‘Bright Within’ is a special group show featuring work by local artists Bobbi Clackson Walker, Jack Coggins, Jan Corcoran, Ray Keighley, Paul Lapointe, Jan Norris, Karen Pask-Thompson, Louise Roy, Ruth Sulatisky, Carol Wylie and Marlene Yuzak.
Each participating artist has been asked to select a work from their home or studio environment that they continue to look at and be both surprised and inspired by, as it is ‘bright within and without’. Each artist has also provided a brief statement on an element of the work, an aspect of it that they find important as they move forward. Also included is ‘Red Cyclamen’, a still life by Prince Albert artist Andree Martinson-Felley, from our STM Art Collection.
Memories of dappled sunlight on a glass-like surface
Bubbles rise to burst and reveal hidden depths
Flotsam drifts by stirring imagined points of origin
FLOAT is a play of visual elements and visual memories
Each time I gaze upon it I learn how important that play is to my work.
Bobbi Clackson-Walker
Float
2009
Acrylic paint and paper collage on raw canvas
36″ x 72″
This recent work shows nerve cells of the human body and the interconnected wiring with other nerves. They serve as the fragile connections of the central nervous system and when broken, as in my case, they render me a quadriplegic.
This is a new departure for me that I plan to explore in greater depth as a subject of future works.
Jack Coggins
Neurons and Axons
Acrylic on canvas
2013
This work is cathartic for me: a way of letting go and painting from the heart with a limited palette.
Jan Corcoran
The Frank Series
Oil on cradle board
4 (5”x 7”)
This is an acrylic painting from 1979 when I was in Bible College. I had a Life of Christ class and instead of a written assignment, I did a painting of the Triumphal Entry of Christ. It was done on canvas panel and framed. I gave the painting to one of my wife’s aunts who lived on campus. She has since died and it came back to me, kind of a lost child. It is in my office and it reminds me of my early use of colour and design that can still be found within my work today. And it reflects the narrative aspects of my work.
Ray Keighley
Triumphal Entry of Christ
Acrylic on canvas panel
1979
18″ x 24″
‘Rattle’ hangs next to my bed and is a gathering of objects found here at the river lot at Batoche where I live. When arranging the objects, I had the distinct feeling of ceremony. I mostly work at Plein Air painting in watercolour and oil but that particular winter, I did 13 assemblages.
Paul Lapointe
Rattle
Assemblage of wood – stone – sinew – bone – paper
2005
58 x 38 x4 cm
For a while I had a south-facing studio on the second floor of the house across the street from where I lived. While there I did a few paintings of the streetscape, which was beautiful whatever the season.
Jan Norris
On the Street Where I Live
Oil paint and oil pastel on canvas
18″ x 24″
Becoming a mother has been one of the best gifts that I have experienced. I have truly experienced the “bright within and without” in my children who have since grown into young adults. This painting is special to me as it is one of my daughters. It is entitled “Forget Me Not”, not only for the flower she is offering but also for her spirit that will be with me forever and never forgotten.
Karen Pask-Thompson
Forget Me Not
Acrylic on canvas
1998, 22” x 30″
This piece was done in Anne McElroy’s class, ‘Painting Towards Abstraction’ at USCAD. As I did this exercise, I understood better than ever before that anything goes. I can do a woman with no head and four fingers and nothing is missing. It gave me freedom for future work.
Louise Roy
Woman With No Head
Acrylic on paper
Fall 2008
11 ½” x 15”
According to Coco Chanel, before every woman leaves the house she should look in the mirror and, if possible, remove one item. This concept, that less is more, is a very strong influence in my work and “Marta” was the drawing that sparked my interest in exploring what you can do with an economy of line and shadow.
Ruth Sulatisky
Marta
Charcoal on paper
30” x 22”
This piece taught me how important it is to me that all of my work contain an element of the human experience. It also helped to springboard me into an exploration of oil paint as a medium for painting flesh.
Carol Wylie
Tenderness
Oil on canvas
2011
41 ½” x 32 ½”
This sketch of the Saskatchewan River Forks was one of many images I completed on a hot August day. I was taking part in a summer workshop with George Glenn, who was a great mentor for me. In order to get his students to break out of their old habits, George would sometimes assign people to do 20 or 30 paintings a day. With people who were really stuck in a rut, he might ask for 50. Fortunately, I never needed that much treatment!
It had been a long day, and we’d painted at several sites. By the time we got out to the Forks, I was too tired to drag out my paints. So I just picked a piece of charcoal out of an old fire pit and went to work.
Although this gives me fond memories of a mentor,that is not why I hang on to it. This piece is one of the first I did with a real sense of self-confidence, of knowing exactly what I wanted. I wanted to use white space. I wanted to frame this stark image with little playful “beads” of orange. I still explore these themes in my work today.
As an artist, you need a certain degree of self-assurance in order to put down your marks with intention and integrity. This painting was my first taste of that.
You may recognize this still life by Andreé as part of the STM Art Collection. In 2004, STM Gallery was fortunate to host to an exhibition entitled ‘Objects’ featuring the work of Linda Chartier (Calgary) and Andreé Martinson-Felley. Born in Switzerland, Andree moved to Canada in the early 1960s and eventually settled just outside of Prince Albert. Like all of the artists within this exhibition, Andreé is passionate about art and art making and has been a mentor and inspiration to many artists within the arts community. Each time I view this vibrant still life in our hallways, I discover something new, something that is bright within & without.
Andree Martinson- Felley
Red Cyclamen
Oil on canvas
STM Collection