Compositions in Time

What a summer I had!  In my summer studio in Duntara, a small community on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean,   I work almost exclusively in reclaimed wood and wood assemblage.  The whole series is called Compositions in Time.  I scour the  beaches in my area for finds, chat with people about my love for the old and discarded, and forge interesting friendships that often result in finds coming my way.  Everyone want to get in on creation.


It was one of my most productive periods in years.

 With two shows slated, one a group show in July at 2 Rooms Contemporary Art Projects in Duntara,   and the other a solo show in September at Two Whales, Port Rexton,  I knew I  didn't have time to waste.

Here's my  art summer in pictures....

 Looking across the  Duntara harbour at our house (it's the little speck on the far shore)

Our garden that rolls to the sea with views that inspire. 

Our new pristine workshop (shared with my husband)  was completed in early May after a fire demolished our old one the year before.   Thanks to a kitchen reno in our St. John's house this space has mega counters and storage and always looks so organized and pristine.

Showtime 



Two Rooms Contemporary Art Projects, Duntara .  This is not your ordinary gallery.

And this is not your usual opening....  What a beautiful day we had. 

Some shots of my work in the gallery

And then on to Two Whales in September.... 

 Two Whales Coffee Shop , art John Hoffstetter 

I loved how my work looked so comfortable on the walls of this old house/ coffee shop. 

And there you have it.  This fall I started posting  on Instagram in earnest as a way to be accountable.  While I miss my wood pursuits, I've been experimenting with encaustic monotype and collage.  I seem  have a great need to create, decompose and recompose, where's it going I have no idea. 

What an opening

 If you follow my blog, you'll know I've experienced all kinds of art opening adventures.  This is another one. Weather seems to be a dominant theme!

The morning was rainy and damp, the opening was happening on the newly built "bridge".  There were thoughts of make shift awnings and who would be the lucky contractor.  All that worry for nothing.  It turned out to be a lovely day with a great turnout for the inaugural exhibition opening at 2 Rooms Contemporary Art Projects in Duntara, NL.  I've been to a lot of openings but this one beat them all. 

 Photo:  Pat Tracey

 Photo: Pat Tracey

  Photo: Pat Tracey

 

Photo: Pat Tracey

Photo: Margaret Ryall

 Photo: Margaret Ryall

The lovely, energetic Catherine Beaudette chatting with a friend, an almost perfect composition!

 Later that evening artists and friends got together to celebrate with a fire on the beach, a celebration tradition in Duntara.  The evening had...

 lots of  spirit and spirits

 

 and good food - moose, salad, watermelon  and the like.

 As night fell we settled in for chats,

 relaxing ,

 and music.

 Of course that was a fitting ending to a day with a lot of differences. Not many openings occur in such idyllic surroundings.  Thank you Catherine Beaudette for your energy , foresight and interest.

Arranged Objects

Four months have gone by and I've neglected my art blog terribly.  I had good intentions to write a second installment on the exhibition at 2 Rooms Contemporary Art Projects in Duntara, NL.  Hoping that the old adage "it's never too late" is true, I present the following glimpses of  Table of Contents by Catherine Beaudette.  This continuing series of displays explores "the visual and conceptual rhetoric of museological presentation."  Artifacts and natural specimens from her personal collection form the basis of the exhibition.  These rural relics and oceanic items blur the boundaries that are often constructed to separate nature from culture and past from present.  The collections are exquisitely beautiful and their temporary home in an old home in the community so apt.    Enjoy.


 Room 1- Left Side

Room 2  - Right Side

What an idea

It's creeping closer to September and that means less time at my summer place and more time blogging.  It was a delightful summer in Newfoundland with more sunshine than we've seen in many years and lots of good times.  One of the most exciting events was the opening of a new contemporary art gallery in our little town of Duntara (pop. 70+) where I spend most of my summer.

 

 View of Duntara from my "street" before Hurricane Igor took many of the sheds on the beach

When I say contemporary don't start having visions of glass and steel. Nothing could be further from the reality. The gallery is in an old home which is just above the red shed on the right of the photo. Catherine Beaudette,  an  artists who has a place up the road from mine, was the mastermind and elbow grease behind this fantastic addition to the area.  The inaugural exhibition took place in July. 

 view of 2 Rooms through John Hofstetter's outside installation

The bottom floor is the gallery space and upstairs is a museum of local artifacts and specimens.

The NL tourist website: describes the venture perfectly.

2 Room Contemporary Art Projects

Temporary on-site installation projects, exhibitions and events, and an on-going museum of material culture in Duntara on the Bonavista Peninsula. Curated exhibitions of contemporary art are on the first floor. A continuing series of experimental museological displays featuring collections of local artifacts and natural specimens are on the second floor. The program reflects the historical, natural and cultural conditions that exist interdependently in Newfoundland's outports.

Take a peek inside in the next post.