On display from September 3 to October 31, 2023, in The Sunroom at Central Library, art by Four Abstract Painters.
"The four of us have an affinity for exploring abstraction. Abstract art is not 'about nothing.' Our art is about both inner and outer space. It’s about the world around us, and our emotional and thoughtful responses to it. The art we create intuits a complex reality that cannot be put into words, but, for us, requires a visual composition."
"As artists, we build these pieces based on our own sensual experiences in the world. We bring our vast and diverse interactions with the people, places, and things that we encounter. Our art doesn’t claim to be the ultimate 'truth' for all art, but is special to us in our time and existence. For all of the time it takes for us to complete our work, we aspire for others to look closely at it in still moments of perception and reflection. "
About the Artists
Wayne Boucher
Wayne Boucher’s work deals with the luminosity of light and the radiance of colour in counterpoint with elemental schemata that transcend surface and meaning. The intent of his work has been for the viewer to “fall in and drown in the work,” and see things beyond the surface of the painting.
Wayne was the recipient of the 2006 Nova Scotia Portia White Award for excellence, innovation, and expression in the arts. The recipient of numerous grants from provincial and federal agencies including a Canada Council Established Artist Grant in 2001, other key professional successes include winning the 2004 juried competition to execute the mural entitled Réveil for the new Interpretation Centre at Grand-Pré National Historic Site. Boucher became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy in 2002.
In 2012, “Drowning in Colour” was the first comprehensive documentary to be made about the art of Wayne Boucher, and was directed and edited by Alan Collins. In 2014, three of his paintings were selected in a Foreign Affairs Canada design competition for meeting room carpets in the redecorated Nova Scotia Room, Pacific Room, and a Reception area at Canada House, London, United Kingdom.
Sharon Irving-Kennedy
Sharon Irving-Kennedy’s work arises from the ever-constant, invisible energy where nothing is static or unchanging. Entering spontaneously into chaos in search of order, her work is not restricted to a specific vision but more an expression of letting go. Each piece is an act of allowing. By juxtaposing the simplicity of minimalism with the stronger more impactful energy of lines, there is a feeling of the real edge.
Sharon has been an artist since 1987 when she began studying art, an exploration that has extended to McMaster University, the Ontario College of Art, the Atlin School of Art, and the Dundas Valley School of Art. After 33 years, a BA in Business, and working in Obstetrics, Genetics, Antenatal Diagnostics and Pre Natal Counselling, Sharon retired in 2006 from the McMaster Medical Centre and further deepened her creative practice.
She had two major solo exhibitions at McMaster University in 1997 and 2000, was interviewed by media, and had a solo show in 1998 at the Hamilton Public Library, Fine Arts Gallery in Ontario. Sharon was one of 10 artists accepted to live on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, for seven days, to paint amongst the wild horses and the ever-yielding, yet constant landscape. She has 14 photos from that trip published in “Sable Island, The Wandering Sandbar, opens a new window,” by Wendy Kitts.
In 2016, she was published in Shambhala Art International, along with five of her paintings. Her work resides in the Faculty Club at McMaster University and many private collections, including that of Ramona Jennex, former Education Minister of Nova Scotia.
Ted Lind
Ted Lind’s work is always taking twists and turns, but its constants are vivid colour, substantial form, and varied texture. Built-up layers, constructed forms, overlapping patterns, and strident marks are consistent throughout. The paintings have become a wonderful place where he can teeter between irrational "visioning" and practical "constructing.”
Ted is a practicing artist and an active volunteer with the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. He retired in 2013 after 40 years working as an art educator and curator.
Most of his career was spent in art museums and he has a special fondness for his time at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Albany Institute of History & Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and the Newark Museum. Lind majored in visual arts at Albion College (Michigan) and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the Rochester Institute of Technology (New York). He was also a Max Beckmann Fellow in Advanced Painting Studies at the Brooklyn Museum Art School in New York. Lind spent time apprenticed to a silversmith in Tlaquepaque, Mexico.
His art can be found in numerous public and private collections. He lives in Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia with his wife, Judy, and they both enjoy closely following the arts careers of three grown daughters.
Susan Tooke
Focusing on environmental issues, Susan Tooke has developed visual symbolism for life forms impacted by the elements and layered through time. With painting as the foundation of her studio work, she also works in media arts, with current exploration creating abstracted soundscapes from field recordings.
Tooke’s media work was selected as Beacon Projects both individually (3B: Backlands, Badlands Burbs) and with the collaborative team, Motion Activated (Susan Tooke, Lukas Pearse and Véronique McKenzie) for Halifax’s Nocturne 2015, 2016, and 2017.
With the assistance of Canada Council for the Arts, she is currently collecting and altering field recordings to produce abstracted soundscapes. The soundscapes will be paired with visuals for the upcoming interactive show Altered Vision/Altered Sound at ArtsPlace, Annapolis Royal.
Her artwork for children’s literature resulted in multiple awards including four Lillian Shepherd Memorial Awards for Excellence in Illustration and eleven published books.
Susan received the prestigious Established Artist Recognition Award in 2015 in acknowledgement of artistic contribution to the province of Nova Scotia. She served as national chair of the board of Canadian Artists' Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens, and on the boards of CARFAC Maritimes, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Visual Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, advising the provincial government on arts policy.
Her work is in the collections of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Art Bank, Parks Canada and the National Library of Canada.
She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University, and completed further studies in the Master of Media Arts program at the New School in New York City.
The Sunroom is made possible by the generosity of Margot and Layne Spafford.
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