| Mary Hougham |
|
|
Born near
Waterloo
,
Ontario
, Mary studied Aboriginal Art, Cultural Anthropology
and Fine Art at the
University
of
Toronto
and the University of Guelph.
Mary's interest in art is
lifelong .
Her degree in Cultural Anthropology at the
University
of
Toronto
introduced
her to the decorative and ceremonial
art of many cultures.
She developed her skills in visual art media,
as well as in design, weaving, pottery and silk painting,
through post-degree studies at the
University
of
Guelph
,
Georgian
College
and
Canadore
College
.
While Mary displays a strong style which highlights
light, colour,
contrast and energy, she enjoys exploring new
techniques, media and texture,
incorporating pastel, acrylic, ink, rice paper
collage
and Chinese brushwork into her work.
Mary has participated in CANSCAIP Children's
Illustration workshops with illustrators
Barbara Reid,
Heather Collins, Veronika Martenova Charles,
Nan Gregory and author Bill Slavin.
In the 1980's, Mary established her own business
as a designer and hand weaver.
Professionally she has been a Career Counsellor,
a teacher of Special Education and a Librarian.
Mary's work has been exhibited in solo, group,
and juried shows and can be viewed at
the MacDonald Stewart Art Centre in
Guelph
and at the Art Gallery of Hamilton
in their Art Sales and Rental collections.
Artist's Statement
Art to me is about light, colour, observation,
contrast, perspective, energy, exploration.
Painting to me is an act of completion, an adventure,
a moment of creation in itself.
It is an act of celebration to recreate the
freshness of dahlias bursting with life like a Symphony of
Fire,
or to express the magnificence of an Alaskan peak
reflecting the rising sun,
then vanishing behind cloud, still present though
unseen.
It is an act of reverence to witness and record
the private moment of a fox,
pausing in acute concentration in a snow-swept
clearing.
My painting is a source of joy, a celebration
of the flow of life.
To me, painting is poetry expressed through
pigment,
while poetry is art painted through language.
Both are magical acts of participation in
an ancient universal process.
It is the natural world that connects me to
the universe.
Here, I become whole and restored, part of the
ever-changing rhythm of the earth,
of its continual cycle of death and rebirth -
from the pregnant barrenness,
the clear beauty of winter, to the fresh, long-awaited
stirring of spring,
to the fullness of summer and the ripeness of
autumn.
Each season, a new pallette presents itself and
beckons me
to capture a glimpse of its sacred beauty with
my brush.
Mary is a member of the Guelph Arts Council
and the Women's Art Association of Hamilton.
website:
http://guelpharts.ca/maryhougham/index.php
