http://www.redkettle.com/products/native-art-canada/floyd-joseph-wolf-dancing-with-moon.htm

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At the moment, Redkettle Gallery is fortunate to have two lovely Haida masks by James Leslie, whose Haida Raven Clacker mask  was sold about a month ago.

These are the intriguing Salish Deer mask seen above and in detail at: http://www.redkettle.com/products/native-art-canada/james-leslie-salish-ceremonal-deer-mask.htm

And this Kwakiutl Raven Clacker mask seen in more detail at:

http://www.redkettle.com/products/native-art-canada/james-leslie-kwaquital-raven-ceremonal-mask.htm

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Above, an original – a very large acrylic painting by Isaac Bignell – check out the details at:

http://www.redkettle.com/products/native-art-canada/bignell-swallows.htm

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Although the paintings below by Corinna Ray of the Sandy Lake community are not shown on the website at the moment, Redkettle Gallery has a handful of these lovely original acrylic on canvas paintings being offered at a low price that reflects the fact that this is an emerging artist.

You can support Ms Ray while she works to achieve her potential as the daughter of Carl Ray – an artist from the same community whose record stands for itself.

Contact Redkettle Gallery:   mich@redkettle.com to obtain further details, discuss shipping etc.

Today, Redkettle Gallery’s blog is featuring works by two of Canada’s classic 20th century artists. Click the links given to learn more about these artists and their work featured today. 

The first is an early (1965) print published as part of the portfolio “Toronto 20′. by the Jerrold Morris Gallery. This was a  limited edition series, and the work is numbered 64/100.

A rare find, this print reflects in its strong religious symbolism the primary place that Roman Catholicism had taken  in Kurelek’s life, and as befits the quality of this print, it comes framed in archival materials behind non-UV glass.

Check out the post here:

http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/william-kurelek-canadian-artist/    which is dedicated to Kurelek’s history, and check out:

 http://www.redkettle.com/products/contempory-art-canada/The_Hound_Of_Heaven.htm 

to see this work in high resolution detail.

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Above is an oil on stret6cher frame measuring 18×24. This significant original work of art will be the focal point of any room. Shives is a well regarded painter working out  of Vancouver. He studied at centres in California, receiving a bachelor of fine arts and had a long relationship with his mentor the late Toni Onley.

http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/new-two-chee-chee-prints-and-a-shives/

This work reflects his sure and capable technical skills and will give a great deal of pleasure to its new owner.

Check out the large high resolution image here:

http://www.redkettle.com/products/contempory-art-canada/arnold-edward-shives-trees.htm

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For more information, contact mich@redkettle.com  Until next week……………

Mich and I want to wish all our friends checking in with us a very happy, peaceful and  healthy New Year. The celebrations are over, and we now need to get through until Spring is with us once more, which reminds me that i must bring more firewood in the house to warm up by the airtight stove.

Mich seems to be well supplied with great art to show you over the next few weeks so we will start out the New Year with a grouping of interesting animal studies: modestly priced originals which are nicely framed and ready to hang in your home as soon as you receive them.

The first is a lovely oil painting of a young tabby cat surveying the world from her hiding spot in the shrubs – this sweet 12×20 painting will attract animal lovers everywhere and will fit comfortably into any spot in your house – for only $395 you can’t go wrong. This delightful study would be a charming addition to a child’s room, but is sophisticated enough to delight an adult as the perfect gift. Mother’s Day is just a few m0nths away, and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Contact mich@redkettle.com for details regarding artist, size and shipping.

The above watercolour original by Carl Froschl is dated 1914 and is nicely framed in  art deco style. It depicts the moment just before this curious cat overbalances the wastebasket in a flurry of papers and scurrying kitty. This expertly accomplished little study is a small slice of family life in the popular genre of that time in Europe and would look especially good in one of the many urban homes across Canada from the early 20th century that are being rehabbed just now.  Framed, signed and ready to hang at a very modest $199 plus shipping, this original will set an authentic note in your period home.

Another small animal study – just 6×6, this pencil sketch depicts a young cat in various poses – again, it is nicely and simply framed and will look lovely perhaps as one of a grouping, or placed by itself in a vignette of small objects on a bookshelf or fireplace mantel – again this lovely little piece will go to you for $199 plus shipping. contact mich@redkettle.com to learn more about this study by Robert Fuchs.

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The  pastel original of a rabbit comes from Austria and of the same period as the other two small pieces and is reminiscent of an Albrecht Durer study done several centuries earlier. It is a masterful work which is so serene that it takes a while to realize the technical skills displayed in it. Mich tells me he is happy to keep this piece as he is very happy with it – always a good recommendation.

Framed, this lovely original can be yours for $225 plus shipping. Contact mich@redkettle.com.

I hope you’ve had a lovely holiday, complete with family and friends and lots of chance to relax and visit. My back do0r here on the West Hall’s Harbour Road is ajar and I’d like you to come in and discuss art with Mich and I for a while.  There’s always time in this spell between Christmas and New Year’s Day – and aren’t visits from old friends and new ones what the season is all about. Come in the coffee is on and the woodstove is pumping out heat!

We’ve been focussing on business plan, and disussing the direction Mich’s gallery will take. In the New Year, as ever, Mich will continue to collect art from Canada’s First Peoples as his main focus and secondarily classic Canadian art with a scattering of International pieces as they show up and appeal to him.

A newer goal is to concentrate on supporting the emerging, younger, less affluent collector – making it easier to acquire those first few pieces will be an important goal and we want to encourage you to discuss with Mich an installment or layaway plan – several monthly equal payments including shipping with delivery to take place as the final payment clears.

To the end of presenting you with affordable options Mich will always have an inventory of good pieces at excellent prices and from time to time we will concentrate on how to display fine art in your home.

A case in point are these two small prints, beautifully framed and modestly priced, by Henry Moore. Moore was known for his massive, very simple statues of bronze, meant to be viewed in an outdoors setting.

He was also a fine and very capable draftsman. We may not all have a beautifully landscaped sculpture garden for his huge brozes but we have room on our walls for these lovely small pieces and can afford the very reasonable price.

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I promised you a glimpse of an old friend – and here it is – this lovely original painting is of Drag River by John Joy – the colours are lovely and the particular brilliant light of a northern winter day is captured with ease. This painting is waiting to go home to you for a very reasonable price. Contact mich@redkettle.com for details.

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And finally – three West Coast native pieces: the Floyd Joseph print shown in Mich’s living room was the starting piece of years of collecting – Wolf Dancing with the Moon – Mich was recently browsing around and was surprised to find this beautiful print offered for sale – of course he had to have it in his home again! But it is for sale, so act fast and it can become yours. Framed and ready for your wall.

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I don’t think I have shown this James Leslie Salish ceremonial mask of a deer’s head before – last week I did show the Kwakiutl Raven mask and did a post on Leslie and on West Coast Haida ceremonial masks. Both pieces are for sale – contact mich@redkettle.com for details.

Until next week – which is also next year – Mich and I wish you a very happy and prosperous 2012!

Perhaps one of the most exciting things about sharing a post with you each week is the opportunity, through research, to learn more about the art of our vast country and to learn more too about Canada’s  history and diverse peoples.

This week I will be sharing some of the sites I looked through today in my search for information to inform my appreciation of this magnificent Kwakiutl ceremonial mask By James Leslie. I urge you to use these links to read further :

http://www.spiritsofthewestcoast.com/artist/tony_hunt_jr_/

http://ring.uvic.ca:8080/culture/kwagulth-artist-and-hereditary-chief-tony-hunt-restores-landmark-uvic-totem-pole

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hunt_(artist)

This beautifully carved, woven and paint decorated ceremonial clacker mask of a Kwakiutl Raven has been created by James Leslie, who  studied and trained under both Tony Hunt Sr and Jr on Vancouver Island. As you will discover by reading the content of the above-noted websites, the Hunts were instrumental in saving the carving traditions of their forebears for future generations and are descended from a long line of ceremonial carvers.

James Leslie’s mask has been carved from cedar and paint decorated using the colours and symbolry of the Kwakiutl people. The mask was worn on top of the head, as shown in the photograph at the top of this post, and the  fringe hid the dancer from sight while allowing him to see out through the braided strands of cedar bark.

The mask merasures 29x9x9 inches and comes complete with the stand on which it is displayed.

On top of the raven’s head is a small carved human skull, nestled in a nest of cedar bark.

This magnificent one-of-a-kind mask can form the focal point of your West Coast Native Art collection! Contact mich@redkettle.com for details regarding pricing and shipping to your address. As always, Mich is willing to discuss several equal monthly payments so that acquiring this lovely original piece of art is feasible for you!

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In closing, Mich and I wish all our readers a happy and safe holiday season and for there to be Peace and Plenty on earth this Christmas.

Until 2012 – Season’s Greetings from Mich and Janet

with thanks to Country Living magazine

 

 

SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM REDKETTLE!

 

Corinna Ray - Young Moose

Corinna Ray - Moose with Owl

 

 

Corinna Ray - Owl

Isaac Bignell - Towards a New Tomorrow

This isRedKettle’s huge  five feet square painting in acrylic on canvas by Isaac Bignell – this painting is being priced way below market value as Mich is downsizing and he really needs the space. The price is now $1750 plus what will be quite reasonable shipping as the canvas is unframed. This huge painting will make a statement no mstter whether you display it at home; or in your professional office, lobby or boardroom.

It is not too late to get delivery in time for Christmas for any of these lovely original paintings if you act now – contact  mich@redkettle.com to arrange.

Unril next week when we will start showing some great new acquisitions, so long from Janet in the mysterious east, and Mich on the Left Coast!

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http://westbridge-fineart.com/auctions/live_auction.php

Check these lovely paintings out and make sure you are set up to bid! Auction is both live at the Vancouver gallery,  and online and closes on Sunday December 11.

For more details, check here:http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/redkettles-art-http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/an-unusual-harold-town-exhibition-poster-winnipeg-1971-numbered/at-auction-bid-now/

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Levis Fine Art Auction in Calgary is the second auction venue to be featuring one of my pieces this weekend –

http://www.levisonlineauctions.com/

Their offering is a numbered exhibition poster by Harold Town – limited edition 4/100 – this is an online only aucton – if you wish to bid you will need a valid paddle number- get more details here by checking this post;http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/an-unusual-harold-town-exhibition-poster-winnipeg-1971-numbered/

See you Monday or Tuesday of next week for RedKettle’s regular post mich@redkettle.com

Check out Levis Fine Art Auctions – this is lot #101 in the upcoming online auction which will close on Saturday December 10, 2011http://www.levisonlineauctions.com/view_auction.html

This numbered (4/100) lithographic print measures an impressive 39×25 and unframed it is ready for inexpensive and safe shipping to you. This interesting piece of art will make an unusual and impressive statement in your home and will fit equally well with mid-century retro decor or in your up-to-the-moment white, with wood and metal accents industrial style loft home furnished on the style of Restoration Hardware( http://www.restorationhardware.com/)

This is a piece of genuine Canadian art which you will not see in every home!

You may be the lucky new owner of this interesting piece if you bid now - Harold Town and his “Group of Eleven” colleagues are about to ride a resurgence to popularity. Read about them here:

http://www.painters-eleven.com/home

and here:

http://www.ccca.ca/c/writing/w/woods/woods003t.html

While we are on the subject of auctions, please check out the two lovely original paintings – one by Isaac Bignell and one by Daniel Izzard  that are coming up for auction this Sunday at Westbridge Fine Art in Vancouver, written about here:

http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/redkettles-art-at-auction-bid-now/

Thanks for visiting us again this week – prepare your thoughts for a survey of interests coming soon and for an early numbered print by Kurelek……

Until then!

Mich – mich@redkettle.com  and Janet janet@novascotiaquilts.com

 http://westbridge-fineart.com/auctions/live_auction.php

You can bid now online or you can, if you prefer, arrange to be admitted to the live auction at the gallery to bid. Read all the details at the website and make sure you get authorized to bid.

Above is my Isaac Bignell (1958-1995) an unframed acrylic on canvas sized at a huge 54×60 inches. This piece, called “Toward a New Day” is a stylized painting of swallows in flight expressing a soaring freedom – this one is an impressive winner! Lot #52. Signed on lower left and dated ’93.

Below is a striking small painting – oil on panel 12×10 and framed, it is called Houses on Ambleside, West Vancouver and is by Daniel Izzard (1923-2007) This is a stunning painting and will be a treasured part of your collection. Lot #10 – bid now!

You will be surprised at the low starting values so try your bids!

Some other tidbits: First I want to thank all the visitors we’ve been having lately for pushing our daily statistics to a new high – we had 106 visitors yesterday and this is a new all time high!!

In addition, I just noticed that there was no search feature on the blog and so have added this most useful feature – look for the widget in the top of the right hand column – it will help to zero in on subjects and artists you are interested in reading more about.

Check back soon for the post about the upcoming Levis auction – I have two pieces up for bids there too - a Kurelek print and a Harold Town.

See you soon folks! Janet and Mich (mich@redkettle.com)

I mentioned in last week’s post the amazing number of places in Canada where one can see art displayed or visit artists’ studios. I would urge any aspiring collector to visit as many possible sites as possible, both in the real world and in cyberspace. Everything you see will serve to hone your eye for art and your knowledge of what is happening in the world of Canadian art today.

If you are uncertain about actually purchasing art for your own home to start or add to an existing collection, there are many art loan societies who will rent art to you for a small monthly or annual fee. A word of caution – if you fall in love with a piece when you get it home and live with it for a while you may not be able to purchase that piece – many art loan societies are strictly into loan or rental and do not sell their pieces – be sure of the plan before you indulge yourself! I know if I were to rent I would want the option to purchase to be part of the plan, but in noodling around the internet I only found one lease-to-own gallery in the business – they appear to be more of a facilitator between galleries and the purchaser – they purchase a piece of art outright from a dealer and then do a lease/purchase with the prospective buyer and spread the payments over a set period of time.

Take a look though today at the wide variety of reasonably priced art that Mich is offering today – you don’t really need to go elsewhere.

Mich and I both seem to hold to the feeling that if we like and can happily live with a piece, we will acquire it. Since we both operate businesses out of our homes, then this is a good idea as we both live with our inventory until it sells.

Today I will be showing Mich’s current inventory: Below are a lovely grouping of end of the 19th and early 20th century pieces by Austrian artists.

Above is a lovely small watercolour of a rabbit, painted by Ella Blaschek

Above is a series of sketches of a kitten by Robert Fuchs and the first picture, above the rabbit, is an  appealing watercolour of a cat with mischief on its mind by Carl Froschl – any or all of these three small treasures would make an affordable and worthwhile acquisition that would look great together or singly anywhere in your home.

Each one is nicely framed and priced very affordably at $275 PLUS SHIPPING. And for a limited time, Mich is prepared to accept two equal monthly payments with the painting to ship when the second payment clears.

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A major sale this week for Mich was his lovely oil  “Fishing Fleet” – this is going to make a bit of a gap on his living room wall!

But he still has a lovely small pen and ink on paper study by Sid Barron called Ships, Victoria BC Harbour shown above. Unframed, shipping will be very inexpensive on this small gem. Mich is asking $295 PLUS SHIPPING for this painting and his offer of two equal monthly payments is available on this lovely piece by a well-known artist.

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Mich has several interesting painting by Corinna Ray of Sandy Lake First Nations in Northern Ontario. Lately Corinna has done several very impressive acrylic on canvas paintings and they are shown here:

The acrylic on canvas called Young Moose shown above is 25x42inches – a major size depicting with power and skill an animal Corinna has painted in the native style and clearly with respect and love – this work chronicles her maturation as a skilled and capable artist and is available unframed and rolled for shipping in an exonomical tube. PRICE: $550 plus shipping. Two equal monthly payments are acceptable, with shipping after final payment clears

Another lovely large acrylic on canvas “Moose and Owl” using Corinna’s signature colours of blues, violet and yellow/orange and a large format – 25x40inches. See how well it fits into a home’s decor. Mich is again asking $550 plus shipping unframed and rolled in a tube – two equal payments and shipment when final payment clears.

This last acryloc on canvas painting is smaller and is a lovely study of an owl – at $200 plus shipping, it would make a unique gift for a special person on your list, and is also available for two equal monthly payments.

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And finally – the print that started it all for RedKettle. Twenty years ago this was the first piece of art by a Canadian Native Artist that Mich bought. This Floyd Joseph print sold quickly and Mich  thought he would never find another, but here twenty years along and it turned up again. Of course, he had to buy it! This is Wolf Dancing with the Moon 12/180 sized at 25.75x 28inches and with beautiful colours that subtly bring to mind Christmas: green. red, white, black and grey – this print will make a major statement anywhere you choose to hang it.

It is nicely framed with non-reflective glass and an understated black wood frame. Check it out below – wouldn’t you love to own this!

PRICE $1750 PLUS SHIPPING – two equal installments with shipment after final payment clears.

Thanks for dropping by today.

Janet and Mich  mich@redkettle.com