The beauty of everyday things
Carnegie Gallery show reminds us of the pleasure and power of original art
You only have to walk into the Atrium Artspace at Carnegie Gallery in Dundas to see how paintings can turn a spare space into something warm and welcoming.
The narrow gallery with soaring walls has been finetuned to the human scale with an inventive show called “The Art of the Entry.” In a series of vignettes, wonderful still life paintings have been paired with furniture and accessories. The groupings show how small spaces, like front entries, come alive with original art.
The show’s curator, artist Jody Joseph, says the way a gallery displays work in a spare setting is intimidating for some people.
“It’s hard for people to imagine how the work might look in their own home, and yet I sometimes felt that it looks better in a home setting than it does on a spare wall.”
Joseph took her idea for a collaboration to Lorna Parcher of Graham & Brooks — Home, Garden, Cottage in Dundas. Parcher loved the concept.
“We jumped at the chance. It is such a natural thing to have beautiful art work displayed in a homelike environment. We put together the vignettes that lent themselves to the space and allowed the artwork to shine in each setting.”
In the first vignette, a wingback chair, lamp and small table are teamed with two paintings by Jan Kendrick. As Joseph says, “they speak to each other.” The domestic scenes portrayed in the work complement the pieces from Graham & Brooks.
Kendrick believes that original art is more intimate, and it is invested with personal stories.
“The phone you see in my painting was left to me by my dear late uncle, who worked in the communications business for many years.”
Most of the paintings are oil or acrylic on canvas. They don’t need frames, so they are easy to hang and to move. Joseph also used easels from a dollar store, and picture shelves to display smaller work.
“In your house it’s great to mix it up, put your favourite piece away for a while and then bring it out and hang it in a new place. It’s like the designer’s idea of changing decor for the seasons.”
In another setting with a narrow table that could double as a breakfast bar, a Jan Kendrick still life hangs beside Joan Heyerichs’ sumptuous depiction of fish on a platter.
“Still life in particular is a very nice pick for the kitchen,” Joseph says. “The subject of food works well here with other kitchen accessories on the table.”
The paintings span an affordable range of prices, $150 to $800. To have high-quality work from local artists delivers the sort of satisfaction and enjoyment not easily found in mass market reproductions.
A vignette featuring the work of Iris McDermott depicts the sunlit and joyful interior spaces in our homes. Hanging above a small desk with a pale blue chair, McDermott’s scenes of vases, flowers, chairs and tables are free and fresh.
“I paint what I love,” the artist says. And as Joseph notes, “They have their own internal light, even on a grey day.”
“The Art of the Entry” continues to Nov. 25. It is a thoughtful and intimate show that reminds us of the pleasure and power of original art.
“They are a beautiful presentation of everyday things in the home,” Joseph says.