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"Urban Life" by Carla Miedema
Learn more about our upcoming show, Changing Hue, by reading the artist statements of our featured artists,
Laurie Near
Canadian contemporary abstract artist Laurie Near specializes in meditative acrylic paintings which explore the joining of spirit and mind to nature through art. Born in Chatham, Ontario and currently residing in the Quinte region, Laurie has held a life-long interest in the visual arts. Her creative process is informed by both intellect and intuition, and her work is characterized by fluidly applied colour, expressive use of natuaral forms, and the creation of depth through layering of pigments and glazes. Laurie's formal education includes degrees from the Universities of Guelph and Western Ontario. Her artwork hangs in a number of galleries and in private collections across Canada, the U.S.A. and the U.K.
Artist Statement:
Key influences include artists Mark Rothko, Alex Colville, Ron Bloore, and Otto Rogers, as well as a variety of theological texts and readings. I am very interested in/ inspired by writings, music and artworks which evoke a sense of connection and timelessness. Process is the driving force in my most recent body of work. Multiple layers of glaze, in conjunction with the use of metallic/ iridescent pigments, allow each painting to reveal subtle compositional changed depending on the precise angle at which light hits the surface of the canvas. The Satori series originates from a concept central to Zen Buddhism where "Satori", in its simplest form, is described by Japanese Buddhist scholar D.T. Suzuki as a state of sudden spiritual enlightenment in which one becomes able to reconize and appreciate the "true essence or nature" of things. (Key aspects of this dogma include emphasis on inner stillness, intuition and the notion of impermanence). These multi-layered paintings are the result of a continuing exploration of the blending of traditional elements of Eastern art (balance, simplicity, "essence") with key elements of Lyrical Abstraction (process, repetition, spontaneous expression). An avid naturalist (raised by a pair of hardcore "birders") and a strong believer in basic philosophies regarding the interconnectedness of humans and the natural world, I can often be found hiking with my dog, taking in the scenery and quietly absorbing images and impressions for use back in the studio. Some more abstracted than others, these metaphysical works are infused with symbols, colours and shapes inspired by elements of nature.
Carla Miedema
Artist, Carla Miedema, was born in Holland, and after growing up in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, has spent the last 39 years living in the Cloyne area, on the edge of the Canadian Shield. Over the years she has taken numerous art interest courses, and in 1991 graduated from Queen's University with a degree in Fine Art.
Carla's love of nature and the environment is reflected in her art work. Bark, seeds, flowers, grasses, and other bits of material found in nature become part of her paintings in acrylic and mixed media on canvas. These elements create a sculptural relief effect. The layering and glazing of the paints and other materials reflects the constant changes and the cycle of life in nature. By allowing different layers of paint to show through, an extra dimension is achieved. Over the past few years her paintings have become more expressionistic as she experiments with different collage materials on various mediums such as canvas, yupo and watercolour papers.
In her pursuit to create a local awaremess of art, Carla initiated and chaired the Mazinaw Country Studio Tour and the Bon Echo Art Exhibition & Sale, both in the Cloyne area. Carla is a member of numerous art organizations, and her work was published in the Organization of Kingston Women Artists Datebook, Country Connections, The Salmon River Watershed, and various other printed materials. Reviews of her work have appeared in many local newspapers. Her art has received awards and prized. Her art work can be found in collections in Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States.
Bruce St. Clair
New Roads/ Ancient Paths:
As a result of first visiting, then living in Northern Ontario for a period of over forty years, I 'grew up' my artistic eye in the environment of the Shield. But in 1999, a brief hiatus interrupted our Canadian lives and found us living in Scotland for the better part of a year. I was stirred right down to my Scottish roots, and my passion and artistic path were abruptly shifted to themes of my ancestral homeland. I expect this path will eventually lead to the east coast of Canada, Nova Scotia in particular, looking for a connection to our past... the 'echo'.
Born in, and raised just outside Galt (now Cambridge) Ontario, Bruce St. Clair has the rural and natural environment in his bones, as even a casual overview of his more than forty years of painting will confirm. After studying at OCA in the mid - sixties, he inauguarated his artistic career with a painting/ canoe trip on the Magnetawan River in Northern Ontario (1967) and in 1969 moved with his family to the Callander area of Lake Nipissing (near North Bay). He and his family moved to Scotland in 1999, returning the following year, which stirred his Scottish roots into a theme of artistic expression.
1969 was also the year he held his first solo exhibition at the newly - formed Aggregation Gallery in Toronto (since renamed Wynick - Tuck Gallery). He was also at various times represented by Beckett Gallery in Hamilton, Nancy Poole's Studio in Toronto and Joan Ferneyhough Gallery in North Bay, and has exhibited in many public galleries across Canada, with reviews in the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, Artmagazine, London Free Press, Calgary Herald, Arts Canada and many others. He joined Gallery ArtPlus in Belleville, after moving to the area in 2008.
St. Clair was Artist - in - Residence at the MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, University of Guelph, in 1981, and Canadore College in 1987, where he had begun teaching drawing and painting courses, both in Artsperience, its summer arts program, and throughout the year. In 1988, he organised a life - drawing group for local artists, and in 1989 began teaching at Haliburton School of Fine Arts.
In 1983, St. Clair won the Gold Metal in painting/ realism in the Grollo d' Oro International Competition in Italy, for his painting Three Chairs. His work is represented in numerous private, public and corporate collections, both at home and abroad.
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