This summer at Ye Olde Blacksmith
Bronze, woodcarving, crocheted wire, ceramic – these are just some of the media used by eight sculptors exhibiting from July 26 to August 12 at Ye Olde Blacksmith art gallery, or le Vieux Forgeron, in Stanstead. This exhibition is unique in that there are thirteen artists represented in total, many more than usual for our seasonal summer gallery. From the anthropomorphic shapes in wood by Jesse Power to the ceramic forms of antiquity reminiscent of Egyptian art and the Mediterranean region by Ingrid Nicolai, the exhibition is as diverse as it is informative.
It is rare to find a person who crochets wire, but the work of Gladys Hann Oneill is certainly one of a kind. Her exquisite works of art filled with delicate figurative forms reflect her own very personal process that helps her to deal with the health challenges she faces on a daily basis. In the practice of creating, she in turn learns what is happening in her life. “This process helps to heal my body, mind and soul”, and in this, she finds grace.
George Foster (bronze), Genevieve Gallant (stoneware and glaze), Debbie Everett (woodcarving), Shirley Berk Simon (found objects), Jacques Racine (woodcarving), and a thought-provoking installation by Antonia Mitchel are the other participants in this sculpture group show.
Alongside these three-dimensional forms are the delicate botanical watercolour paintings of Tamlin George, a painter and horticulturalist from Hemmingford, Quebec. As well, in the Social Justice room, paintings, poetry, and story by three artists who have fled their home countries because of war and persecutionand are currently living in Greece will be exhibited for the rest of the summer. Rene Jean Amba (Cameroon) was well-known in his home country as a sculptor and painter. He tells his story of life in Africa, why he had to flee, and what he is living now. Along with his words, a triptych painting reflects this lived experience.
Majed Ebraheem is an accomplished painter, poet, writer, theatre performer, and calligrapher from Syria. He and his wife Fatima Kriem, a poet and Arabic teacher, and their three children, came to Greece like thousands of Syrians before them and have settled there for the moment. Their exhibition is a collection of watercolors and acrylics Majed painted while in Greece, and Fatima has expressed her experience through her poetry. Nine-year old daughter Rand also is showing one of her paintings, clearly taking after her father.
The exhibition runs until August 12. Hours are Thursday to Sunday, 11-6 p.m. and the address is 240a Dufferin St. in Stanstead. For more information please go to www.levieuxforgeron.com or Facebook: Le Vieux Forgeron Art Gallery. See you there!