Madeleine had Huron County seep into her consciousness over
many years working in the County following her profession in
Public Health in all different types of weather. Joining the Goderich Art Club and spending time at the
Southampton School of Art enabled Madeleine to re-integrate art into her life.
In 1989 she returned to university and graduated from the Art Therapy program
at the University of Western Ontario. In 2002 Madeleine was a founding member
of the Goderich Co-op Gallery which is still full of beautiful art. Presently
she belongs to a small group of artists who work together as they continue to
learn and develop.
Life is not always bright and beautiful, and neither is all
art. Art, though, can bring a moment of joy, restore a memory, or create a
question which makes the moment purposeful. Making and perceiving art is a
mysterious, non-verbal process--ineffable.
“The Buzz” was inspired by a lecture on the topic of the honey bee she recently attended. The thrust of the lecture was that people in towns or cities might look at the possibility of keeping a hive or two in their gardens. We know the importance of the bee to the food chain, so this is a way of increasing the number of healthy bees. Bees thrive in settings that are bio-diversified; hence, small backyard gardens and neighbourhoods are ideal places with flowers and bushes galore. If Madeleine had heard this lecture twenty or even fifteen years ago she might have become a bee keeper. Instead she will keep bees in her paintings. The invitation to do a mixed-media piece was an open invitation to have fun and paint bees.
“The Buzz” was inspired by a lecture on the topic of the honey bee she recently attended. The thrust of the lecture was that people in towns or cities might look at the possibility of keeping a hive or two in their gardens. We know the importance of the bee to the food chain, so this is a way of increasing the number of healthy bees. Bees thrive in settings that are bio-diversified; hence, small backyard gardens and neighbourhoods are ideal places with flowers and bushes galore. If Madeleine had heard this lecture twenty or even fifteen years ago she might have become a bee keeper. Instead she will keep bees in her paintings. The invitation to do a mixed-media piece was an open invitation to have fun and paint bees.
