2010
land of possibility
Photographs by Rocky Mountain House artist, Roberta Murray ASA, was showing in the gallery January 18 – February 19, 2010. Roberta writes, “While exploring the landscape in a more impressionistic or representational context, I have become more attentive to the smaller details in nature that would normally be missed. It is like there is this unseen layer of reality that exists in an imaginary realm; a truth which exists for me alone. This makes me question if the idea of truth is a state that exists only in the mind of the individual. It is hoped through these manipulations I can encourage people to question how their own personal perceptions influence their views of reality.”
the geography of things
“The Geography of Things” ran Monday, March 1 to April 2. An assortment of wall reliefs and sculptural pieces by Ellen Dick from Swalwell, Alberta. By rearranging and juxtaposing a variety of recycled common materials in unusual ways, Ellen creates sculptures that open windows “into a bit of magic and mystery. Being evocative of other places and other times, they form their own geographies.” Ellen Dick is originally from northern Ontario but has lived in Alberta for over 40 years. She is also a painter and works in stained glass.
deformity + deception
A series of internal self-portraits that represent views of the mind, rather than the subject’s physical appearance by Jillian Best, Red Deer. Jillian’s work is a visual representation of the dark places that exist deep within all of us. The places we hide our impurities, prejudices and sometimes our strongest emotions; where we conceal our secrets: those things that make us different from others; what we’re afraid to show, for fear of judgment or betrayal. These psychological spaces house our fears, our emotional deformities, our vulnerability and our desperation. Desperate to feel more connected to the world but always, on the most basic level, fearing rejection. This fear can lead down a path of deception, facades and masquerades: tools we use to conceal and protect our true selves. The images included in this series portray feelings of isolation and exile, misery, unrest, disillusionment and despair. Deformity + Deception was showing from April 12 to May 14, 2010.
putting the fire out
Ceramics by Susan Greenbank, of Calgary, were exhibited from May 24 to June 25. These pieces, many of which had been produced in series, showed a delicate and deft handling of clay, stain, and glaze. This was Susan’s last show as a ceramicist as she has moved on to a newer medium.
11 ruminations
Drawings by Rachel Evans from Ladysmith, BC. ran July 5 to August 6. This series of drawings explored the process of abstraction as the result of studying objects with careful, concentrated attention. The drawings, based on a collection of thrift store doilies developed out of an earlier body of work that involved the study and creation of nests. These drawings contain pattern and variation, repetition and randomness, chaos and order, similarity and contrast.