Marie Fox, a painter based in Fredericton, will be an addition to our group of artists when Buckland Merrifield Gallery opens its doors this fall. I do expect to have some work on hand at the current Duke St. location soon. Above, images of her work, and below, Marie at work in her studio.

Marie Fox is one of two painters selected this year for the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s Studio Watch Emerging Artist Series. The other artist is Stephanie Weirathmueller, who is represented by Gallery 78.

In the catalogue for her Beaverbrook exhibition, Marie discusses her paintings which she says are very much based in “the tradition of Western figurative painting (particularly that of the northern Gothic of 15th Century Flemish art).”

She says “My models are stripped bare of time and space, their clothing for the most part, and placed in ambiguous backgrounds or sky-painted, in moments of ecstasy, playfulness, purity and ferocity. . . My paintings convey the sensual, the erotic and the spiritual.”

I am including images of a few paintings, but I urge you to visit her exhibition at the Beaverbrook. The exhibition opens on June 25, and will remain up through the summer.

LJÓSBERINN (Bringer of Light) , 2014 Oil on wood panel | 48 x 48 inches

Ascend | Ascension (Francis of Assisi), 2015 (1 of 12 panels)

Marie discusses her approach to painting. “I work in the tradition of an earlier time, painting in oil on wood panels, using translucent layers of colour that echo gothic and renaissance styles.”

 

Premature Epitaph for a Painter | , 2014 Oil on wood panel |  8 x 10 inches

Light Bearer. oil on wood panel, 10″ x 10″

 

Coming soon in this series, Andrea Brewer, another painter who will be joining our gallery.

This is the first in a series of blog posts designed to introduce some of the new artists that will be showing at the Buckland Merrifield Gallery when it opens this fall. I will be sending out posts throughout the summer in order to tell you about some of these new artists, as well as keeping you informed about special events involving artists currently represented by my gallery.

Melissa Leblanc is the first artist to be featured in this series. Melissa, an instructor at the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design, is a ceramic artist based near Fredericton. Shannon has arranged for Melissa to join our gallery when we open this fall.

Her sculptural explorations are a product of her vast imagination and humoristic view on life. As you view some images of her work below, you will see why we are quite excited to have Melissa join our new gallery.

 

Above: Harlequin Trio

Above: Madame Corvus

Above: Chickadee Choir

Given this small sampling of her work, it is easy to see why she was selected, in 2013, by the NB Arts Board, for an Emerging Artist Creation Grant. Also, in the summer of 2014, Melissa was granted a solo exhibition at Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery in London, Ontario, Canada’s largest ceramic art gallery.

Shannon talked with Melissa concerning her decision to become a ceramic artist. Melissa told her that she touched clay for the first time in a sculpture class as a social science student during her time at University of Moncton. The moment her hands touched the clay, Melissa realized that she need to dedicate her life to ceramics. She dropped out of university and went to the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in Fredericton, where she currently works as an instructor.

Melissa discussed some of her early influences.

“I grew up in a large family (I’m the youngest of 7) in Rogersville and spent alot of time in the woods climbing trees and being fascinated by nature and it’s beauty. 

My parents are very artistic and they showed me their creative process. My mother is a painter and I used to watch her paint while my father is a musician and I used to listen to him sing and play the guitar while he wrote songs. It’s a rich environment to grow up in for someone who has a creative spirit.”

Above: Deer Knitting

Above: A Lovely Mourning

Above: Giraffe Family

Melissa explained her process for creating these wonderful figures, that seem to arise out of a well balanced blend: a delightful exuberance for nature and a darkly humourous view of humanity. She says, “Once I have found a subject matter, I sculpt the piece solid and hollow it out, once it is hard enough not to distort.  I apply underglazes like paint to add color.  Then I fire in a kiln to a bisque temperature.  After, I apply an oxide stain to darken the work and enhance the lines and textures.”

 

Above: Mr. & Mrs. Bear; Melissa at work in her studio.

Watch for my next post when I will introduce you to two painters who have just joined the gallery: Marie Fox and Andrea Brewer.

 

 

 

 

The Strathbutler Award: A tradition of excellence in New Brunswick Visual Arts

Based on the considered recommendation of a professional jury, the Board of Directors of the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation announces that Paul Mathieson has been selected as the 2015 recipient of the Strathbutler Award. Mr. Mathieson joins a celebrated list of Strathbutler artists whose work has enriched the cultural fabric of New Brunswick.

JURORS’ COMMENTARY:

Jurors Toby Bruce, Hannah Claus and Francois Morelli lauded the Kingston resident for his work and his many contributions to the cultural fabric of New Brunswick.

“The jury recognizes Paul Mathieson’s sustained contribution to the long history of western figurative tradition. While anchored in the local, his work addresses the universal humanist condition of alienation and isolation. The formal complexity of his compositions, combined with the theatrical and performative nature of his narratives distinguish his work in an age where the very nature of painting is questioned.

Mathieson’s keen observation of his immediate environment translates into a dystopic perspective of society at large, giving the work an unsettling contemporary resonance. While the work asks questions, it doesn’t attempt to come up with answers. To quote the artist “Life is not a sitcom with a problem resolved within a thirty minute screening and neither are my paintings”

As an educator, working with secondary students in the public school system for over thirty years, he has directly impacted generations and continues to do so through ongoing projects with youth and community. In awarding Paul Mathieson the Strathbutler, the jury acknowledges the vitality and importance of an oeuvre which resists the constraints of time and place.”

A SURVEY OF PAUL’S PAINTINGS SINCE 2000:

Monopoly Series (2000 – 01) – Private Collection

 

The Tunnel Series (2003) – Collection of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery

Cul de Sac (2004) – Collection of New Brunswick Art Bank

First Steps (2007) – Private Collection

Back of Quinpool (2009) – Private Collection

Paradise Row; The Island is Closed (2010) – Private Collection

The Ladder Series (2011) – Collection of the artist

Marquages Temporaires; Empire Theatre (2012) – Private Collection

Continuing the tradition of celebrating excellence in the visual arts, the Strathbuter will be presented to Mr. Mathieson at a gala reception to be held in September at the New Brunswick Museum.

Also, an exhibition of new paintings by Paul Mathieson will be held at the Buckland Merrifield Gallery in November 2015.