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news and ARTWORK FROM NIKI MCQUEEN
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Happy Spring Day to all in the south! 🌻🌻🌻
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It's moving month for me, which means there will not be much art forthcoming. I'll be emptying the contents of my now-sold house, and sorting through them, giving away most and storing the few treasures I want to keep.
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Since Covid, I've more or less relinquished my attachment to things (NOT including art supplies!). Circumstance and so forth have had me moving around and living out of boxes for the last few years, and the longer I did this, the more I realised how little I really need. It's been both liberating and heart-breaking to be without a home of my own, a welcome but bittersweet lesson in letting go :).
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TALES FROM AUGUST
This month, I survived turning 50, which was something small and special, shared with those closest to me.
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I was honoured with a very personal commission and a logo design, shared below. Mostly, I have been finishing off admin, tying up loose ends and planning the logistics of emptying the 20-odd year's worth of accumulated weirdery in the house.
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I also had 12 stunning A3 giclee prints made, of works selected by the Fine Art Africa gallery in Hout Bay, Cape Town. They will go on sale as part of an exciting new move by the gallery and the inclusion of their location on the famous Cape Town 'Red Bus Route'. Some snaps of these below as well
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TARIFF TROUBLES
For my American buyers, there may be some bad news....
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While art is exempt from that small business assassin, the scrapping of the de minimis rule, which your president has blessed us with, shipping will require a lot more paperwork and there are expected to be shipping delays.
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A lot of carriers have simply stopped shipping to the USA, because they were not in any way prepared for the logistical implications of this new law. My carrier still ships, but for how long I am not sure.
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This is devastating news for so many people. My heart is breaking for small business owners the world over, whose livelihoods depended on their US market.
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Should you be considering purchasing original work or prints (from anyone), I would urge you to do so sooner rather than later. No one is sure how long art will be exempt for. BUT...
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GOOD NEWS! SIGNED PRINTS NOW AVAILABLE IN THE USA
In 2024 I was blessed to be able to visit the USA, on a trip funded by Amanda Palmer's patrons and supporters, to see The Dresden Dolls live in person. It was one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had. 🥰❤️❤️❤️
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I took over a suitcase full of signed giclee prints of my artworks, most of which were sold. For my American subscribers, the good news is, there are some left over :) They are available HERE at discounted rates (>50%), to anyone living in the USA.
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They are all signed Giclee prints on Felix Schoeller True Fibre Matt, 200gsm archival cotton paper. Sizes range from 10 x 12″ to 16 × 20″ and prices between $36 and $75 (local shipping excl.). Prints will be shipped within the USA only.
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THE VULEKA AWARD
I'm not sad I didn't win the Vuleka award...the art on display at the opening exhibition was jaw-droppingly brilliant. I was honoured to have made the "top ten wall", as one of the attendees noted.
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COMING UP: NEW DRESDEN DOLLS WORK, REMOVAL AND REST
As I mentioned in my last missive, rest will be my main focus, aside from the house move, until at least November this year, and my art urges are to be curbed by looking at art rather than making it :)
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I will still be running the packing and shipping of work and prints side of things, and will keep this newsletter and my Patreon going,
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Grab the popcorn and prepare for some retrospectives of work you'll likely never have seen as well as some NEW Dresden Dolls work!
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I wish you all the best for the month ahead and my deep gratitude for your support,
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THIS MONTH'S ARTWORKS
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This is a unique original edition and no more will be made. It was made for two beautiful souls, one no longer with us, and the originl artwork is just for them.
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Inks and mixed media with underprint on Fabriano Artistico 640gsm HP Watercolour paper
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39 x 57cm (15 x 22 inches)
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This artwork was made for a friend from days gone by, who is now a friend from now, and a collector of some of the best and most meaningful pieces I have made.
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She is one of the people who sees into my work and knows that what it means for her, is the truth in the art, and the most important element of my work.
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She married her husband in her 20's and tragically, she lost him to a massive heart-attack, very young. She purchased the last edition of Sorrow's Gift, and while we were chatting, mentioned that her husband had once written her a poem, and that she would be interested in seeing if I could interpret it as a commissioned work.
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I asked if she would share it with me. After reading it, and crying a lot, a vision formed on the edges of my mind, and I set out to see if I could coax it into life. I think it is maybe my favourite work so far this year.
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The full write-up with work-in-progress shots, is on my Patreon and there are premium quality giclee prints (framed and unframed) available for sale in my Etsy store and by direct order, and limited-edition signed prints available by direct order. You are welcome to email me to inquire or simply respond to to this mail.
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This is a fun little piece I made for my dad's birthday.
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I also gifted it as a print-ready file to my patrons.
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I found these rather whimsical, haughty-looking sheep in an old farming catalogue from the 1800's, made for the browser of things, before the Amazon monster was birthed. They are absolute treasure-troves when it comes to image searches. They are never indexed or tagged properly, so finding them can be hard, but I can literally spend hours and hours immersed in lists of farming and household equipment, livestock and random ephemera, imagining and viewing how life was once lived. These old books are a backwards-facing time machine.
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Inks and mixed media with underprint on Fabriano Artistico 640gsm HP Watercolour paper. Original handmade variant 1 of 5
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There are prints of this work available for sale in my Etsy store and by direct order, and signed prints available by direct order. You are welcome to email me to inquire or simply respond to to this mail.
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SOUND AND HEALING
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It struck me as synchronous that the I had 2 musical commissions in a row. This is a digital artwork and the flagship image for a logo I designed for a favourite buyer. I don't do logo design very often, but this proved to be an delightful exercise involving two of my favourite things, music and horses.
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The initiative involves healing through sound, a methodology which I had never heard of, but which intrigues and fascinates me. I can't wait to see where it goes!
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PERFECT PRINTS
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As ever, the guys at PrintArt didn't fail to impress with the 12 giclee prints on Hahnemule Photo Rag 308 that they made for me, which include quite a few of the Elysian Dreams ladies, 3 of the Where the Winds Blow series and a few other choice works, for the Fine Art Africa gallery. Pop by after 12 September if you're in Cape Town!
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For my American buyers, JUST RELEASED: over 30 signed Giclee prints of my artworks, AVAILABLE HERE at discounted rates (>50%), to anyone living in the USA.
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🌻THEME OF THE MONTH: SPRING 🌻
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I've picked a few light-hearted springy works as the theme this month, all from my Fairytales collection...
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Size: 25 x 30 cm (9 x 11 inches) (Larger sizes available on request). Medium: Inks and mixed media with underprint on Fabriano Artistico 300gsm HP Watercolour paper. Original handmade variant: 1 of 5
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Size: 24 x 24 cm (9.5 x 9.5 inches) (Larger sizes available on request). Medium: Inks and mixed media with underprint on Fabriano Artistico 300gsm HP Watercolour paper. Original handmade variant: 1 of 10
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Size: 28 x 38 cm (11 x 15 inches) Larger sizes available on request (38 x 56cm / 15 x 20 inches or 56 x 76cm / 22 x 30 inches ) Medium: Inks, watercolour and mixed media with underprint on Fabriano Artistico 300gsm HP Watercolour paper. Original handmade variant: 1 of 10
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Size: 28 x 38 cm (11 x 15 inches) Medium: Inks, Copics, hand-printing, watercolour and mixed media on Fabriano Artistico 300gsm HP Watercolour paper. Original handmade edition: 1 of 5
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Size: 28 x 38 cm (11 x 15 inches) Medium: Inks, Copics, hand-printing, watercolour and mixed media on Fabriano Artistico 300gsm HP Watercolour paper. Original handmade edition: 2 of 3
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THE BIT AT THE END
ABOUT THE ART
All the work you see here is created using mixed media with an underprint on Fabriano, Artistico 300gsm or 640gsm paper. These are available for purchase as original artworks or as archival, museum-quality fine art prints. You can view my full portfolio at https://nikimcqueen.com
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ETSY
A limited selection of my work is also available for international buyers in my Etsy store, in various print formats at nikimcqueenart.etsy.com. (South African buyers please contact me directly for prints.)
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PATREON
For more intimate content, access to behind-the-scenes videos and musings, and bonus free gifts and discounts, you can follow my Patreon page. It's TOTALLY FREE to join, and the bulk of the content I post is not paywalled if you are not in a position to join a paid tier. The income generated is 100% used to create art and cover medical costs.
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CONTACTING ME
If you have any queries or would like a quote, please feel free to respond to this email (nikimcqueen@gmail.com), or WhatsApp me on +27721417007.
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WHY DID I GET THIS EMAIL?
You’re receiving this email either from signing up on my website or because we’ve connected through art.
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This is a monthly digest of my latest pieces. If you don’t want to be on this mailing list, please click on the Unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email, and I offer my apologies for the inconvenience.
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ON THE SOCIALS
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