On July 9th, my longtime friend Lorraine Leclerc and I will be having our first art show at The Fleet Galleries in Winnipeg.
As much as I have dreamed of having enough work to have a solo or shared art show, I never imagined it would be in a time where people would be forced to social distance and avoid large gatherings.
I have had trouble over my lifetime creating and expressing my art consistently and with continuity. Anxiety, depression - things that fuel art at times can also silence it and to be honest, I didn't ever think I was that good at expressing myself artistically.
I imagined my art show like most people imagine their wedding. Huge and full of family and friends, laughter and joy.
The idea of reclaimed or reclaiming the practice of drawing and creating was really important to me. Having suffered a significant loss in vision over the last 15 years due to Diabetic retinopathy, my ability to see details is nowhere near where it used to be. It's been difficult to think about and execute any kind of drawing.
That is, until I got an iPad.
Suddenly with the help of a back-lit screen I was able to see and zoom into what I was working on and with the introduction of the apple pencil... I could draw. I had everything I needed and the tools to help. The missing spots from each eye my brain fills in with detail from the other (and magic) was no longer an issue! I could see what I was drawing, and I could create the pictures I wanted to create again.
Although I can't spend hours on my iPad or phone without suffering blurred vision, I have been able to make some pictures that I am truly proud to share.
The theme of "Reclaimed" created a lot of compound feelings in me.
Reclaimed, for me, is about reclaiming a part of me that my vision deficit took. I chose to draw things that I missed, like living in the country. Wandering through the high grass looking at the old, rusted machinery from the farm.
I drew endangered animals, smaller versions of which now hang in the halls of my nephew's school. Some of the originals from these drawings will be in this show. I drew people, just two for this show - that are dear to my heart and represent the generation of folk that we are all isolating for.
I can't wait to share these images with everyone and despite the fact that they all seem unrelated... they are related in my heart. They represent things that I want to keep and not loose. Reclaiming some things is not easy. An extinction of a way of life, or an animal is much more complex a thing to recover from. Reclaiming an ability you've lost is sometimes difficult to.
I'm happy I was able to bring this to fruition and that now, in big matted frames, I can finally share my interpretation of reclaimed with you.
Hope you can drop in at some point to see the show.
As always, all the love to you and yours,
Don't give up, dreams can come true...
Christine
RECLAIMED by Christine Leader & Lorraine Leclerc
JULY 9th - 31st | Fleet Galleries | 65 Albert Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba
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