Five Paintings Inspired by Hawaii

From Vancouver Island to Maui; Five Paintings Inspired by Hawaii

Vancouver Island, off Canada’s Pacific Coast, is known for its mild climate and thriving arts community. Not unlike the Hawaiian Island of Maui, both islands inspire paintings of the ocean, the flora and fauna, and laid back vibes created by island life. While you could fit about 17 Maui’s into one Vancouver Island, there are a number of similarities between the islands and the culture. There is a vibrant surf community on both islands, and plentiful rainforest areas for exploring. While the ocean is colder and the sand grey on Vancouver Island, it doesn’t stop us from enjoying water sports of all kinds, just like on Maui. I haver always said that the perfect life would be splitting my time between painting and living in Canada and Hawaii. It is part of the reason I have explored Maui many times, each time coming home with photos, sketches and writing influenced by the time on the tropical Hawaiian gem. It is a place where many artists have escaped to over the years to recharge and immerse themselves in nature. One of my favourite historical painters, Georgia O’Keeffe – visited Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and the Island of Hawaii in 1939 and completed 20 paintings of flowers and landscapes in a span of nine weeks. Maui contemporary art first emerged in 1778 when the early Western explorers visited Hawaii and brought artists to document its striking landscape and unique people. This yielded paintings and drawings from contemporary artists like Jean Charlot, Joseph Sharp, and Robert Dampier. I recently returned again from Maui, with new ideas, birthing new paintings. Here are a five paintings inspired by Maui, surf, and Island Vibes.

I Ukulele You, acrylic on canvas, 2022, Brandy Saturley

Blue Crush, acrylic on canvas, 2022, Brandy Saturley

Jumping Pineapple, acrylic on canvas, 2022, Brandy Saturley

Surfing Rainbows, acrylic on canvas, 2022, Brandy Saturley

Allure of Maui, acrylic on canvas, 2018, Brandy Saturley

August 8, 2022

Battle of Alberta Painting

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Battle of Alberta, depicted on canvas.

There are a couple iconic and classic NHL hockey rivalries between cities in Canada. There is the East Coast rivalry between Toronto’s Maple Leafs and Montreal’s Canadiens and then there is the Battle of Alberta, the classic hockey rivalry between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. Over the years there have been many famous paintings celebrating Canada’s game of hockey. From paintings of hockey on the ice to paintings of the iconic and legendary players of the game, the game of ice hockey has inspired many artists and paintings over the years. For myself as a Canadian Visual Artist, the game of hockey has figured in my work of the past 15 years approximately 25 times, making it 17% of the time in my work. In 2013 I presented my first solo exhibition in Edmonton, in the show there were four paintings celebrating the game of hockey in a city that has a significant hockey history in the Stanley Cup winning Edmonton Oilers. Since 1980 The Battle of Alberta has been an intense and passionate rivalry between the most populous city of Calgary, against the capital city, Edmonton.

The rivalry also extends outside of team sports to international events. Both cities have hosted numerous national and international championships and other tournaments, often in a spirit of one-upmanship: there is constant need for local politicians to prove that their city is “world class” or at least better than the other. The constant one-upmanship of the two cities in this field has receded in recent years, and they cooperated in a successful joint bid to host the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The Edmonton Oilers of 1983–90 are recognized as one of the NHL’s last great dynasties, with line-ups through this period that featured Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) legends like Gretzky, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Jari Kurri and Mark Messier, guided by HHOF coach Glen Sather.

When choosing to depict one of Canada’s greatest hockey teams on canvas, I looked to the Great One, a goalie, and the Battle of Alberta for inspiration. My journey began with goal tender Dave Dryden and his iconic goalie mask. In the painting I depict his iconic mask on a postage stamp that bares his jersey number, 28.

Dave Dryden mask painting 2013, Brandy Saturley

For the second painting I would choose the challenge of depicting the earth moving trade of The Great One to the Los Angeles Kings and Wayne Gretzky’s marriage to LA actress Janet Jones.

Wayne Gretzky traded to LA Kings painting, 2013 Brandy Saturley

For the third painting about the Edmonton Oilers dynasty I chose the legendary Battle of Alberta, mixed with humour and art history. An ode to Steve Smith, in the style of Jacques Louis David, referencing The Death of Marat painting created in 1793. “Saturley’s Death of a Rookie, Rise of a Hero is a take on the political painting The Death of Marat by French painter Jacques-Louis David, 1793. In Death of a Rookie, Rise of a Hero we see Oilers #5 (Steve Smith) sitting up in a tub surrounded with empty beer bottles while holding a letter and a pen. The letter that Smith is holding states: “Dear Grant, I have no words…, I’m sorry. So very sorry…”
This letter is in response to Smith’s rookie year when he scored a critical goal on his own goalie in the divisional final that allowed the Calgary Flames to move forward to the Stanley Cup. Grant Fuhr was the Oilers goalie that Smith scored on. The French revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat in the painting The Death of Marat is found in the same position, but, unlike Smith, Marat has been murdered by political enemy Charlotte Corday. Corday blamed Marat for the September Massacre (a wave of killings in Paris and other cities in late summer 1792 during the French Revolution). The huge backlash received by Smith after scoring on his own team can be perceived as similar to the actions of Marat against his own people. But this is where the analogy ends; Smith recovered and went on to be a valued player by the Oilers and when they won the Stanley Cup the following year, Wayne Gretzky (opposite of Marat’s Charlotte Corday), handed him the cup to skate a lap at the arena. Death of a Rookie, Rise of a Hero is about perseverance and continuing on when the chips are down.”

Steve Smith Edmonton Oilers painting 2012, Brandy Saturley

This painting was featured in the 2020 documentary film, “The Iconic Canuck” where the artist talks about the story behind the piece.

See more hockey paintings by Brandy Saturley.

May 17, 2022

Paintings for Mountain Lovers

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Paintings for Mountain Lovers: Nine Paintings of Mountains

Driving from British Columbia to Alberta you must cross over through one of the world’s natural wonders, the giants of rock and snow, The Canadian Rocky Mountains. It is no wonder these landscapes have inspired artists for generations, creating paintings by mountain lovers for mountain lovers. The Rocky Mountains stretch 3,000 miles in a straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico. They are popular tourist destinations, especially for photographers, painters, hiking, camping, mountaineering, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, snowmobiling, skiing, and snowboarding. On this page you will find nine paintings for mountain lovers. From BC to Alberta, including Mount Robson the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and Waterton Lakes. From glacial peaks in Banff National Park to Lake Louise. These nine paintings capture the exhilaration of the peaks they depict.

Mt. Robson, 2011 Brandy Saturley – A pop art style painting of the most grand peak in the BC/Alberta rocky mountain range. This is Mt. Robson, after a trip through the Rockies in 2010.

Babel, 2011 Brandy Saturley

Cascade Mountain, 2011 Brandy Saturley – Cascade mountain painted in a pop art palette with vivid realism against a dark background. Capturing the mysterious character of the mountain with supersaturated palette. From the ‘I See Mountains’ series of paintings about the Rocky Mountains. This painting was updated in 2022.

Crowfoot, 2011 Brandy Saturley

Mt. Temple, 2011 Brandy Saturley

Assiniboine, 2011 Brandy Saturley

A Long and Winding Road, 2019 Brandy Saturley

The Lake (Waterton Lakes) 2019 Brandy Saturley

From Sea to Sky, 2022 Brandy Saturley – A somewhat abstract and modern pop art painting from mountains to ocean. Featuring the Hudson’s Bay stripes in the lower half of the painting. Within the piece you can see mountains, ocean an perhaps even a canoe or two.

See more paintings with mountains by Canadian Visual Artist Brandy Saturley.

May 3, 2022

Lake Louise Paintings

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Lake Louise Paintings: Inspired by a Magical Location in The Rockies

Lake Louise is many things to many people. Tens of thousands of people every year are drawn to this place for its natural beauty, purity and amazing uplifting energy. Paintings of Lake Louise, I have created a few, it is hard not to be inspired by the natural beauty of this place. Like Stonehenge, it is one of the major vortex points or power spots on earth. In the winter the clear glacial ice attracts skaters of all kinds to this energizing vista. It is a magical place, and the quintessential Canadian Christmas Card. When you walk onto the frozen lake and walk, snowshoe, ski or skate down to the base of the glacier, you are reminded just how small we are in the face of the Canadian landscape. There is a silence, the echo of nature, you can hear the snow fall from the trees and their branches bend under the weight of the wet snow. You hear the laughter of tourists and the sounds of the snow crunching under your feet. You hear the swish of the skates, skis and the wind as it blows through the valley. In the summer months the tropical teal glacial lake offers canoe, kayakers and swimmers a place to dip into cool water. It is a place to gather, to marvel at and to hike around. Like the Bermuda triangle, the vortex created here slowly draws you in and you may never want to leave. Dreamy in Canada.

Here are six paintings of Lake Louise;

Poppies For Louise, 2011 Brandy Saturley

Poppies for Louise, 2013 Brandy Saturley

Vortex, 2021 Brandy Saturley

lake louise HBC stripes pop art painting

Ride My Wake, 2014 Brandy Saturley

Stare Time at Lake Louise, 2019 Brandy Saturley

Lake Louise Swish, 2019 Brandy Saturley

Imagine Lake Louise, 2022 Brandy Saturley

See more magical paintings by Canadian Visual Artist, Brandy Saturley.

May 3, 2022

Hockey Paintings

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Hockey Paintings – 25 Paintings Inspired by Hockey

It was 2011 when the sport of ice hockey began appearing in my work. Over the course of the next decade the influence of hockey and the game on my artwork found me painting 25 hockey paintings to date. These aren’t your typical figurative works about hockey, but there is narrative based on the storied sport and it’s characters and objects, or icons. From the Montreal Canadiens to the Edmonton Oilers, from stories of Steve Smith to Jacques Plante, hockey has held court in my artist brain. In these paintings you will see hockey fans, Lord Stanley’s Cup, Ken and Dave Dryden’s goal tender masks and even a Canucks jersey. You will also see influences of Olympic hockey, stories of Robert Luongo and even vulcanized rubber hockey pucks. Carey Price, the 2021 women’s Olympic hockey team and even legendary commentator Don Cherry. Carey Price in goal, the punch line and Wayne & Janet Gretzky. In more recent years I began exploring the childhood feelings of being on the ice and discovering hockey outdoors on ponds and great lakes. Enjoy these 25 paintings of hockey, they are sure to bring a smile. While many are sold, there are a few gems waiting to join collections. We ship worldwide.

A Cup for Louise, 2013 Brandy Saturley

On Guard, 2013 Brandy Saturley

Plante Rises, Jacques Plante mask on Canadian flag painting, 2012, Brandy Saturley

Goalie’s Mask, red white and Dryden, 2011 Brandy Saturley

Mask Over Mountains, goalie’s mask painting 2012, Brandy Saturley

“Be proud of your heritage, and don’t be discouraged from the improbable.” – Carey Price

On Target, 2014 Brandy Saturley

Habitant, 2021 Brandy Saturley

What is a Canadien? 2015 Brandy Saturley

Pysanka Pucks, 2015 Brandy Saturley

Stamped in Goal, 2012 Brandy Saturley

Death of A Rookie, 2012 Brandy Saturley

The Number Nine, 2014 Brandy Saturley

Lovers in A Dangerous Time, 2015 Brandy Saturley

A Punch Line and An Unknown, 2013 Brandy Saturley

Dreaming in The Colours of Eh, 2014 Brandy Saturley

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” – Wayne Gretzky

The Boy Who Would Be A King, 2013 Brandy Saturley

Fear Before Glory, 2013 Brandy Saturley

Rubber & Bone, 2013 Brandy Saturley

The Climb, 2015 Brandy Saturley

Canadiens Gothic, 2014 Brandy Saturley

The Prodigy, 2021 Brandy Saturley

Pond Hockey Days, 2021 Brandy Saturley

“Every day is a great day for hockey.” – Mario Lemieux

We Dream, 2022 Brandy Saturley

Vortex, 2021 Brandy Saturley

Watch the documentary film, The Iconic Canuck, in the film Brandy Saturley talks about some of the hockey paintings on this page.

April 26, 2022

Tax Refund Investing in Art

Art Benefits, Art For Sale

Tax Refund? Consider the benefits of investing in original art.

Art, Wine, or Concert? have you ever considered the benefits of taking your tax refund and investing it in original art from an independent living artist?

Wine, Art, and Musical investments have offered better returns than cash or government bonds since 1900, research finds. When I buy art I’m not really looking for a reason, other than pure enjoyment of the artwork. I invest in things that I fall in love with, that bring me joy and that enrich my life in a way that money alone cannot. No matter how much you may love your Amazon.com stock, it doesn’t deliver the same jolt as a cellar full of wine or a house packed with original art. Life is hard, and far too short, I want to fill my world with things that make me vibrate from the inside out.

As a painter I live in a constant state of awareness and painting is about making people see, it’s about passion for life and all that surrounds, it is about connection to the vibrational systems of Earth and all it’s beauty. Art is an extension of the nature, no matter what it is we humans create, it is all ultimately inspired by nature. I am privileged to live a life of bleeding my heart out onto the canvas, and writing visual stories for future generations to enjoy.

While there are many options when it comes to investing your tax refund, I encourage you to take a some of that money, and invest it in pure, original, real, art, from a living artist. The benefits last generations and can be enjoyed daily. Buying Art is an investment in your good health and the health of those around you.

Here are five paintings to invest your tax refund into;

Golden Hour in The Heart of Canoeland – two scarlet red canoes meet at sunset, on a lake in Canada.

Mount Temple – A pop art style painting of a great peak in Alberta, this is Mt. Temple.

Dreaming Under Northern Lights – crisp northern air, standing under the aurora borealis.

King of The Polar Bears – A Polar Bear rides on the roof of a scarlet red JEEP wrangler, snow capped Mt. Robson in the background.

Queen of The Polar Bears – a female Polar Bear rides on the roof of a scarlet red JEEP wrangler, stopped on the railroad tracks of prairie Alberta.

Symbolic and painted with a distinctive Canadian ‘pop art’ style, these figurative landscapes bring together realistically painted subjects, set against vividly abstracted backgrounds. Creating stories about the landscape, rather than true to life representations. This collection of paintings features people and wildlife enjoying vast outdoor spaces, something that is plentiful in Canada. Sometimes musical or lyrical in nature, the artist paints stories influenced by her love of the geography of Canada.

See more artwork by Brandy Saturley.

March 23, 2022

Available Paintings Montreal Canadiens

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Painting Stories Influenced by Hockey History – Montreal Canadiens Paintings

What excites you? is it a great novel, a heartfelt documentary, an energetic work of art, or maybe an exciting game of hockey? I am excited about all of these things, and they have all found their way into my work as a painter. The Montreal Canadiens have a storied history, an artist could focus their entire oeuvre on these historical moments of hockey. Over the years I have painted over a dozen works influenced by the history of the Habs. Currently there are six paintings available, telling stories of the Montreal Canadiens, hockey and Canada. Six available paintings about the Montreal Canadiens and their effect on Canadian culture.

1. Habitant – 60×40 inches – acrylic painting on canvas – Brandy Saturley

2. Lovers in a Dangerous Time – 36×36 inches – acrylic painting on canvas – Brandy Saturley

3. Canadiens Gothic – 48×36 inches – acrylic painting on canvas – Brandy Saturley

4. Saint Kanata – 48×36 inches – acrylic painting on canvas – Brandy Saturley

5. The Goalie’s Mask Painting – 48×36 inches – acrylic painting on canvas – Brandy Saturley

6. Plante Rises – 36×60 inches – acrylic painting on canvas – Brandy Saturley

A decade ago I read a book called, ‘The Game’ by Ken Dryden, the rest is history. Six available paintings, celebrating the influence of the Montreal Canadiens in Canadian Art. From the blue, white and red to the punch line, and the goal tenders perspective to the fans. From Jacques Plante to the Target Mask, celebrating the Habs in Art.

See more paintings by Brandy Saturley.

Canadian Pop Art style paintings, visual stories on canvas.

June 7, 2021

NEW Contemporary Landscape Art

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New Contemporary Landscape Art – Capturing the Spirit

As I type this I am listing to Joni Mitchell sing Canadahhhhahhahhhh, intermixed with birdsong coming through the patio door window of my office. I have just finished a new painting, about the spirit of the landscape, something I have been thinking about here in my studio on Vancouver Island where we are surrounded by nature and ocean on all sides. New contemporary landscape art, that captures the spirit of the landscape.

For years now my narrative brand of painting under the persona of #ICONICCANUCK has explored the people, symbols, icons and landscapes of Canada. Over the years I have overheard my work referred to as ‘visual storytelling’ and narrative art. Some have told me the work begs for a story from the viewer. Whatever the case I try not to think about it too much, my intention really comes from my need to communicate, visually, as words have never been my strong suit. Painting, like writing, gives me time to process what it is that I am seeing and my thoughts on these things. I am becoming more and more connected to the work, and less connected to the words, in a verbal sense, writing comes fluidly for me and flows like paint.

I am a human tuning fork, buried into the earth, vibrating outward onto the canvas and the virtual page on this blog and I have a new painting about the spirit of the landscape.

This new painting features an Elk that I met on a trip through Jasper National Park, a hummingbird that sips outside my studio and a Blue Jay. Set against a colourful modern background of sky, mountains, and trees, this is; “Only the Blue Jay Knows”. This original acrylic and gouache painting on canvas measures three feet high by four feet wide, with colours of Yves Klein blue, neon pop art outlines, and gilded gold details. With this painting nature ‘reigns’ and the vivid hues make the painting vibrate with life, like music on canvas.

A few photos and video clip of this new contemporary painting and behind the scenes in the studio;

This painting is available to own, see the full painting with additional photos here.

Feeling the spirit of the landscape and the nature that surrounds.

Sincerely Yours,

Brandy Saturley a.k.a #iconiccanuck

May 31, 2021

Five Ways to Buy Art

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You Can Afford That Pricey Painting – Five Ways to Buy Original Art

Whether you are in an art gallery, at an art show, or browsing art online, you have probably seen a painting you love and thought, “I love it but I can’t afford that painting”. At this point, there is very little excuse to not have something original and interesting on your walls, in our humble opinion. Owning an original painting, by a real artist, has many benefits: for starters, the artist’s work gets more valuable with time, unlike a car, suddenly you have a lucrative capital asset. There is also the rewarding sense of owning an original piece of art that you can proudly display in your home, providing an interesting conversation piece when guests drop by, original art IS definitely something to talk about. But everyone knows the downside to buying original artwork is that it comes with a dollar sign followed by many, many zeros, even when the artist is fairly young and emerging on the art scene. We’re not saying artists don’t deserve every penny of that price tag, but chances are you don’t have that kind of cash lying around for a spontaneous kind of moment. But this should never keep you from buying an original piece of art today, before it is gone tomorrow. There are SO many ways to buy art, that makes it affordable for almost anyone. Here are five ways to buy art, today;

1. Finance Your Art Purchase: That’s where this genius service called Art Lease Canada comes in; have that painting in your home now and pay for it over a time that suits your budget. Established in 2003, Art Lease Canada is a Canadian financing company that helps people acquire art within a monthly budget. Their approach is simple. They buy art on behalf of their customers and lease it to them over a specified period of time. The client enjoys the art in their homes or businesses while making monthly lease payments and at the end of their lease, they own the art. Art Lease Canada finances art purchases valued between $1,000 and $25,000 for art galleries and self-representing artists across Canada. This means the next time you’re sipping wine and browsing art online, or in a gallery and come across a $5000 painting you really, really have to have (and it’s not the wine talking), you could use an Art Lease loan to purchase the artwork. This means on a $5000 painting, you only have to drop $234.00 over the next 24 months. Buyers remorse begone! Or at least temporarily diminished. If you are buying for your office or business, Art Lease is business friendly – monthly payments are a tax-deductible business expense.

2. Rent Your Art: love a painting but not sure you want to make it a forever relationship? No problem, most galleries and professional self-representing artists offer rental options where you can rent an artwork for a small monthly fee and then trade it in when you are ready for something new. This is a great way to ‘try out’ new art that you may end up buying in the future. For as low as $50 a month, you can rent a painting. Once you select a work of art, we can hand-deliver and install the piece (local clients only Vancouver Island and Vancouver mainland). After a month, you can keep renting, return it, swap it for another work, or purchase it. Most rental pieces list for $1000 to $2500.

3. Trade-In Your Art: you own a painting that you no longer have the same love for, or you may have a lot of art and not a lot of wall space, and you are not interested in paying for an art storage service. Many galleries, and a few professional self-representing artists, offer ‘buyback programs’ where they will buy back your art for the price of what you purchased the art for as a credit against a new art purchase of equal or greater value.

4. Group Buy: do you have a few friends that love art? Ever thought of getting together to buy a great painting, or a few paintings and then sharing them? This option offers you the ability to move the painting from home to home every few months, offering the chance to enjoy something new on your walls every few months. We would only recommend this option if you know each other REALLY well and there is a good level of trust, you don’t want your original art purchase damaged.

5. Write-off Your Art: Encouraging purchases of Canadian artwork. Buying original artwork is considered as an amortization expense for corporations or individuals who operate a business. It qualifies as a tax deduction provided that certain criteria are met. The artwork must have been created by a Canadian artist and must be related to the business’s commercial activities, for example, it must be exhibited in a place of business where it will be seen by clients. If the purchase meets these criteria, the buyer is entitled to a declining deduction of 33% of the cost of purchasing the artwork (class 8.1) at the provincial level and of 20% (class 8) at the federal level. Some works of art are, however, excluded and do not qualify for a tax credit, more specifically works having a value of less than $200 or created prior to the 1900s – created over 100 years ago. Moreover, if the buyer is a GST and QST registrant, he can recover the taxes paid at the time of purchasing the artwork by claiming input tax credits. Lastly, if the work is rented instead of being purchased, the rental expenses are also deductible as long as the expense was made for business purposes.

You CAN afford that original painting, now all you have to do is decide which painting is the lucky one for you!

See more paintings by Canadian Artist, Brandy Saturley.

September 18, 2019