Art, Part 1

We bought a painting. For years, Aaron and I have been looking for a large painting to hang over our living room couch. There have been some snags -- we rarely have enough dough to invest in original art, and even when we're feeling like living dangerously and buying on credit (yes, people like us are responsible for the economic meltdown, I know), it's not like you can just snap your fingers and find a piece of art that works. We have fairly different tastes and have both envisioned different things for the space. Plus, as with everything else, that magical piece of art is never to be found when you're looking for it.

Aaron found this painting at, at all places, the Calgary Stampede, where (and who knew?) there's a temporary art gallery. For those not in the know, the Stampede is basically our version of a state fair/expo/summer carnival, only with a rodeo and a very unsubtle cowboy theme. Not surprisingly, most of the art show consisted of brass rodeo sculptures, Native art, and realistic paintings of horses. He was pretty floored with he saw this artist's paintings. The next day, he dragged me and the kids back down there and we bought the piece you see above.

The artist is a local woman named Sheila Kernan and she focuses on land and city scapes. This piece is called Canola Meadow and it's large (about three and a half by five feet) and textured. It's perfect for us -- the colours suit us and it meets Aaron's need to fill our house with art that represents the place in which we live and my need to buck the conservative culture that overwhelms that same place. This is the second original piece we've bought (and the second by a local artist) and we're both really feeling a rush.


Oh, and apparently the parents aren't the only ones in our house feeling artistically inspired. Nice one, Henry. Time to dig out the Magic Eraser.