ART/CULTURE
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Burnstown sculptor unveils 40th anniversary show EMC lifestyle - It was 1972 when Richard Gill put on his first show of pottery at his studio/home in Burnstown that he called Fog Run. His 40th anniversary show, call Landmarks of the Mind, will run from Sept. 28 to Oct. 8. In the early days, the show invitations were hand-drawn and handwritten. The clay was custom mixed in a large hand cranked bread dough mixer using rain water collected in big wooden barrels. The pots were thrown on a kick wheel and baked in a wood-fired kiln, all of which were designed and built by his own hand with the passion and exuberant energy of his youth. The pots were decorated with unique textures and his signature style drawings that evoked the distilled essence of civilization and settlements. The locals loved his pots and folks came in droves from miles around to buy them. When one day a customer commented that they loved his drawings on the pots but had no more need for the pots themselves, he set about to solve the problem. He cut a finished wet pot in half and opened it up put a hanger on the back, fired it and hung it on the wall. When it sold the next day, he knew he was on to something and that’s when his work evolved from functional to purely visual. People started asking him if he would mind rendering their homes, farms or cottages in clay and his skills as a former architect served him well. Now over 50 per cent of his work is custom made by commission.
Today his show invitations are professionally printed, the mailing list has grown and managed by computer and the use of email make things more efficient. The work has evolved with increasingly skillful detail as well as colour with the use of computer operated electric kilns. His landmark 40th show will include a wide variety of material that is sure to appeal to many aesthetics and consists of three collections: Landmarks of the Mind, Flora & Femme and the French River (northern Ontario). Some are pieces that he has wanted to sculpt for years but didn’t fit into the theme of a conceived concept for a show or that he perceived as too complex at the time. Highlights of the show include renditions of the Moulin Rouge, the Stairway to the Paris Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, Monte Carlo, Whitehall, London, St. Peter’s in Rome, Versailles, Santiago de Campostola, Perce Rock, Haida Totem Poles, and St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, as well as closer to home icons like the Chateau Laurier, the Parliament buildings and familiar favorites of the Ottawa Valley to name just a few of more than 100 new works. Others are landmarks that made a lasting impression on him in his youth, such as the Statue of Liberty that he recalls climbing when on a business trip with his father at the age of 16. Or perhaps what was his very first recollection of Big Ben that this mother pointed out to him at the age of 3 indelibly imprinted in his mind. Landmarks of the Mind opens at Bittersweet Gallery in Burnstown Sept. 28 and continues daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to Oct. 8.
SUBMITTED
For 11 years Burnstown artist Richard Gill originally fired his pots and sculptures in a wood-fired kiln of his own design and making. The kiln requires around-the-clock stoking in order to achieve a temperature of at least 2,200 degrees F (photo circa 1970s). His 40th anniversary show, ‘Landmarks of the Mind’, opens at Bittersweet Gallery at Fog Run Studio Friday, Sept. 28 and continues to Oct. 8.
These paintings, which are massive in scale, will be dedicated in a special worship service Sunday, Sept. 30 at 10 a.m. Galbraith first came to Canada as a child during Second World War. He proudly self-identifies as a Canadian artist and his works have been featured in international exhibitions. He works in oils, acrylics, watercolours and mixed media. His palette is vibrant and he loves texture.
He is excited by the unusual as subject matter, and loses himself, completely, in his creativity. His style ranges from abstract to impressionist and expressionist work. He became connected to the TrinitySt. Andrew’s community through its music program. In addition to being a visual artist, he is a singer and often provides solos in worship at the church.
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EMC lifestyle - David Galbraith, who has a studio in White Lake, has created two works of art for the sanctuary of Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church in Renfrew. The pieces depict the journey of faith and the renewal found in worship using the imagery of nature in summer and fall, the buildings of the church, and the movement of people to and from the buildings.
News from the Pakenham library EMC lifestyle - Remember that the fall hours at the Mississippi Mills public library branches are now in effect. Drop in and find a great read at the Pakenham or Almonte branches. A few of the many new acquisitions this week at the Pakenham Library include: The Innocents by Francesca Segal – Debut novel - fiction; Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness – New York Times bestselling author – fiction; For more information, call 613-624-5306 or visit www. mississippimills.ca/en/live/library.asp.
THIS WEEK’S FEATURE
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White Lake artist provides paintings for Renfrew church
Friday Sep 21st to Thursday Sep 27th 2012
60 STAYE COURT DR, ARNPRIOR
245 DANIEL ST., ARNPRIOR Arnprior Chronicle-Guide EMC - Thursday, September 20, 2012 53