Big art in a tiny village
March 26, 2017
It's a sunny but cool day at the farmette. The rain has stopped and I'm looking forward to a wee hike this afternoon. The spring flowers are all peeking up out of their beds, and the snow has almost all melted away.
We went to another exhibition opening yesterday at the Durham Art Gallery. It was magnificent. We had two fantastic artists who were on hand to chat with visitors about the fruits of their labour, their processes and backgrounds. Made me feel like Sister Wendy (remember her?) So here are my not-quite-as-good-as-the-nun's interpretations:
Natalie Hussey's theme is "Imagining Innocence" and she works with acrylic on canvas or hand-carved plaster to create intricate, colourful works in which you can see something new every time you look at them.
There's a very strong and caring maternal instinct in the serene faces and rounded images of her pieces. Her art is whimsical and meticulous all at the same time.
When I asked how she is inspired, she said she has always loved the vibrant colours and textures of fabrics she remembers from her youth. When she was little, she'd leaf through issues of the National Geographic and be delighted by the fashions from around the world that women were wearing.
What I was really impressed with was the amazingly detailed etchings in her plaster works. She says the tools she started with were just 'sharp' things that she had on hand one day.
She's refined the tools and her skills to the point where the pieces almost seem magical with their swirls and wagonwheels and stoney formations.
Don't you just love the elongated hands in this one that seem to be reaching out and cradling all at the same time?
You can also see the exuberance in this one. The character seems to be swirling in a kaleidescope of dreamy gauze. It just makes me smile looking at all the fun colours.
Hussey works out of Goderich and says she keeps very busy with commissions from people who love her art - unsurprisingly.
The more I get involved in this gallery - I'm on the board - the better I appreciate the tremendous amount of work that Ilse and her staff put into bringing truly great art to our wee rural village. I think even Sister Wendy would be impressed.
and edit me. It's easy.
Imagining Innocence
Natalie Hussey
March 25 - May 14, 2017
Natalie Hussey’s delightful acrylic paintings on canvas or on hand-carved plaster are an exuberant mash-up of pattern, rhythm, texture and colour. Her nostalgia-imbued artworks delight viewers with buoyant elements reminiscent of South Asian and pop art, scrapbook collage, mid-20th-century mod design, folk tale whimsy, and Norwegian-style pottery patterns. Serene figures drift comfortably within these kaleidoscopic worlds, at home with themselves and with each other. In her reverence for the childhood imagination, Natalie Hussey chooses to focus on its benign and innocent aspects – the free flow of ideas, the optimism, the vastness of the imaginative landscape. Hussey’s unique body of work conveys a carnival-like atmosphere in which we are reminded of the value of play, the pleasure of simplicity, and the importance of living fully in the moment.
Natalie Hussey graduated from Sheridan College’s Interpretive Illustration Program in 1997. She currently lives in Goderich, Ontario.
Featured Artist
5-Mar-2015
Natalie Hussey, a Canadian artist, is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Interpretive Illustration Program. Since graduating in 1997, she has been developing as an accomplished Fine Artist, Illustrator, art teacher and mother.
Her commissioned fine art pieces have brought joy to many as they have made their way across North America. Her works are intricately-detailed, richly-textured expressions of the beauty in nature and humanity.
Fluidly geometric forms dance to rhythmic patterns. Her work is filled with the vibrant imagination of childhood and the simple innocence we long for as adults.
She has started to expand her works to include painting on hand-carved plaster and experimenting with cyanotype.
Natalie has always had a strong belief in reaching out into her community to spread the joy of the arts, especially to the youth.
She has played a role in the local schools and community in many arts related projects.
Nothing could be more brilliant than the jewel-like tones of the work of Natalie Hussey.
Natalie's works are intricately-detailed, richly-textured expressions of the beauty in nature and humanity. Fluidly geometric forms dance to rhythmic patterns. Each piece is a labour of love. We are pleased to know Natalie -- artist, mother, wife and friend.
Originals and prints by Natalie may be purchased at Elizabeth's Art Gallery.
Contact the artist nataliehusseyartist@gmail.com
Blyth Festival Art Gallery
Solo exhibition - Natalie Hussey
July 17 - August 11, 2010
Youth in Arts and Culture mural celebrates growing up in Huron County
Sarah McDonald
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 9:27:18 EDT AM
Goderich artist Natalie Hussey, project co-ordinator Melina Hussey and participants Holly Howson and Monica Eckert stand in front of a portion of the mural created by local youth to share their experiences of growing up in Huron County
