Two Tone Bridge to Halifax - The capital of Nova Scotia
Using two colors accentuated the cable lines
Using two colors accentuated the cable lines
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia - Halifax
Be a Cog in the Wheel of Change - show at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
Maud Lewis - Nova Scotia Folk Artist - Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
Maud Lewis was born in 1903 to John and Agnes Dowley in South Ohio, Nova Scotia. Her father was a harness maker whose business in South Ohio and later in Yarmouth, provided well for his family.
As a young child, Maud spent much time alone, perhaps because she felt uncomfortable with other children who could be meam about people with differences. Because of her condition, juvenile arthritis, she had an underdeveloped chin and stunted growth. As she grew older her movement became more and more restricted due to swelling of her joints. It seems, though, that Maud was not an unhappy child and enjoyed the time she spent at home with her family. She learned to play the piano and it is said that the family enjoyed listening to music. For many years, Maud and her mother painted Christmas cards to sell to friends and neighbors. Thus began her career as an artist.
She married Everett Lewis, an itinerant fish peddler and they lived in a tiny house near the "Poor House" where she spent much of her childhood. The tiny house that they shared for 30 years had no electricity and thus no radio or television to bring in the news of the world until Maud was given a small battery-operated radio. There was no indoor plumbing, the only heat was a large wood burning stove. In 1960 Maud was given a small trailer which Maud used as a summer studio. However, as her health declined Maud rarely left her home and was content to paint in the corner by the window facing the highway.
It was a simple life, Maud seemed to have enjoyed painting and the visits people began to make when they saw her "Painting for Sale" sign on the roadside. Those who stopped by found a quite woman with a delightful smile who took pleasure in the enjoyment others seemed to get from her work. Through newspaper and magazine articles as well as television documentaries, Maud became well known beyond her world and orders came in for paintings from far and wide.
As a young child, Maud spent much time alone, perhaps because she felt uncomfortable with other children who could be meam about people with differences. Because of her condition, juvenile arthritis, she had an underdeveloped chin and stunted growth. As she grew older her movement became more and more restricted due to swelling of her joints. It seems, though, that Maud was not an unhappy child and enjoyed the time she spent at home with her family. She learned to play the piano and it is said that the family enjoyed listening to music. For many years, Maud and her mother painted Christmas cards to sell to friends and neighbors. Thus began her career as an artist.
She married Everett Lewis, an itinerant fish peddler and they lived in a tiny house near the "Poor House" where she spent much of her childhood. The tiny house that they shared for 30 years had no electricity and thus no radio or television to bring in the news of the world until Maud was given a small battery-operated radio. There was no indoor plumbing, the only heat was a large wood burning stove. In 1960 Maud was given a small trailer which Maud used as a summer studio. However, as her health declined Maud rarely left her home and was content to paint in the corner by the window facing the highway.
It was a simple life, Maud seemed to have enjoyed painting and the visits people began to make when they saw her "Painting for Sale" sign on the roadside. Those who stopped by found a quite woman with a delightful smile who took pleasure in the enjoyment others seemed to get from her work. Through newspaper and magazine articles as well as television documentaries, Maud became well known beyond her world and orders came in for paintings from far and wide.
Maud's Painted House
Perhaps Maud Lewis' greatest work was her home. She painted almost every surface of the interior including the stove, the windows, the door (both sides) with flowers and birds. Dust pans, bread boxes, trays, cookie tins - all were transformed by Maud's brush from everyday kitchenware to decorated objects. Cars slowed down, drove back and forth and often stopped for a better look at this unexpected little oasis.
After Maud's death in 1970 and that of Everett's nine years later, there was a great deal of local concern about the fate of the house. It was rapidly deteriorating. The Maud Lewis Painted House Society was formed by a group of concerned citizen to raise funds to restore the house and perhaps open it as a museum or tourist attraction. The relative who inherited the house was also concerned and built an enclosure around it as a protection from the elements and vandalism. Despite these attempts to care for the house, sufficient funds were not raised and the house continued to deteriorate.
The house and the assets of the Painted House Society were acquired by the Province in 1984 and placed under the care of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Under the supervision of the Gallery's conservator and director, the house and its contents were moved to storage in a government hanger until funds became available from the Department of Canadian Heritage, Museum Assistant Program.
In 1997 the house was moved to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia to be located in the designated Maud Lewis Gallery.
Perhaps Maud Lewis' greatest work was her home. She painted almost every surface of the interior including the stove, the windows, the door (both sides) with flowers and birds. Dust pans, bread boxes, trays, cookie tins - all were transformed by Maud's brush from everyday kitchenware to decorated objects. Cars slowed down, drove back and forth and often stopped for a better look at this unexpected little oasis.
After Maud's death in 1970 and that of Everett's nine years later, there was a great deal of local concern about the fate of the house. It was rapidly deteriorating. The Maud Lewis Painted House Society was formed by a group of concerned citizen to raise funds to restore the house and perhaps open it as a museum or tourist attraction. The relative who inherited the house was also concerned and built an enclosure around it as a protection from the elements and vandalism. Despite these attempts to care for the house, sufficient funds were not raised and the house continued to deteriorate.
The house and the assets of the Painted House Society were acquired by the Province in 1984 and placed under the care of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Under the supervision of the Gallery's conservator and director, the house and its contents were moved to storage in a government hanger until funds became available from the Department of Canadian Heritage, Museum Assistant Program.
In 1997 the house was moved to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia to be located in the designated Maud Lewis Gallery.
Between 1949 and 1952 Nova Scotia’s craft scene enjoyed an infusion of european Modernist art sensibilities via Krystyna Sadowska (1912-1994) and her husband Konrad Sadowski (1902-1960) who moved to Halifax to teach at the Provincially-funded Handicraft Centre. The Sadowskis settled in Indian Harbour where they converted an old house into a studio and home, teaching and founding a successful roadside pottery business.
This exhibition celebrates the artistic accomplishments of young people who participated this past year in the very successful Autism Arts Saturday art classes at the Art GAllery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) in Halifax. AGNS and Autism Nova Scotia have worked in partnership since 2006 with the support of the Craig Foundation to provide a range of visual art experiences for children and youth on the autism spectrum.
Autism Arts is a recreational art program. Its intention is to provide a safe, supportive environment to allow the opportunity for the participants to discover and express themselves through various art mediums. It also provides a natural and organic social environment that encourages social interaction and acceptance.
Autism Arts is a recreational art program. Its intention is to provide a safe, supportive environment to allow the opportunity for the participants to discover and express themselves through various art mediums. It also provides a natural and organic social environment that encourages social interaction and acceptance.
Featured Artist - Marion Wagschal
With Burning Spoons, the artist represents a poignant and telling self-portrait with her mother. Wagschal depicts herself, sitting in bed wearing a suit, a self-described “working class, working woman.” Her mother is shown asleep (or dead?) on the bed. Between them lies a small of case of gold spoons. This was as the artist tells it, the only heirloom carried away with her mother from war-torn Europe. It glows, almost levitating between the women, connecting them, holding them together as well as separate. Here the space between the two women highlights the ambiguity in their relationship.
Emily Falencki
New York-born Nova Scotia-based painter Emily Falencki mines the ground between traditional portraiture and anonymous representation. Her memorial portraits give voice to grief and question society’s all-too hard shell. She draws from Facebook postings, “missing persons” posters, or newspapers report of people who are missing or have disappeared. using traditional painting techniques, including layers of rabbit skin glue and hand-sanding. Falencki commits to giving meaning to those faces, painting their likeness, and demanding attention for those lost close and far from home.
New York-born Nova Scotia-based painter Emily Falencki mines the ground between traditional portraiture and anonymous representation. Her memorial portraits give voice to grief and question society’s all-too hard shell. She draws from Facebook postings, “missing persons” posters, or newspapers report of people who are missing or have disappeared. using traditional painting techniques, including layers of rabbit skin glue and hand-sanding. Falencki commits to giving meaning to those faces, painting their likeness, and demanding attention for those lost close and far from home.
2 Wheelers Exhibition
Michel de Broin, Montreal, Quebec, 1970
Shared Propulsion Car, 2007
DVD
This project presents a 1986 Buick Regal which has been stripped of its engine, suspension, transmission and electrical system. Four independent pedal and gear mechanisms have been outfitted in the remaining shell which continues to have the “illusion of the mass-produced luxury automobile” but has a top speed of 15 km per hour. Using bicycle technology, the passengers form the self-propulsion group.
Shared Propulsion Car, 2007
DVD
This project presents a 1986 Buick Regal which has been stripped of its engine, suspension, transmission and electrical system. Four independent pedal and gear mechanisms have been outfitted in the remaining shell which continues to have the “illusion of the mass-produced luxury automobile” but has a top speed of 15 km per hour. Using bicycle technology, the passengers form the self-propulsion group.
Other Exhibitions
Studio 21 Fine Art - Halifax, Nova Scotia
They had a great collection of contemporary art!
They had a great collection of contemporary art!
CULTURAL OBSERVATIONS - I realize that I am treading on dangerous, hallowed ground, but I will venture to comment. I love Canada and Canadians, but draw the line at just one or two things. ;)
CULTURAL OBSERVATION #1 - Poutine
What Canadians do with their french fries continues to amaze me. First of all they always ask if you want gravy with your fries and then there's Poutine.
As if French Fries weren't deadly enough by themselves, they've come up with a way to top it off. They add lots of big chunks of cheese curds and then smother it in gravy. In another version they add bacon on top of everything.
What Canadians do with their french fries continues to amaze me. First of all they always ask if you want gravy with your fries and then there's Poutine.
As if French Fries weren't deadly enough by themselves, they've come up with a way to top it off. They add lots of big chunks of cheese curds and then smother it in gravy. In another version they add bacon on top of everything.
Cultural Observation #2 - Tim Hortons
From the American perspective.... be warned Canadians are going to hate this comment since they LOVE their Timmys and they are everywhere. The coffee is good, but I have to say they don't know how to make a good donut. Tom has been fighting a donut addition for many years.
Timmy's donuts are soft inside like the white bread we see everywhere. The dough has little flavor or texture. We bought a few donuts and ate two and threw away the rest. When we ate them the dough became a big gooey ball in our mouths that was difficult to swallow. In my opinion they were a white flour/sugar experience not worth the calories invested. Stick to the coffee.
Timmy's donuts are soft inside like the white bread we see everywhere. The dough has little flavor or texture. We bought a few donuts and ate two and threw away the rest. When we ate them the dough became a big gooey ball in our mouths that was difficult to swallow. In my opinion they were a white flour/sugar experience not worth the calories invested. Stick to the coffee.
Cultural Observation #3 - Loonies and Toonies
Now this is one that I like.... their coins! They have eliminated the pennies and just round up or down to make change. It's a simple solution.
They no longer have one dollar bills, but have one and two dollar coins instead that are called Loonies for one dollar and Toonies for two. They are used at toll booths, laundry machines, car wash and other places that would otherwise take bills in the US. The coins work much better than trying to shove a bill into a slot. We loved them, but we were confused at the first car wash that said they take only Toonies. I thought I had to buy a special token.
Now this is one that I like.... their coins! They have eliminated the pennies and just round up or down to make change. It's a simple solution.
They no longer have one dollar bills, but have one and two dollar coins instead that are called Loonies for one dollar and Toonies for two. They are used at toll booths, laundry machines, car wash and other places that would otherwise take bills in the US. The coins work much better than trying to shove a bill into a slot. We loved them, but we were confused at the first car wash that said they take only Toonies. I thought I had to buy a special token.
Cultural Observation #4 - Canadian bills
The bills are made of polymer and have a clear section. They are beautiful and probably difficult to counterfeit.
The bills are made of polymer and have a clear section. They are beautiful and probably difficult to counterfeit.
End of Cultural Observations
Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
It was too touristy for us so we did a "drive by" and I just got out of the car once to take a photo.
It was too touristy for us so we did a "drive by" and I just got out of the car once to take a photo.
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Art Quilt Gallery in Lunenburg had a great exhibit of Laurie Swim quilts. They were expertly executed with incredible fine detail.
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Digby, Nova Scotia - Scallop Days & Woodsman Competition
Inscription under the bell reads:
In proud memory of all the seafaring sons of Annapolis Basin, Digby Neck Islands area who were lost at sea during the period of 1867 - 1967. This hand operated warning bell was located at North Point Brier Island in 1897 by the Department of Marine and Fisheries to warn mariners of shoals. "O LORD THEY SEA IS SO GREAT AND MY SHIP SO SMALL"
In proud memory of all the seafaring sons of Annapolis Basin, Digby Neck Islands area who were lost at sea during the period of 1867 - 1967. This hand operated warning bell was located at North Point Brier Island in 1897 by the Department of Marine and Fisheries to warn mariners of shoals. "O LORD THEY SEA IS SO GREAT AND MY SHIP SO SMALL"
Woodsman Competition in Digby, Nova Scotia
Log Cutting Contest
One person would saw the log in half and then each person had to quarter their half with an ax.
One person would saw the log in half and then each person had to quarter their half with an ax.
She did the sawing and then lost her steam when it came to the chopping.
The men on the left were a fast and efficient team. On the right dad was advising his kids.
Was I the only person who noticed that the royals had a garbage can in front of them when speaking?
The individual techniques to throw the ax were quite interesting. The most accurate Woodsman made it look far too easy and used one hand.
The individual techniques to throw the ax were quite interesting. The most accurate Woodsman made it look far too easy and used one hand.
Saint John, New Brunswick - Wonderful historic city with lots of brick buildings
Saint John City Market
Fredericton, New Brunswick - another historic city and home of the famous Beaverbrook Art Gallery
The Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick
The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a public art gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It is named after Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, who funded the building of the gallery.
They did not allow photos, but they had some very impressive art that I will share with photos I found online.
The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a public art gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It is named after Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, who funded the building of the gallery.
They did not allow photos, but they had some very impressive art that I will share with photos I found online.
Muriel and Eric Atkinson: A Selection From a Modest Personal Collection. I was not familiar with the work of Eric Atkinson, but found myself inspired. I was thrilled then to see that they had another room devoted to his work titled Eric Atkinson: Journeys Through the Landscape. I ended up buying several books on his artwork in the gallery.
The gallery states:
Eric Atkinson is a major Canadian abstract landscape painter, whose extensive career as an artist and art educator straddles both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and is currently being rediscovered in England. A visual poet of the landscape, his paintings are created on the studio floor by working from all four sides of a canvas. He disrupts the picture plane, an amalgam of sand and glue, with incised calligraphic markings that suggest the natural rhythms of wind and water, of sculpted landforms created over the course of thousands of years from geological erosion – a layering of time and ancient memory. Appropriately referred to by the artist as “journeys through the landscape”, his paintings are not literal depictions, but expressions of the interpenetration of inner and outer landscapes, of the integral relationship between the processes of art making and the forces of nature, or as Atkinson states, “the forms echo the geological structure of the land and the calligraphy left by man and nature upon its surface.”
Born in Hartlepool, England, in 1928, Atkinson was the assistant to Harry Thubron at Leeds College of Art from 1955 to 1961 before he succeeded him as Head of Fine Art. He emigrated to Canada in 1969 and became Dean of Applied Arts at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. The Basic Course at Leeds is now recognized as one of the most innovative post-Bauhaus education programs in Europe, a radical change in art educational thinking that values self-expression and the creative process over the transfer of technical skills and a permanent set of artistic values that also became part of Atkinson’s legacy at Fanshawe College.
The photos below were not in the show and don't do justice to his work, but will give you a flavor of his art.
The gallery states:
Eric Atkinson is a major Canadian abstract landscape painter, whose extensive career as an artist and art educator straddles both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and is currently being rediscovered in England. A visual poet of the landscape, his paintings are created on the studio floor by working from all four sides of a canvas. He disrupts the picture plane, an amalgam of sand and glue, with incised calligraphic markings that suggest the natural rhythms of wind and water, of sculpted landforms created over the course of thousands of years from geological erosion – a layering of time and ancient memory. Appropriately referred to by the artist as “journeys through the landscape”, his paintings are not literal depictions, but expressions of the interpenetration of inner and outer landscapes, of the integral relationship between the processes of art making and the forces of nature, or as Atkinson states, “the forms echo the geological structure of the land and the calligraphy left by man and nature upon its surface.”
Born in Hartlepool, England, in 1928, Atkinson was the assistant to Harry Thubron at Leeds College of Art from 1955 to 1961 before he succeeded him as Head of Fine Art. He emigrated to Canada in 1969 and became Dean of Applied Arts at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. The Basic Course at Leeds is now recognized as one of the most innovative post-Bauhaus education programs in Europe, a radical change in art educational thinking that values self-expression and the creative process over the transfer of technical skills and a permanent set of artistic values that also became part of Atkinson’s legacy at Fanshawe College.
The photos below were not in the show and don't do justice to his work, but will give you a flavor of his art.
Four Turns of a Key: Metalwork by Elma Johnston McKay
Elma Johnston McKay is a master metalsmith who has low vision related to myopia, retinal tears, and cataracts. Between 1996 and 2009, she researched and crafted an extensive collection of replications and interpretations of historical keys. On display in its entirety for the first time, this exhibition presents McKay’s creative exploration of the design, metalwork, and symbolic use of keys in imagery and lore across time and different cultures.
Historically, a key is symbolic, signifying prestige and power. As though reclaiming her own power, McKay produced something unique and beautiful in the image of a key, despite deteriorating eyesight. This collection of handcrafted keys formed in copper, silver, brass, and gold includes “inspiration” pieces (replicas or likenesses of historical keys derived from artworks or literary sources) and contemporary reinventions of those key(s) based on themes ranging from competition to tolerance, patronage to greed. Just as a key provides access to a sacred or treasured space, this exhibition gives access to a merging of contemporary fine craft, fine art, and art history.
McKay has identified four core qualities that are exemplified by the key as an object: Beauty, Difference, Symbolism, and Progress. These qualities resonate in the exhibition: the aesthetic quality and exquisite craftsmanship and artistic skill evident in the individual works; the metaphoric celebration of individualism objectified in the key (a thing that must be unique to function); the continuation of an art historical tradition of engaging symbolism to convey universal themes; and a physical manifestation of progress in the relationship between old and new, inspiration and interpretation, traditional craft and contemporary art.
A small collection of the keys are below. The museum book that has photos of all of the keys along with the wonderful written material explaining the inspiration and keys is available at this link. Book - Four Turns of a Key: Metalwork by Elma Johnston McKay
Elma Johnston McKay is a master metalsmith who has low vision related to myopia, retinal tears, and cataracts. Between 1996 and 2009, she researched and crafted an extensive collection of replications and interpretations of historical keys. On display in its entirety for the first time, this exhibition presents McKay’s creative exploration of the design, metalwork, and symbolic use of keys in imagery and lore across time and different cultures.
Historically, a key is symbolic, signifying prestige and power. As though reclaiming her own power, McKay produced something unique and beautiful in the image of a key, despite deteriorating eyesight. This collection of handcrafted keys formed in copper, silver, brass, and gold includes “inspiration” pieces (replicas or likenesses of historical keys derived from artworks or literary sources) and contemporary reinventions of those key(s) based on themes ranging from competition to tolerance, patronage to greed. Just as a key provides access to a sacred or treasured space, this exhibition gives access to a merging of contemporary fine craft, fine art, and art history.
McKay has identified four core qualities that are exemplified by the key as an object: Beauty, Difference, Symbolism, and Progress. These qualities resonate in the exhibition: the aesthetic quality and exquisite craftsmanship and artistic skill evident in the individual works; the metaphoric celebration of individualism objectified in the key (a thing that must be unique to function); the continuation of an art historical tradition of engaging symbolism to convey universal themes; and a physical manifestation of progress in the relationship between old and new, inspiration and interpretation, traditional craft and contemporary art.
A small collection of the keys are below. The museum book that has photos of all of the keys along with the wonderful written material explaining the inspiration and keys is available at this link. Book - Four Turns of a Key: Metalwork by Elma Johnston McKay
Another exhibit at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery -
Off The Grid: Abstract Painting in New Brunswick
Off The Grid: Abstract Painting in New Brunswick
After 73 days we are leaving Canada! I loved the sights, the people and the art.
What a great time!!
This was our second time to return to the U.S. and this crossing was a bit more complicated. We could see that the border agents were going into each camper without the owners being inside and we knew this would be a problem with the dogs. The campers were in one lane and it was extremely slow moving. Officers were spending several minutes in each camper and always seemed to be coming out with some food items.
They asked us to keep the dogs in the front seat while they entered the back. They were on leashes for control but both dogs became protective and snarled and growled. The officer immediately said that we had to pull aside and take a seat inside. After a wait on a cold marble bench and more questions, a different border officer then went through our rig while we waited outside with the dogs. It was a much better solution and the dogs were fine. They opened cabinets, looked in the refrigerator and bathroom and who knows what else.
I find the questions that they asked to be interesting.
Where we had gone in Canada?
What we bought that was expensive?
Did we have a large amount of cash?
What drugs did we have?
Did all of our prescriptions have our name and doctor printed on the label?
What pain medications did we have?
Did we have any tobacco products? Probably looking for Cuban cigars
Were we diabetic and have any needles?
Was there anything sharp or dangerous that would injure them while looking through the van?
What alcohol did we have?
So they took our tomatoes and lemons and we were on our way. All citrus peel seemed to be a problem.
We are happy to be back in the homeland.
What a great time!!
This was our second time to return to the U.S. and this crossing was a bit more complicated. We could see that the border agents were going into each camper without the owners being inside and we knew this would be a problem with the dogs. The campers were in one lane and it was extremely slow moving. Officers were spending several minutes in each camper and always seemed to be coming out with some food items.
They asked us to keep the dogs in the front seat while they entered the back. They were on leashes for control but both dogs became protective and snarled and growled. The officer immediately said that we had to pull aside and take a seat inside. After a wait on a cold marble bench and more questions, a different border officer then went through our rig while we waited outside with the dogs. It was a much better solution and the dogs were fine. They opened cabinets, looked in the refrigerator and bathroom and who knows what else.
I find the questions that they asked to be interesting.
Where we had gone in Canada?
What we bought that was expensive?
Did we have a large amount of cash?
What drugs did we have?
Did all of our prescriptions have our name and doctor printed on the label?
What pain medications did we have?
Did we have any tobacco products? Probably looking for Cuban cigars
Were we diabetic and have any needles?
Was there anything sharp or dangerous that would injure them while looking through the van?
What alcohol did we have?
So they took our tomatoes and lemons and we were on our way. All citrus peel seemed to be a problem.
We are happy to be back in the homeland.