Festive Fridays :: Giveaway # 4 :: "Two Wide Stripes" Original Painted Artwork on Canvas

Welcome to Festive Friday, on Saturday! Who says we can't be flexible? This week the contest will go until Tuesday December 18th.

This week I'm very excited to introduce to you an old friend of mine, and fabulous artist, Natasha Gouveia. I met Natasha back in our younger years and (like everyone else who has ever met this woman) knew she would be adding something special to the world of Canadian artistry. And of course, that's exactly what she's doing.

Today, Natasha Gouveia is giving away an original 2012 painting entitled "Two Wide Stripes". Two Wide Stripes is an 8"x8" acrylic on canvas painting valued at $80 and is the perfect gift for any discerning abstract art-lover on your list. Yourself included.

Natasha is located in Toronto, Ontario and her work is available for purchase and viewing at www.natashagouveia.org. She is often featured in Toronto and region galleries and her upcoming shows are announced on Twitter, @natashagouveia5.

She received her BFA from Ontario College of Art and Design University in 2011 in Drawing and Painting with a minor in Art History. In her final year, she completed the Thesis program and created "The Removal Series", which can be viewed at www.natashagouveia.org.

Natasha's work can be seen in public and private collections in Toronto and the GTA, most notably in the permanent collection in Bell Trinity Square. She is now the 2012-2013 Fellowship Winner in the Drawing and Painting Studio and a Resident Artist at the Mississauga Living Centre where she is creating a new body that allows her materials to inform her practice.

Natasha shares, "what differs a painting from a sculpture is the excavacation of the surface of a substrate. I work by finding a single process and using it until a surface is covered. By repeating a forced gesture, I am exploring alternative methods of painting."

I try to buy locally when I can but unfortunately there isn’t always the opportunity to do so. I love buying my art supplies at Curry’s and Aboveground, which are Canadian stores. And lately I’ve been using paint made by Tri Art, a company based in and creating their products in Canada. 

Having a sustainable practice is a challenge for every artist. Making art can produce a lot of waste. But despite all of the factors working against artists, it is still achievable. Like other artists that I know, I like to keep a lot of odds and ends so that I can use materials to their full extent, like scrap pieces of canvas and paper. I repurpose a lot of my materials to reduce waste and to cut costs. I love reusing old paint jars so I can store new colours in them and using old jeans as paint rags.

I keep an eye on what my family, friends, and neighbours are throwing away especially lumber. As long as a piece of wood is still usable I will try to build something with it. Actually, the frame used to build the painting that I’m giving away was made with found wood. 

What I’m really interested in is how paintings are images and are objects; two things confined to one space. It’s the duality of a painting that I find intriguing. It’s what I find inspiring about other people’s work too. Most of my inspiration comes from looking at artwork and working on my own. Work comes from working. I have the most ideas for new paintings when I’m busy working.           

I use a lot of black and white in my work because I want to explore structure, form, and shape on a two dimensional plane and I feel that adding colour for its own sake only serves as decoration. In keeping with a neutral palette I feel that the relationship between the shapes and their relationship to the canvas is emphasized. 

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Trust me on this, Natasha's work is something you want to get your hands on. It's something I want to get MY hands on! Abstract art is the perfect addition to every home. To see some ideas for how you can incorporate abstract art into your home decor, check out this  blog!

So here's how to enter:

1. Comment on this post about why you think it's important to add original artwork to your home decor.
2. Follow Natasha on twitter (@NatashaGouveia5) and let me know about it in a comment below. You must comment to let me know... otherwise I won't know.
3. Share this post on Facebook and let me know.
4. Share this post on Twitter and let me know.

Enjoy, friends!

Open to US & Canadian Residents Only