JOY IN OIL: MAUD LEWIS AT THE MCMICHAEL GALLERY

Exhibition Reviews | Mary Wallace

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Summer Scene with Cows (detail), oil on board. (Photograph Courtesy of Mary Wallace) 

I visited the McMichael Gallery’s Maud Lewis show on Thanksgiving weekend with my parents, this kind of wholesome excursion seems fitting for Lewis’s work. Lewis (1903-1970) is one of Canada’s best known folk artists and female painters and this exhibition features some rarely seen works from private collections in Nova Scotia, mostly small oil paintings as well as some painted shuttlers and Christmas decorations.

Despite the lifelong struggle with rheumatoid arthritis that limited her mobility, Lewis began painting and drawing at an early age, creating Christmas cards and paintings to sell at roadsides. Most of her work was made in the one room house she shared with her husband Everett Lewis in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia, which she covered completely in hand-painted designs. Lewis’s life was marked with tragedy, but looking at her paintings you would never know it. The artwork and the exhibition itself radiate joy and enthusiasm with their bright blocks of colour and whimsical subject matter. One of the things I appreciated about this exhibition was that, while it did not shy away from the illness and poverty that affected Lewis’s life, it did not focus on those aspects either. In fact, the gallery’s stated purpose for the exhibition is to present Lewis’s work as objects of aesthetic and artistic value and not merely as artifacts of tragedy.

These works, while unconventional in style, are of certainly of aesthetic value. This snow laden pine tree painted on glass, for example, shows us Lewis’s unique use of thick unblended paint.

Winter Scene, oil on glass. (Photograph Courtesy of Mary Wallace) 

Winter Scene (detail). (Photograph Courtesy of Mary Wallace)

This cow grazing in a summer field conveys wonderful depth despite the flat application of colour.

Untitled (Cow and Apple Blossoms - Bear River), 1950s, oil on board. (Photograph Courtesy of Mary Wallace)

More than just technical skill Lewis’s work creates a unique atmosphere, the feeling that each piece has been created with a loving hand. These paintings have an undeniable sincerity and humour to them, I don’t think I have ever smiled so much at an exhibition.

How could one not smile looking at this frowning cat?

White Cat, 1965/1966, oil on Beaverboard. (Photograph Courtesy of Mary Wallace)

I left this exhibition ready to go home and start painting. Some of you reading this may look at these pictures and think to yourselves “I could do that”, if that’s the case, I encourage you to do so. If Maud Lewis shows us anything it is the uplifting power of bringing something joyful into existence; if you are an I-could-do-that person then by all means get to it, that’s what Maud would have done.

Untitled (Butterflies), early 1960s, oil on board. (Photograph Courtesy of Mary Wallace)

Maud Lewis at the McMichael Gallery runs from June 29, 2019 to January 5, 2020, free with the price of admission (completely free if you bring your OMA card).

VIEWING ECOLOGIES OF LANDSCAPE

Special Edition | Alexandra Forand

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Over the last few months I have had the privilege of working on the exhibit Ecologies of Landscape at the Barbara Edwards Contemporary (BEC) Project Space.  My roles a research assistant on this project, was to help instal the exhibition, offer tours in the space, and (in a couple of weeks) help deinstall the exhibition. The idea for the exhibit came out of two conversations in the Spring of 2018 between Barbara Edwards and curator and Professor, Mark Cheetham. The exhibit was originally meant to consist of a few pieces by local artists, a small opening, and be on display to the public for a few weeks during the holiday season The curator’s and gallery owner’s ambitions for the show grew considerably as we discussed what it could be. The exhibit featured nine artists (a mix of Canadian and international), hosted an opening in which over 300 people attended, and boasts numerous tours with viewing extending into late January.

Photograph courtesy of Hana Nikčević.

While landscape art has been an area of focus for large blockbuster exhibits in 2018 (for example, Anthropocene at the Art Gallery of Ontario and Terroir: Then and Now at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Yarmouth), Professor Cheetham is no stranger to landscapes in art. His book, Landscapes into Eco Art: Articulations of Nature Since the ‘60s, published in 2018, was the result of 15 years of research. Professor Cheetham believes “the works in the exhibition give visitors the opportunity to think about landscape and societal issues in a range of contemporary contexts.” 

Photograph courtesy of Hana Nikčević.

Neda Omidvar, the director of BEC and assistant curator of Ecologies of Landscape, supervised the collection and installation of the art in the exhibit. She explains that the uniqueness of the exhibition stems from the immense community support. Each of the artists, private art galleries, and other entities (locally or internationally) who were approached with the idea of this exhibit were encouraging. The ready support of the community illustrates the importance of an exhibition of this kind. 

Photograph courtesy of Hana Nikčević.

Hana Nikčević, head research assistant, has worked tirelessly behind the scenes of the exhibition. She believes exhibits like this are important because they remind us that ecological awareness is vital. Hana explains that “there are multiple approaches to this topic––it can and should be addressed not just by or through the sciences.”

Photograph courtesy of Hana Nikčević.

In Canada, landscape painting has been an important way to construct “nature” as well as our own identities. Notable artists include Emily Carr, David Milne, and Paul Kane. That being said, artists from many places and times have grappled with landscape, environment, and human interaction. Now, more than ever, it is important to draw attention to complex issues, such as access to land, land stewardship, and land degradation, that affect this planet that we call home. 

Photograph courtesy of Hana Nikčević.

Ecologies of Landscape runs until January 26, 2019 and is open Wednesday to Saturday, 1-5 pm or by appointment. Located at 315 King St. West.