JORDAN ART GALLERY PRESENTS:

Roxann Vivian Smith

Waterlilies
and Beyond

recent work

April 1~30, 2008

Launch Reception with the Artist
SATURDAY, APRIL 5
2~4pm

St. Catharines Standard

October 22, 2006

Spectrum


    * Art as therapy; Linda Crabtree finds freedom in painting, a welcome distraction from the constant pain of her disability

Art as therapy; Linda Crabtree finds freedom in painting, a welcome distraction from the constant pain of her disability
Posted By CHERYL CLOCK
Posted 1 day ago

If she could do it all over again, Linda Crabtree would live among trees.

Lots and lots of them.

In her ideal dream world, she'd buy a plot of land. And on it, she'd plant trees. Maples. Hemlocks to remind her of her childhood home on Ontario Street in St. Catharines. Dogwood. It wouldn't really matter, as long as they sprouted leaves and grew.

In one corner, she'd build a house. A small, simple house.

And she'd spend her time doing what she loves the most. Art.

That's all she'd ever need. (Well, maybe throw in a couple of dogs and a good man, she adds, laughing.) Life would be simple. Uncomplicated.

She'd watch the trees grow around her. And mark her years by the passing of the seasons.

They would calm her spirit. Inspire her creativity.

"I can find more peace through trees than anything in this world," says Crabtree.

"They give the Earth what it needs to live. They are stoic. Strong. "They give people what they need. They last decades. Centuries."

Crabtree may be best known as a tireless advocate for people with disabilities.

She writes the Access Niagara column for The Standard. She organized the Accessible Niagara website and printed guide that include information on accessible venues across the region. She's been on advisory committees for accessibility. And until 2002, she and husband Ron Book ran an international charity for people with the same rare neuromuscular disease that Crabtree has lived with since birth, called Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease.

It steals muscle mass and gets progressively worse.

At age 65, Crabtree cannot walk. She uses a motorized scooter and drives a van with hand controls. To type, she has to weave a pencil between her fingers so they're strong enough to tap on a keyboard. She has trouble cutting her own food.

Nerve impulses to her brain are amplified. The silk sheets on her bed feel like sandpaper.

Every day, she lives with chronic pain that runs from her buttocks down her legs. It feels as if she's sitting in a pile of hot steel wool.

Solace in her life comes from the orchids, violets and ferns that consume a window of her bedroom. It comes from her garden. And the walks she takes with Ron, on her scooter, down the paths at Short Hills Provincial Park.

"I can go there and restore myself," she says.

But there's another part to Crabtree. A part that goes beyond her disability, deep into her very soul.

Crabtree is an artist.

Until the end of October, her artwork will be on display at the Jordan Art Gallery, her first exhibition in more than 30 years. There are 12 pieces, five that she painted this summer at a little green table in a corner of her garden. Some date back to the mid-1990s.

She had hoped to have more, but her body wouldn't co-operate.

"It's so disheartening when your body won't let your mind do what it's perfectly capable of doing.

"Your body just says, 'Forget it, girl.' "

She calls her exhibit A New Leaf. On one level, it documents her intense fascination with leaves. Their veins. Colour. All their beautiful imperfections and how they're attached to the tree. Their texture. Form.

But it's also about a beginning. A renewal. A start of something good. A new leaf in Crabtree's life.

Her dream was always to be an artist.

But somewhere along the way, life got in the way and sent her trekking down a side path.

She always walked a little differently. As a child, she endured atrophied muscles, leg braces and physiotherapy. Without ankle control, her feet flopped helplessly and she had to pick up her entire leg to take steps so she wouldn't trip.

In a series of five surgeries that spanned more than two years, a local orthopedic surgeon fused Crabtree's ankles immobile so they wouldn't flop anymore. For much of that time, she endured leg casts for six months at a time.

Then at age 21, fresh out of her final casts, still on crutches and looking very much the beatnik with black clothes, white lipstick and long hair, she took off to Montreal to attend the Sir George Williams School of Art.

She'd found her calling.

She devoured the culture there. Live jazz music. Restaurants. Art everywhere. She tried to make a go of it after her three years there. She had a few exhibits. Sold some art.

But eventually, she ended up back in St. Catharines at The Standard. She pounded out obituaries with two fingers on an Underwood and worked the newsroom's reception desk.

And while she organized a few exhibits at Rodman Hall and the Niagara Artists' Centre, her own art took a backseat.

She started reporting on disability issues, then moved to the art page, reporting on the region's cultural scene. She met artists from across Canada, even travelled to New York City to explore its galleries. Eventually, she became art page editor.

But by 1982, her body had had enough.

It was weakened to the point where she'd fall down stairs and couldn't turn on her car's ignition. The final straw came one icy, winter morning when she stepped out of her car in the paper's parking lot and slipped beneath it. She lay there, unable to free herself.

She had no choice but to quit.

In the years that followed, her new purpose in life grew as an advocate for the disabled. She earned a degree in psychology from Brock University. And along the way, she won countless awards and was named to the Order of Canada and Order of Ontario.

But something was missing: her art.

So, in the early 1990s, she reunited herself with her creative side. "I didn't know if I could even hold a paintbrush," she says.

She tried two watercolours. A brilliant red geranium from her garden, and a cluster of maple leaves from the tree outside her kitchen window.

Painting gave her a freedom that no medicine could rival. A welcome distraction from the constant pain. A reason to be. A sense of accomplishment. Of worth.

Last summer, she thought it was about time for an exhibition.

Her body was getting weaker, and if she was going to put together a show, it had to be now.

Leaves, trees, they're such an integral part of her life, she says. When the trees around her house explode with leaves in the spring, her life begins again. The days get warmer. Brighter.

The stiffness that takes over the body in the cold is gone. And the warmth of the spring is like oil to her bones.

"When I can't see the streetlight through the leaves anymore, it's spring. It's on for me," she says.

So, it only made sense that she convey her love of leaves through art.

"They make the whole energy for the tree," she says.

Crabtree paints what's around her. The leaves from the maple tree growing in front of her kitchen window. A pot of colourful coleus in her garden.

Whatever it is that she's painting, she holds it in her hand. Plant in one hand. Brush in the other. She turns it around. Feels its texture. "The plant sacrifices a foot of greenery and I paint it," she says, laughing.

"It really means something to me. It's not just a thing. It's a living thing."

Where other people notice the beautiful flowers, Crabtree appreciates the leaves. The perfect heart shape of a violet. The five flawless leaves bursting from the stem of a Virginia creeper. The variegated colour of a porcelain vine. The potato vine. Clematis. Wisteria. They all create a symphony of green.

Three of her paintings are done in black ink. In the absence of colour, more details are revealed. Her art becomes even more about form. About line. About design.

"You leave out colour and you notice everything else going on," she says.

"It's pure, raw design. Pure fantasy. I'm not worrying about being realistic."

Crabtree has other dreams. Other plans for her art.

But for now, she'll let her leaves take the spotlight.

"I don't know what will come of it," she says.

"My body will change what type of work I can do.

"You just go with the flow. I have to do the best I can with what I have left."

cclock@stcatharinesstandard.ca

What Where When

What: A New Leaf, an art exhibition by Linda Crabtree.

Where: Jordan Art Gallery (www.jordanartgallery.com).

When: Until the end of October.

Call: 905-562-6680

JORDAN ART GALLERY PRESENTS

Linda D. Crabtree

A NEW LEAF

October 1~31

LAUNCH OPENING FOR THE ARTIST:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6
2~4PM

INFORMAL TALK BY LINDA: 3PM
EVERYONE IS WELCOME ~ REFRESHMENTS SERVED

Creating is part of me. I must write or paint. This show is my first in many years and the work in watercolour and inks explores my love of plant life, particularly leaves. The art world has changed during the past 25 years andI am finding new materials and new ways to express myself. This is an exciting time for me and I feel as though I am truly turning a new leaf in my life. Stay tuned. Linda C.
Linda D. Crabtree studied art in Montreal in the 60s and was on her way to a promising career in the field of fine art when she took a 25 year detour into writing, advocacy work for the disabled community and running a charity.
Now back at it, Linda is just as comfortable designing with pen and ink as she is with watercolour, collage, acrylic and the tjanting and wax to exploring her love for batik with a twist. Linda's show is sponsored in part by an Exhibition Assistance grant from the Ontario Arts Council.

**********************************************************************
THE JORDAN ART GALLERY IS OPEN EVERY DAY
10AM-6PM
JORDAN ART GALLERY
905-562-6680
www.jordanartgallery.com
info@jordanartgallery.com

 

for immediate release:

JORDAN ART GALLERY PRESENTS

andrea bird

inclination
 
mixed media encaustic works
SEPTEMBER 1-30, 2007

reception with the artist:

SATURDAY
September 15, 1-3PM

INFORMAL TALK by the ARTIST: 2PM

EVERYONE IS WELCOME ***REFRESHMENTS SERVED

Andrea Bird grew up in Toronto and attended OCAD, studying also with R&F Encaustics in Kingston, New York. She has followed her 'inclination' by exploring various media over the years - watercolour, oil, collage, and now incorporates encaustic into her work.
Andrea has been exhibiting widely for over 20 years and continues to be inspired by the beauty of nature and life's emotional terrain.
'Given the urbanization of most of the population, I feel that there is a place for art that connects us with nature and our shared human journey'

'Some of the themes I work with: the wildness of nature, change of seasons,(the passage of time) and the human experience in all it's complexity and beauty. The natural world inspires me to use organic materials... nature contains elements that reflect the cycle of growth, decay and regeneration. This cycle fascinates me.
The creating of art is a way for me to explore these ideas. Spending time in nature and really seeing what is there gives me the opportunity to find beauty ‘everywhere'. In the studio, the process involves the layering of collage materials: paper, photos, fabric, glass, metal - combined with oil paint and encaustic The organic items (seeds, leaves, wood, earth, rocks, petals, thorns, etc.) are imbedded in layers of wax. Some layers are mostly or partially obscured, lending texture and hinting at mystery. Gouging into these layers may expose what is buried beneath. More recently, I've been using photocopy
transfers (of black and white photos I've taken of the surrounding
forest) in my work.

ALSO ON:

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
 
You are invited to investigate our beautiful gallery and
Bid on an exciting Mystery package of fine art & designer craft valued at $700

TICKETS ARE ONLY $5 OR 3 FOR $10 AND AVAILABLE AT THE JORDAN ART GALLERY UNTIL SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 15 @ 3PM
 
PAINTINGS, MIXED MEDIA, SCULPTURE, ETCHINGS AND JEWELRY
made by Jordan Art Gallery artists and owners Bob and Lillian Aylesworth, Barbara Goodwin, Janny Fraser, Joyce Honsberger, George Langbroek, Mori McCrae and Jan Yates are all gathered together and artfully wrapped up, ready for a lucky winner to take home. This extraordinary gift is valued at more than $700!

THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, FOLLOWING THE RECEPTION FOR OUR GUEST ARTIST, ANDREA BIRD

**********************************************************************
THE JORDAN ART GALLERY IS OPEN EVERY DAY
10AM-6PM
JORDAN ART GALLERY
905-562-6680
www.jordanartgallery.com
info@jordanartgallery.com
3845 Main Street, Jordan Village, ON, Canada


ANDREA BIRD STATEMENT

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."
Van Gogh

I live in North Wellington County, enjoying the beauty of this lovely
landscape, and have been exhibiting my work and leading creative
workshops for over 20 years. Teaching collage and encaustic inspires me
- as I witness the joy of shared creativity and discovery. Nature also
inspires me, as I am awe-struck by the beautiful details that surround us.

Some of the themes I work with: the wildness of nature, change of
seasons,(the passage of time) and the human experience in all it's
complexity and beauty. The natural world inspires me to use organic
materials... nature contains elements that reflect the cycle of growth,
decay and regeneration. This cycle fascinates me.

The creating of art is a way for me to explore these ideas. Spending
time in nature and really seeing what is there gives me the opportunity
to find beauty ‘everywhere'. In the studio, the process involves the
layering of collage materials: paper, photos, fabric, glass, metal -
combined with oil paint and encaustic (beeswax and oil pigment fused
with heat - usually a blow torch or heat gun). The organic items
(seeds, leaves, wood, earth, rocks, petals, thorns, etc.) are imbedded
in layers of wax. Some layers are mostly or partially obscured, lending
texture and hinting at mystery. Gouging into these layers may expose
what is buried beneath. More recently, I've been using photocopy
transfers (of black and white photos I've taken of the surrounding
forest) in my work.

Given the urbanization of most of the population, I feel that there is a
place for art that connects us with nature and our shared human journey.



 

copyright © Jordan Art Gallery 2006 - 2007