The Cure for a Slow-starting Spring?

After a successful showing at the Craig Gallery in November and a long winter's nap on my spare bedroom's walls, the characters from Altered Egos have now come out of hibernation to appear in the exhibition space at the
Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design.

Once numbering 22 works, the exhibition is compiled of the remaining 16 works
( 6 works found new homes while they were on view at the Craig--thank you to all of you who made that possible!) and I am thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to show them to my hometown crowd!

If you want a bit of comic relief from this long drawn out winter or to take in some colourful characters as opposed to looking at the snow that just won't go, head down to the Gallery at 322 Charlotte Street. Gallery hours are 10am - 4pm  Monday thru Friday and Saturdays 12 - 4pm.

"Boundless" by Teena Marie Fancey
vintage ephemera,acrylic, paper and handpainted embellishment on board
 4" x 5"

Painted ladies...

well not the usual kind of painted ladies. These ladies were literally conjured with paint and are now appearing at The Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design Gallery Shop and are available for sale.

For information on purchasing my work, drop me a line at  tmfancey@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

from top clockwise: Francophile, Lionheart, Loose Lips Sink Ships, Rainmaker, You Missed
All paintings by Teena Marie Fancey 

Sparking an Idea Pt. 2

A while back while working in the studio, I posted Sparking an Idea--a work in progress inspired by some paper cuttings and vintage welding glasses my friend gifted me. As you can see, the paper made it into the piece but the glasses did not, even though they inspired the composition etc. That is not unusual...sometimes things just need to be added or not.  There is no doubt that the glasses will make a future appearance and the paper cuttings will appear again and again, I'm sure.

So I give you the finished work: Static. She will be appearing for the rest of this week in at the Craig Gallery, Alderney Landing in Dartmouth.  

Alchemy revisited

A while back I wrote a post called "Studio Alchemy". I talked about stream of thought and how pieces come together. Here is the finished piece I was working on at the time.

She is Hot Head and she is appearing in Altered Egos at the Craig Gallery right now.

 But she'll be leaving soon...show closes Dec. 1st. So if you are in the Halifax/Dartmouth area, check out the Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth. It in the same building as the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal.

 

Hot Head by Teena Marie Fancey
16"  x 20" acrylic painting, vintage ephemera, electric stove element, lite brite pegs

 

vintage ad from 1960's magazine and a stove element

 

Identity Disc-Tron
 

 

She loves me...not?

Meet Daisy. She's plucky. One look and you know she's figured you out.
She's not to be trifled with.  I mean it.

 

 

Daisy is one of the many Altered Egos appearing at the Craig Gallery  in Dartmouth, NS until Dec. 1st!

 

 

Flora and the Hours

Young bud, resplendent

fresh cheeked and tender green

not a worry

in no hurry

The Hours grow long, easily

charming us with dappled light

no rush,

no rush

 

 

Shadows stretch out, drowsily

gathering moments on their way

time and time

again

 

 

Bud to leaf, blossom

to flower and gone to seed

back to the ground

Slow down!

 

Flora and the Hours--poem and Painting by Teena Marie Fancey.

This Mixed Medium Portrait is custom framed by Shari MacLeod and is part of my latest exhibit Altered Egos. Show runs until Dec. 1st at

The Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth, NS

For more information about the work, click the mail icon below!

 

 

 

 

She's A Believer

Promises, promises.

I posted a sneak peek of this piece last week. It's entitled Believer and is an
8"X 8"acrylic painting with vintage ephemera from a 1960's ladies magazine and some found bits and bobs added for embellishment. Note the glint in her eye, diamonds in the sky and the smooth look on his face. Why, you can see a big city skyline in that glass of champers! Drink UP!
 This is just 1 of 22 pieces you can see at Altered Egos, my exhibit at the Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth, NS. Show runs til Dec. 1st.

Oh, and this one...is SOLD!

 

Here is the BEFORE

 

 

 

 

And the AFTER

 

 

Believer by Teena Marie Fancey


AND some DETAIL

 

 

Post Opening Shout Outs

It's been almost a week since my show opened and it's high time to send out a few words of thanks.

First of all, I want to say thanks to all of you who have taken an interest in what I do--whether that comes in the form of encouragement, support, patronage, sharing my posts on FB or on Blogger or simply following my blog. I also want to thank the Craig Gallery for once again hosting an exhibit for me and to all of you who attended the opening or have visited the gallery and viewed the show. But I give a big shout out to my friend and sister in law Jane. She not only gave me lodgings and hospitality but helped me install the show and has given me BIG encouragement and support over the years. Cheers Janey (she's the one on the right--don't kill me for posting this pic!)

L, TM and J opening night. Trickster Fox in the background.

 Altered Egos will run until Dec. 1st and then hopefully some of the pieces will be on view here at home on Cape Breton. I will also be posting pics of all the works over time so if you want to contact me for purchase or info click the mail icon below this post. Cheers Everyone.

At Last

Tonight is opening night for Altered Egos! It was a long time coming. I wrote the proposal back in early 2011. Throughout the process of bringing the exhibit to life, there was a lot of wavering on my part. Often worried that I was losing my direction or original intent...I figure that must happen a lot to artists when they propose something so far in advance. But that said, with all the 'push' this past while, trying to get the show complete while juggling work with studio time, it all came together and I'm pleased.
So, if you happen to be in the Dartmouth/Halifax area do stop in to The Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth Nova Scotia. Altered Egos opens tonight from 7-9pm and runs through to Dec. 1, 2013.
I leave you with "Rainmaker". Cheers Everyone!

Rainmaker by Teena Marie Fancey
4" x 5" mixed media painting, glass beads

Installation Day!

Off to the Craig Gallery this morning to install Altered Egos. Will try to take some pics or video some of the process. I will have sidekick (that's you Janey!),  helping me with today's task and she'll be a great sounding board and will use her artistic eye  to ensure the installation will be a success. Plus she'll deal with me being fussy!

I leave you with today's teaser entitled, " Believer"

 

"Believer" detail shot by Teena Marie Fancey
8"x8" acrylic painting, vintage ephemera, found embellishments

 

Altered Egos coming soon

I believe a teaser is in order. Should you wish to meet this bearded chap in person, he'll be appearing in Altered Egos at the Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth, NS from November 6th through Dec. 1st.
Until then...

the Comedian by Teena Marie Fancey
 

3 More Sleeps

Packing, making labels, and waiting for the paint to dry on just a few more little pieces for
Altered Egos!
Today I will share a wee piece called Boundless. Here's her before:

Below is her after, with added paper ( thanks David Crowe) and a found bead that I hand painted to look like EARTH! Lynn, this is off a bathing suit you once lent me--pack rat much?)
So, take 2  of what she's taking and call  me in the morning...
No, just stay tuned...I will be sharing some more new characters over the next 3 or 4 days.
Altered Egos opens November 6th at 7pm at the Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth, NS. If you're in Hfx, why not hop on the ferry, the Craig is conveniently located right in the same building!

Can you hear me roar, "I'm almost done!"?

Just finished the last bit of studio-time before Altered Egos opens at the Craig. Spent the last 4 days in my studio hard at it. The village was very quiet...only the few full time residents and me. The wind howled and the cloud-cover made it feel like the end of the day almost all day and there was even a wee bit of hail mixed in with the rain.
(Oh November! You're breathing down our necks)
And there was nothing to distract me from my task.

So...just a bit of finish work to be done now and some planning for the installation of the show. Phew!

I leave you with this detail pic of one of the portraits I worked on this week. A little teaser. Up-cycled fur (thank you Shari!) and some vintage curtain pins turned out to be just the thing.

Meet "Lion Heart".

Studio Alchemy

 Back in the studio at the end of the work week and setting items out so as to decide on what ideas to tackle next. Part of the fun is looking at what I've grouped together to hash out ideas. Sometimes all the items end up in the finished work, and sometimes they are just what has helped

to tease out the vision/emotion/statement or whatever.

Thought I'd share just one of the many groupings I have on the go with you and a little stream of my thoughts that go with it:

So... take a perfume ad from the mid 60's, add an element from a stove. Hmmm, 'being more of a woman'> Identity crisis>sexual tension>message from the past>future of women>the future>identity, again> my identity>who am I>that element looks like an identity disc from the movie Tron> 1982>my youth>Lora Bains>Yori>2nd identity>that element gets hot>hot as in passion?>

hot as in tempered?>

Hot Head?>....let's see what happens next. Stay tuned.

 

 

Oh Canada's Queen Bee-Aganetha Dyck

Is there any question that Canadian Artist Aganetha Dyck is inspired by nature and works in a very unique medium? Yep, she collaborates with bees to create her vision. Honeybees and their nature, pheromones, study, thought and sometimes found objects...a beautiful alchemy that produces sweet and wonderful results. For more on Aganetha and her work (and her bees), visit her website.


Aganetha Dyck, Queen
 Beework on figurine of Queen Elizabeth II
2007
 Courtesy Michael Gibson Gallery, London, Ontario.d caption

Tin Man

"While you were on the run from one thing

Finding your way to another,

You found me sharp and in mid swing

And you asked, Will you come with me?

 

Well. That put me in motion and gladly, I dropped everything

Every little thing, save for my devotion ... "

Tin Man by Teena Marie Fancey
8"X10" mixed media on board
found metal, vintage ephemera, monopoly house

 

*To meet the Tin Man in person and to read more of his thoughts, visit the Craig Gallery in November 2013

 

 

 

Oh, Canada and our love of a summer day!

Toronto Artist Elizabeth Lennie knows how to capture a moment in time spent around and in water. Can't you feel your feet on the warm boards of the wharf? Hear "one, two, three, GO!" ? The cool water and the race back to the wharf to do it again?

She's painted right to the heart of a memory.

The Speed of Light by Elizabeth Lennie

 

 

Loose Lips Sink Ships

Cut out a vintage 1960's ad touting the benefits of feeding your children sugar, add inspiration from a WWII propaganda poster and some paint and what do you get?

Don't mess with Betty. She sports ink, knows how to keep a secret and holds a grudge.
She's sailing this fall to the Craig Gallery in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia  to appear in Altered Egos and she's bringing her crew.
Stay tuned.

 

 

Loose Lips Sink Ships
6"X12" acrylic on board, vintage ephemera

 

Suzy Homemaker

Inspiration comes from all kinds of places for us busy girls, 

like from the World of Suzy Homemaker  (click the link to see that World).

Where you can be the Queen of your home.

Suzy Homemaker by Teena Marie Fancey
8"X8" Mixed Media on board, wasp's nest

On Target

Lots of time to be in the studio = productivity! I vowed to myself that I would complete 8 paintings this summer and I'm feeling like I may just make it. As always, I have a number of paintings in progress so I can jump from one to the other as the ideas and will come.
This little painting, "You Missed" makes for 3 down, and 5 to go.

You Missed by Teena Marie Fancey
8"X10" mixed media on board