MONIKA WRIGHT creates abstract art in Nova Scotia where she has lived since 2005. Winner of several awards, including the prestigious Mary Pratt Crystal award, her distinctive style of painting has lead to recognition, first locally and then internationally.
In this monthly newsletter I will share my creative journey, the hills and valleys that I travel to create my abstract paintings, seascapes and wearable art fashion line. If you'd like to receive these musings, please enter your email on the form above. Thanks for all your interest, support and the inspiration you give me every day to be courageous and kind.
In this monthly newsletter I will share my creative journey, the hills and valleys that I travel to create my abstract paintings, seascapes and wearable art fashion line. If you'd like to receive these musings, please enter your email on the form above. Thanks for all your interest, support and the inspiration you give me every day to be courageous and kind.
Gift Certificates Available
Is it time for a unique gift, from your heart to your loved one's? Original art is one way to let someone know that they are too special for an ordinary gift. And if you're not sure which piece would strike their fancy, there's always the Gift Certificate option. Birthdays, holidays, weddings...any time is the right time for a gift of original art. Questions? Just send me a note:
I look forward to helping you inspire someone special with one of my artworks.
I look forward to helping you inspire someone special with one of my artworks.
Welcome to the November issue of 'IN THE STUDIO'!
BLOG: FALLING IN LOVE
Being captivated, having that emotional response to a piece of art is much like falling in love, isn’t it? There’s no explanation for those emotions that take hold, that set our heart racing, take our breath away at the mere sight of the . . . artwork!
We’ll always remember the first time we laid eyes on that art. We’ll remember our reaction, and when we tell stories about the experience, our appreciation will grow. We’ll remember the sense of validation that we felt when we acknowledged those emotions, the way we were cheered, inspired, or even stimulated to experience something on a darker level. The unconscious was made conscious when we interacted. Art that resonates with us is, quite simply, good art. There is no better measure.
We’ll always remember the first time we laid eyes on that art. We’ll remember our reaction, and when we tell stories about the experience, our appreciation will grow. We’ll remember the sense of validation that we felt when we acknowledged those emotions, the way we were cheered, inspired, or even stimulated to experience something on a darker level. The unconscious was made conscious when we interacted. Art that resonates with us is, quite simply, good art. There is no better measure.
EXHIBITION NEWS
When: November 15 & 16, 2019
Time: 11 am to 6 pm
Where: 25 Waterbury Lane, Upper Tantallon, NS
RSVP: monika@monikawright.com
With Gratitude to you, Friends, Supporters, Clients - Welcome to my home and studio November 15 & 16. Artwork and Wearable Art Fashions available with a portion of proceeds going to Feed Nova Scotia.
A collection of my paintings spanning the last few years and Wearable Art Fashions available - samples and custom orders including Brand New Designs!
And 'pssst,' you just might find the perfect Holiday Gift for someone special!
SHOP WEARABLE ART FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
These and many more styles now available. See more styles here.
From the Canvas to your Table! Placemats look stylish and protect your table. Sets of 4 for $50
|
|
OFF THE EASEL - NEW ART!
"A NEW VISION" - 36"x36"
Available at 14 Bells Fine Art Gallery
GET INSPIRED-ART IN YOUR HOME
"Shifting Vibrations" - 38"x40" $2400
|
PALAZZO PANTS!"Like Minded Souls" is a painting that has been transformed into Palazzo Pants! Dress it up or wear it with a denim jacket. The painting is also available on shawl, in a beautiful soft brushed fabric, double sided with a neutral solid colour on one side and printed on the other side. And, for a lighter look, a 'chiffon' scarf gives you lots of options to wear it wrapped around your neck or tied as a belt or head scarf!
This painting is one of several designs that has been transformed into these versatile wearable art designs. They are custom made to order in sizes from XS to XL and manufactured in Canada using earth-friendly water based inks! |
BLOG: WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR?
What’s your favourite colour? It’s one of those questions we are often asked, along with ‘What’s your favourite food, place to travel . . . or wine? ‘
What is it that draws us to certain colours, what makes us fill our closets or our houses with hues of blues, yellows or reds? I’ve had an affinity for shades of blue, especially since I moved to Nova Scotia. I think it’s the colour of the sky, the ocean and lakes I see wherever I look, the trees that surround me. Clear, cool colours dominate my palette both in my home and in my wardrobe – and of course in my artwork. But that hasn’t always been the case.
"A Complex Simplicity" - 48"x48" - Diptych -$3475
|
"All We Have" - 36"x36" - $2025
|
"True Perception" is another one of my scuba diving inspired paintings, bubbles rising to the surface. It made me realize that our thoughts rise from deep within us, rising towards the light into the world. Thoughts have an impact on all of us. Choose what you allow to influence you. Be aware of your influence on others. This painting is one of several designs that has been transformed into this super flattering fitted dress made with 'scuba knit' fabric with 50% recycled materials, and manufactured in Canada! "True Perception" Scuba Knit Fitted Dress with 3/4 Length Sleeves - $149. CAD www. monikawright.com |
"True Perception" - Scuba knit, 3/4 sleeve fitted dress in sizes XS to XL $149
|
BLOG: SIZE MATTERS
Let’s face it; we have wall spaces that come in all shapes and sizes. There are those narrow spaces between doorways, that awkward little place at the foot of the stairs, the tall wall at the landing going upstairs, the space over the king size bed. How do you find a painting that’s going to fit AND look so good you never want to part with it? After all, making an investment in art can be expensive, so you want to make sure you love it with all your heart and you know where you’re going to hang it. Unless, of course, you’re like me, and you do ‘art on rotation’!
"The Breath of Life" needs space to breathe! 40" x 60" of vibrant, flowing colour will add joy to any room. It's available for your home.
BLOG: PAINTING WITH THE 'OTHER HAND' OR
A BROKEN BONE WON'T STOP ME!
|
|
I live in paradise, on a lake with views that take my breath away every single day, no matter the season or the weather. The fog rolls in and then lifts slowly to reveal layers of islands against a wide expanse of sky and water. Or the faintest whisper of a cloud streaks the perfect cerulean sky, reflecting like a mirror at my doorstep. I enjoy it all year long, but mostly, I anticipate those warm and sunny days when I can kayak and swim and be the water nymph I dream of being on the cold and dreary days of which we have far too many in Nova Scotia.
"Deeply Rooted" opens at The Lunenburg Art GalleryonAugust 27th and runs to September 29th. Opening hours are 11-5 pm, with an evening Opening Reception on Friday August 30th, from 5-7 pm. We look forward to meeting you there!
BLOG: THE EVOLUTION OF MY ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
July 2019
Recently, while preparing for an Open House weekend in my Studio, I opened the ‘vault’ and surrounded myself with some of the artwork from my early days as an artist, to the most recent works still in progress. It was a fascinating and somewhat emotional journey to see the evolution of my art, and to experience the memories that were tied to those periods in my life. There was certainly a common stylistic thread amongst the artworks, even dating back to the times of ‘jewellery making’ and abstract photography, and yet it was clear that transitions had occurred.
The similarities across the mediums I explored were most noticeable in the shapes I created. There were always fluid, organic shapes and lines, a sense of irrepressible movement, a flow of energy. And there were a lot of circles and lines, especially in the earlier works, dissipating into more ethereal splashes of colour, as if the restraint and the control of the past had been released and a new freedom and confidence were emerging.
July 2019
Recently, while preparing for an Open House weekend in my Studio, I opened the ‘vault’ and surrounded myself with some of the artwork from my early days as an artist, to the most recent works still in progress. It was a fascinating and somewhat emotional journey to see the evolution of my art, and to experience the memories that were tied to those periods in my life. There was certainly a common stylistic thread amongst the artworks, even dating back to the times of ‘jewellery making’ and abstract photography, and yet it was clear that transitions had occurred.
The similarities across the mediums I explored were most noticeable in the shapes I created. There were always fluid, organic shapes and lines, a sense of irrepressible movement, a flow of energy. And there were a lot of circles and lines, especially in the earlier works, dissipating into more ethereal splashes of colour, as if the restraint and the control of the past had been released and a new freedom and confidence were emerging.
My Mission is to Inspire You and Bring You Joy
Wishing you kindness in your daily lives, the circular kind where you receive it in abundance and pay it forward, where the attitude and gratitude spread like lupins in Springtime in Nova Scotia, endless kindness like the waves that crash upon the shore. Those are the images that surround me where I live and create my art. It is this place where I am grounded and the world I explore that inspires me. It is your love and support of my art that gives me strength. Making art can be a lonely journey, but you have invited me into your imagination and your hearts. Thank you for all you do to share your thoughts and feelings about my art, to those of you who have brought my creations into your own homes and lives. May you have an inspired year filled with peace, kindness and love.
Monika
Monika
"THRIVE" - 30" X 40" - $1800
BLOG: THE ART OF LETTING GO
June 2019
There is one question that I get asked more than any other: “How long does it take you to make a painting”. It’s a tricky one to answer and most artists have practiced the standard reply, something like: “I’ve been at some version of this painting for 15 years; I just keep improving it.”
If a painting works out well in just a day, does that mean I haven’t put enough effort into it, or does it mean that the skills I’ve developed over many years and many paintings, after practice and patience - and impatience - have come together in a sweet moment of joy in this painting? Has my intuition and skill merged in perfect synchronicity?
June 2019
There is one question that I get asked more than any other: “How long does it take you to make a painting”. It’s a tricky one to answer and most artists have practiced the standard reply, something like: “I’ve been at some version of this painting for 15 years; I just keep improving it.”
If a painting works out well in just a day, does that mean I haven’t put enough effort into it, or does it mean that the skills I’ve developed over many years and many paintings, after practice and patience - and impatience - have come together in a sweet moment of joy in this painting? Has my intuition and skill merged in perfect synchronicity?
BLOG: THE BLANK CANVAS AND THE PARADOX OF INSPIRATION
May 2019
The blank canvas stares back at me. Will
I treat it as a challenge fraught with trepidation, or an invitation to be brave and explore the emotions of this moment? That’s what I do, I paint emotions, not scenes you’d recognize, so I rely on what’s built up inside me, or what I allow to enter into my soul when I open myself to the universal energy, the magic that is waiting for expression.
My paintings are intuitive interpretations that develop into series organically. With this series, though, I’ll be creating with intent: an exhibition inspired by water, the oceans, lakes and clouds that sustain us and demand that we pay more careful attention. "Our Water, Our World" will open at Art Lab Studios in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia on June 1stand will show until June 20th.
May 2019
The blank canvas stares back at me. Will
I treat it as a challenge fraught with trepidation, or an invitation to be brave and explore the emotions of this moment? That’s what I do, I paint emotions, not scenes you’d recognize, so I rely on what’s built up inside me, or what I allow to enter into my soul when I open myself to the universal energy, the magic that is waiting for expression.
My paintings are intuitive interpretations that develop into series organically. With this series, though, I’ll be creating with intent: an exhibition inspired by water, the oceans, lakes and clouds that sustain us and demand that we pay more careful attention. "Our Water, Our World" will open at Art Lab Studios in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia on June 1stand will show until June 20th.
BLOG: ART FROM THE HEART
April 2019
I create abstract art. It’s confusing for some people, challenging on a level that makes them feel uncomfortable, perhaps even unsure about their ability to “get it”. And in great part, that is probably because they’ve heard so much ‘art-speak’ describing the work and the artist’s intention in a way that simply doesn’t make sense or doesn’t resonate with them. They feel they should recognize what they are looking at, or at least be able to communicate their reaction to the work of art with the same kind of language. But I’d like to propose another approach to viewing my art; one that allows you to just see, be in the moment, and let come what may. No pressure to ‘get it’.
You see (pun intended!), it’s completely natural for humans to have a need to recognize something real in the artwork. It’s how we’ve been programmed by evolution for a fight-or-flight response: ‘is it dangerous, or welcoming?’ We look at clouds, or rock formations and see faces and animals. But we can also just look out across the expanse of mountains and valleys, across the miles of ocean or dessert, and enjoy the view. There’s a sense of freedom in that. And it’s what I’m suggesting you do with abstract art. Let it affect you the way a sunny day with gentle breezes and swaying trees touches you.
April 2019
I create abstract art. It’s confusing for some people, challenging on a level that makes them feel uncomfortable, perhaps even unsure about their ability to “get it”. And in great part, that is probably because they’ve heard so much ‘art-speak’ describing the work and the artist’s intention in a way that simply doesn’t make sense or doesn’t resonate with them. They feel they should recognize what they are looking at, or at least be able to communicate their reaction to the work of art with the same kind of language. But I’d like to propose another approach to viewing my art; one that allows you to just see, be in the moment, and let come what may. No pressure to ‘get it’.
You see (pun intended!), it’s completely natural for humans to have a need to recognize something real in the artwork. It’s how we’ve been programmed by evolution for a fight-or-flight response: ‘is it dangerous, or welcoming?’ We look at clouds, or rock formations and see faces and animals. But we can also just look out across the expanse of mountains and valleys, across the miles of ocean or dessert, and enjoy the view. There’s a sense of freedom in that. And it’s what I’m suggesting you do with abstract art. Let it affect you the way a sunny day with gentle breezes and swaying trees touches you.