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The picturesque, well composed new addition
at The Granaries Bed and Breakfast encompasses the entire circumference
of the day room and is close to the crown of the ceiling, where
a sunroof illuminates the piece.
College instructor’s “fine” work highlighted at unveiling
By Susan Michau,
The Mirror
A small gathering
of friends and family was privileged to see the unveiling of
a work by Laine Dahlen, (Northern Lights College Visual and
Graphic Arts Instructor) at the Granaries on Bear Mountain bed
and breakfast location last week. Many of Laine’s students showed
up and marveled at the piece as Laine so graciously explained
the processes of the piece, and shared his thoughts on it with
them.
In talking to Heather Newman, (owner of
The Granaries on Bear Mountain), Laine discovered the Tuscany
theme may have been his idea, but the vision came from a simultaneous
decision after communicating their thoughts and ideas together.
The project started in October and is
an oil project applied directly to the wall. The paint was applied
with a mixture of linseed
oil and turpentine, and applied as a step-by-step imprimatura
and then wiped out, which resulted in the piece becoming more
of a drawing than a painting at that stage. The decision to
use the raw sienna was made at the preliminary stages of the
conceptual
drawing, with the intention of adding very pale pastel colours
at the end, which he did. This is reminiscent of the manner
of a Venetian ceiling painting of the eighteenth century.
A stepladder was used to apply the medium and a unique brush system
was designed to facilitate this rather lofty process. Laine fashioned
extensions of the brushes from curtain rods, which were then
attached to the brush handles to elongate the reach of the
instruments.These
came in handy for the initial drawing of major forms and blocking
in large areas of tone. With the use of rags on the end of
his fingers, he lifted off areas of paint to expose the highlights.
The result was a delightful piece that
Granaries owners Heather and Robert
Newman are extremely pleased with. The unveiling of the piece
took place on the evening of June 7th, at The Granaries on
Bear Mountain location, and marks the start of this artists
intent to embark in a studio endeavor to enable him to focus
more
specifically
on his own works.
The piece will require a final coat of varnish in October, just to
protect it further from the damages time can bestow on works
of this
nature.
After working on a piece for this length
of time, artists tend to always look for “What the devil did while you were not awake,” as
Laine so aptly puts it, but he is satisfied with the piece and grateful to be
so well received. The piece adds a warm feeling of elegance and peacefulness
to the room that guests will admire for some time to come.
For more information on the bed and breakfast
and the special honeymoon, romance, wedding and spa packages
available visit www. thegranaries.com or contact Heather
Newman toll-free at1 (888) 782-6304 or locally at (250) 782-6304
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