Break Time is a group show featuring the artists of the Foyer Gallery. The show is running between Tuesday, June 24 and Sunday, July 13, 2014.
“Break Time” Show Review by Gerald Smith
A new show has begun at the Foyer Gallery in the Nepean Sportsplex. It opened on June 24th and will continue until July 13th. The show is called “Break Time” and 20 of the regular gallery members are represented. All of the works on display have merit for a variety of reasons.
“Purple and Green Iris” by Donna Danuta Wiegand: the object is enlarged to such a state that the image nearly becomes abstract and therein is its merit. It ceases to be a specific object and becomes instead an effectual design that has great merit. Beside it is a work by Jo-Ann Zorzi called ”Shimmer”. This is a work in fabric showing a very violent storm as seen over hills in the distance. The foreground leads our eye into the distance by means of several layers of fabric, implying grass or vegetation. This artwork indicates an artist gifted with a grand concept.
At the far end of the gallery is a large work by Robert Arnold called “Looking Seaward”. It shows four young people on a patio looking across a body of water towards a far shore. In the very centre of the painting is a white wooden object that could be a life guard post. If so, it brings a hint of potential danger to the setting and changes the mood completely. Even the sky seems full of threat. To further add to the sense of threat are the black shadows of the persons on opposite ends of the painting
Jess Fleury is presenting three small works. My preference is the larger one called “Hogs Back Hike”. All of the components in the painting: water, rocks, trees and sky are caught up in a maelstrom of violent action. This painting works well because of the powerful expression that is consistent throughout the work.
To the left is a large painting by Gerald Smith that shows the original Bluenose in a race against an American schooner. The event was in the fall of 1921 and was loosely based on a photo of the scene by the noted Nova Scotia photographer Wallace MacAskill. The same photo was on the 50 cent Canadian stamp several years ago.
Ginny Fobert is showing three photographs, all of merit but I will comment on one of them called “Mist”. The setting is looking across a bay towards a land area in the distance. All is monotone blue gray but the photo works because a strip of water makes the darker landmass all the more poignant. There is a low mist over the water near the land area, further enhancing the contrasts. All of this is reflected in absolutely calm water. Hardly noticed are two moored yachts on the right side of the image. The mood in this work is consistent and well stated.