Sharing their passion
Open house offers chance to visit artists’ studios
There’s something perfectly imperfect in the human form.
That brokenness is the beauty Dawn MacNutt tries to capture in her art.
“I have a thought that what I’m attracted to is what I define as the beauty of human frailty,” she said.
It’s something she tries to capture in every piece she crafts, whether it’s wicker dancers or more serious pieces like the man in pain series she created several years ago.
MacNutt specializes in woven art, which she typically makes from willow. She also makes bronze castings of those works, which are more suitable for outdoors or to give a different feel and durability indoors.
Her inspiration comes from stories on the news such as the tragic death of Rehtaeh Parsons, which led to her sculpture “Anguish.” On a trip to Mexico, she was inspired by women begging on the streets so their children would have money to attend school.
Her work has caught the attention of art lovers locally and internationally and can be seen on the Dartmouth waterfront and at the IWK Children’s Hospital where her commissioned pieces stand.
Next weekend people will also have the opportunity to see her work and her workplace first hand as she opens her studio as part of Studio Rally 2016. The event encourages artists across the province to open up their studios for set times so tourists and local residents can visit.
The Studio Rally has been taking place for about 30 years and is something MacNutt sees as vital to the art community.
“These studios around the province are available often by calling ahead and making an appointment or taking a chance on the artist being in,” she said.
She will be open July 30 and July 31 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Her studio
MacNutt is always pleased to show her studio, which has special significance to her.
She began renovating the home into a studio with her husband when she moved back to the area in 2006.
As they tore apart the vacant building to create a studio, they came upon an amazing discovery. The building is actually her own ancestors’ home, built by her great, great, great grandfather.
“I came here and discovered my own roots really,” she said.
Her grandfather’s initials are now visible on the wall –A J R for Alexander James Reid.
Old family photos confirmed the fact that the house belonged to him.
While the layout isn’t likely designed the way it would be if built from scratch, MacNutt is pleased with the final results, which show the old structure of the building, including wood beams and an old stone fireplace they believe was built from ballast stones taken from Britain.
Her art
Growing up in New Glasgow, MacNutt said the community had a strong interest in music, but little thought was given to visual art forms.
From a young age, though, it was a passion for her, and she was determined to learn. She earned the money to take classes by selling cards.
It was those early classes that inspired her. She particularly remembers teacher Cherry Smith, who she describes as “a wonderfully vibrant watercolourist.”
MacNutt would go on to study psychology in university on a career path to becoming a social worker, but her love of art was still there and she decided to minor in fine art.
Through those classes, she learned how to weave and fell in love with the art form.
It’s those basic techniques that have become a part of every piece she makes.
She does wicker-style work and for pieces she wants to cast in bronze, they must be sent away or she travels and helps do the work herself. In that process, wood is used to make ceramic moulds of the piece, and the wood is then burned. The moulds that are created are used to make the metal works that are exact replicas of the wicker artwork.
“It’s a very complex process and expensive,” she said.
Sharing the art
MacNutt hopes the open house and the others around the province will help inspire more artists, particularly in Pictou County. She said it’s unfortunate that there doesn’t seem to be much support for the arts in the area.
“There are amazing artists struggling – really, really amazing artists.”
And that, she believes, just shouldn’t be.