Picks of Canada

As noted in our previous posting, WWMSF-Warkworth’s Maple Syrup Festival has a lot of attractions beyond March break fun for the kids in the Sugar Bush. Here is one of the great finds this year – The Spirit of the Hills Art Show. The Spirit of the Hills Art Association put on an Art Show at the Percy Heritage  Centre that was a delight for the range and often witty style of the art work on display.  Here is our Whitman Sampler of the Goodies to be found at the show.

Bronson Smith
I have driven from Warkworth to Hastings dozens of times and have noted in mind – “this a beautiful farmscape, I should take a picture”. Well Bronson Smith has given a  remarkable wood and paint collage of what is to be found along the Hastings  Road. It just pops into your head  ”ahah”  like a well turned phrase.

E.Montgomery

Stained Glass work has a fascination that endures. Its like a mosaic  with back light that nature  and the artist get to play with. Certainly Eagle Spirit has this sense of color, light and ground. The eagle motif rides  shafts through arcs of the day.

Clive Russell

There is a Roman Bacchanalia wit in this multi-layered look at the annual summer Long Lunch Feast along Main Street in downtown Warkworth. The many, almost-tossed canvases at helter-skelter angles; the overhead jet spiriting its white contrailed way out of the feast scene; the thick, oil-luscious lunch loungers; the green pines waving on hillside; plus the three piece orchestra on the side tooting away – these are just a few of the many elements that Warkworth residents came to chuckle and enjoy in this popular favorite at the Art Show. Good wit and great artistry enjoyed by all.

Jacqueline Staikos

I was never sure that I dreamed in color [or at best a muted sepia tone] until one night the colors roiled and swerved in sparkling, bristling hues like Jacqueline’s Untitled #3. Now I also happen to use a Photoshop Plugin from Canadian firm Flaming Pear called Swerve, that suggest this pulsing amoeboid world of color … but the shifts in hue, form and messaging is so subtly delightful – its a new world that one can possibly find in your dreams.

Sheree Rasmussen

Now just on the other side of the wall was another hueful study in forms and colors, City of Light by Sheree Rasmussen. This work takes color facades to a new space with a wall of city colors that shimmer and outline such incredible tone possibilities, like Josef Albers on quilts. I was so intrigued by the palette possibilities a test of the image produced the following palette starting points at a Web Palette-from-Image Analyzer:

Just as the textile work suggests, there is a city of many breathing color, each advancing and then hiding again – there was a wealth of hues and palettes to be found therein.

Brenda Sullivan

Another bit of sly sleight of hand, Brenda Sullivan’s Gossip, provoked both howls of mirth and silent chuckles. There is a naughty cleverness as the same waves that connect the ears also occupy the eyes and surround as throttling necklaces. Good humor was certainly to be found at this art show.

Paul Portelli

As is to be shown in the next three artists, good sculpting arts were to be found at the show. Summers Sleep by Paul Portelli had the look of a tall, thin, 1930’s flapper girl – immediately bringing viewers to closer inspection of the terracotta and embossed metal work. There is spare loveliness that had this photographer looking for an angle. And the subject reminded me of the Navaho Indian women seen a decade ago bedecked in a New Mexico ochre sunset tracking spirits with their closed eyes.

Viviani-Finch


Dominating the second room of the show was the glass sculpture by Gundi Viviani-Finch, Blue Forest Tree. Standing on a circular wire mesh, the DNA-helix like design carries your eyes up and around in two transparent spirals. And the glass crafting pieces adhere together themselves in surprising ways – a mind’s delight.

Claus Heinecke

The third sculpture on show was a large wood piece, Four Figures by Claus Heinecke. It is really only one but its twisting form and shape is really four or more points of view. I should have taken at least 3 or 5 more pictures and composited them together [Clive Russell's Long Lunch work was already saying "hint, hint"]. But unfortunately brightness failed to shine on mind – so you will have to follow this twisting shot and check Claus’ website for some much better renderings of his sculptures.

Mary Lou Burnside

I love good ceramics and pottery. So when I saw Mary Lous Burnside’s tongue-in-cheek Pot of Gold

Harvest of Tantalizing Talent

As can be seen from the examples above the show had an ample supply of really pleasing art. And there was more. Unfortunately I ran out of space on my SD card so I had to double up on some shots, Also unknown to me at the time – the shots of the photography images failed to turn up because of glare and reflections off the glass as seen below:

I hope to be able to get some of the photo images as they were very innovative and polished. I also have a group shot of some of the other paintings works to indicate the quality of the art on show.

The colours and stylings in the paintings here certainly catch the eye.

In sum, I am glad that a very busy schedule allowed some time to take in the Spirit of the Hills Art Show. True, it had to be tucked into coverage of the Maple Syrup Festival. But that is the very synergy here – the Maple Syrup Festival provides the opportunity to see Arts and Crafts at a high caliber as part of a fun weekend.

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