Summer in the Studio, 2022
I’m looking forward to peony season here in Edmonton and summer in the studio. Everything has been about 2 weeks late this year, but I’m happily checking my peonies every day and they’re coming along. Because I planted so many new-to-me types of peonies last year and the year before, the anticipation is even higher than usual.
You may have noticed the few-and-far-between-ness of the newsletter from my studio this past year. The news is still: flowers. And that flowers help. I’m grateful for that.
In other years though, I’ve had upcoming exhibitions to talk about, trips, residencies, and this year is really just about the painting. I am in a group show right now at the Wallace Galleries in Calgary titled “The Poetry of Life.”
Installation view of the group show at Wallace Galleries in Calgary for “The Poetry of Life”
While I always love planning and organizing an exhibition, working with a gallery on all the moving parts of such an endeavour, it’s also quite nice to just paint and send my galleries a couple paintings each at a time. With an exhibition, one is thinking about a cohesive whole, which might include varying sizes and subject matter, trying to have a variety of images that also work together in a group. And this is really satisfying, but there’s also something nice about just going by feeling, and with each canvas starting fresh without any obligations. I don’t usually decide where I’m going to send something these days until after I paint it. It feels a bit bee-like, going from flower to flower, following the pollen path.
I have recently sent the two paintings in this next image to James Baird Gallery in Pouch Cove, and the two paintings in the following image to Shayne Gallery in Montreal.
Above:
Bottom painting: Rose Bouquet, 36" x 48" $6700 CAD
Top painting: White Peonies, 40" x 60" $7600 CAD
Both available at James Baird Gallery.
Above:
Bottom painting: Magenta Peonies, 36" x 60" $7000 CAD
Top painting: Peony bouquet, 36” x 36” $5000 CAD
Both available at Shayne Gallery in Montreal.
If you happen to be in the Canadian rockies this summer, particularly in Banff, be sure and stop in to Canada House Gallery and say hello. The people are warm and friendly and always happy to show you any of my paintings that they might have. Please ask, as not all the art can be shown on the floor. The following screenshot image gives you an idea of what’s available currently:
I’m also very pleased to share the kind words by Signet Contemporary Art in Chelsea from their Instagram post:
The full text reads:
“Paused in time transient, ethereal beauty, Robert Lemay paints burgeoning floral still life studies flourishing with peaceful magnitude, grace, and hope. Intimately composed from a close up perspective, the artist imparts the flora contrasted against a simple, dark background, meaning it assumes a striking dynamic presence on the canvas. This illuminates and emphasises the exquisite detail the artist has rendered the blossoms with, employing a myriad of brushstrokes to achieve the quality of a photo realistic image, palpably suggesting the natural subjects delicate textures. This modern study conveys a sophisticated display painted in saturated pink hues with care taken to extracting the subtleties in the tonal colouration and botanical features. This produces a chic and attractive artwork that captures the arrangement's ephemeral glamour. Showing an appreciation for the form and essence of the painting's contents, the ambience of summer is gleefully evoked through the flora, painted so genuinely that you can almost smell the sweet fragrance associated with the blooms.”
Of course, it’s always nice to see the art in person before purchasing but galleries are always happy to show you details, send you videos, or otherwise describe to you the feeling of the work. If you’ve never bought a work of art before, but would like more information on a piece, just send the gallery a DM or email, or even phone them. It’s a pretty lovely process from what I’ve heard. All of my galleries will ship anywhere in the world and have a lot of expertise with hanging and placing art. One good thing that has come out of the pandemic is that everyone is pretty adept with various technologies and I think you’ll be delighted by the possibilities when you inquire about a piece of art.
I began the newsletter with the hopefulness of peonies soon to be blooming in the garden, and I’d like to end by extending the hope that you, too, will be enjoying a wonderful summer, looking forward to doing all the things you love doing, and hopefully taking time to smell the flowers.
— Rob