The August 2023 exhibition at Mahtay Cafe in downtown St. Catharines is MARY IVISON | SPACE, PLACE & SPIRIT. This is the ninth in a continuing series platforming Niagara visual artists.
The words of the artist:
“Through the creation of art I create my own safe space to be. Through the art of tattooing I get to share this place with others. I found my place in visual arts and am now entering my final year at Brock University in the Studio Art program. I find it easiest to confide in acrylic paint and enjoy using layers upon layers of washes and glazes to create an abstract depth. I value the messy truth of the process of painting and understand the vulnerability necessary to have my message received.
There is a common thread in my work which is an exploration of spaces and how people fit into them; both energetically as well as physically. I have always found interest in the mundane and try to take a big step inward to examine spaces that we inhabit everyday that could be taken for granted. I explore my own everyday spaces that I adore, as well as battle for peace in spaces that have not done me well. While this interest in spaces has arised so did the interest of groups of people and what spaces they join together and why. Although I create art for my own peace of mind, I seek a place where my experiences and spaces can be unraveled by others. I hope to continue to confide in my art and offer myself a space to ask questions and explore my surroundings and how I relate to them. ”
