About This Painting

This painting was inspired by the opening credits of the movie The Matrix, in which bright, neon green computer code rains down the screen. Letters and numbers continue to fall from the “computer sky”, and this effect inspired the alphanumeric-like marks on this painting.

Blue is the dominant colour in this painting – with hues like sky blue, azure, cerulean, cyan, and indigo – where it is the colour of both the sky and the sea. The painting is integrated with layers of bright gray and iridescent, lustrous silver, with hints of purples like indigo amethyst.

The square painting has a vertical composition, and words are written sideways in black with gestures and cursive text that flows up the canvas. The overall geometric patterns are reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphs in contrast to the more modern cursive text.

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

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-The-Matrix/499285/10135271/view 

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

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-The-Matrix/499285/10135271/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 “Stars Shining in the Daytime” Sold

Stars Shining in the Daytime by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate the recent sale of my original abstract painting titled Stars Shining in the Daytime. It has been shipped to its new home in Liverpool, United Kingdom! I would like to extend a huge thank you and much love and gratitude to the collector, Ms. Tavriger. 

About This Painting

This painting was created during a live demonstration for a workshop called “Creating Encaustic Effects with Acrylics”. It was specifically created to show transparent and translucent layering techniques with texture in order to share this with my students. Materials used include acrylic, collage, oil sticks, polymer mediums, and pencil.

In the photo below you can see where I’ve written on the back of the painting explaining how the layers were applied.

Back of Canvas of Stars Shining in the Daytime by Deb Chaney

With its beautiful layers of sacred geometry-inspired star patterns and playful typewritten text, this ethereal piece of abstract artwork possesses a magical and child-like energy. The soft pastel colours with white, beige gold, and turquoise create a gentle, spiritual atmosphere. 

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 You can buy prints of Stars Shining in the Daytime through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Stars-Shining-in-the-Daytime/499285/4223692/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: Love Letter to Myself

Love Letter to Myself by Deb Chaney (9” x 12”)

This post is to celebrate a new original artwork called Love Letter to Myself becoming available for purchase. Its prints are also now available to order online.

About This Painting

This painting was inspired by the cultivation of self-love. I started by typing a love letter to myself and printing it out on very large paper. I then collaged and integrated the printed text with handwritten and painted words in multiple layers of the painting. It was created for and during an online workshop I conducted during the pandemic called “Mastering Mixed Media Abstract Painting”. More details on the process of creating this painting can be found in my previous blog post.

This painting has 2 main colours — ultramarine violet and yellow iron oxide. With hues such as lavender and periwinkle, light purple is the dominant colour. Spiritually, purple is associated with the crown shakra, which is the energy centre of the top of the body. The colour is associated with a sense of belonging and connection, and the knowledge that we are all divine.

Light yellow supports the purples with shades of amber and gold, while text, both typed and handwritten, is embedded within layers of the painting.

You can buy the original painting of Love Letter to Myself through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Love-Letter-to-Myself/499285/10015165/view

You can buy prints of Love Letter to Myself through Saatchi Art online here:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Love-Letter-to-Myself/499285/10015165/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 - 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.