Julie Druker | Oct 08, 2015


Marg Stephenson and Jean Dunning, neither of whom have ever shown their art work officially in an art show setting, are holding their premiere joint art show at the MERA schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners. The show opened there on October 4.

Their works, mostly watercolours but also pencil and pen and ink drawings along with other mixed media works, are perfectly matched since much of their subject matter is similar and their styles are complementary. Jean Dunning starting drawing and painting seriously in retirement, while Stephenson has been doing so since she was young. Both, however, have gotten more seriously into art making in their retirement years along with their third “amigo”, Judy Cross.

Both artists often paint from photographs and Dunning prefers painting flora and landscapes, especially farms scenes since she “always wanted to be a farmer but never could”. Her pen and ink farm landscapes, like her" Feeling Sheepish" piece, which depicts two sheep in a barn yard, is done with an intricate mesh of pleasing black outlines and big chunky blocks of watercolour brown and tans to create the light on the dense coats of the sheep. The work has a light and airy picture-book feel that makes you wish you could turn a page and see more of the same. Her watercolour flowers, like one lone trillium, are bursts of pure colour, meticulously painted and possessing a freshness that is wondrous.

Stephenson has a passion for mixed media and loves to draw with pen and ink with added accents of watercolour highlights. She also loves painting landscapes, especially old structures as well as vignettes and her works, like the two winter scenes depicting freshly fallen snow clinging to trees, branches and fences are so delicate and real that it seems that if one were to blow on them, the snow would fall to the floor. Stephenson, like Dunning, loves to push the envelope and has recently delved into drawing her new grand kids. These works, which show the active play of youngsters, have a earnest and playful feel that speaks of the simple joy that children find in play.

Both artists recently began studying with the well-known Ottawa-based Crystal Beshara. It was under Beshara that these two artists began developing their own signatures styles. With their first show now under their belts, the two artists have no intention of stopping and with the further encouragement of numerous red dots appearing beside their works, they look forward to exploring portrait drawing in their upcoming classes with Beshara, which both believe will help inform their drawing.

Dunning’s advice to those who want to make art but feel they do not have the skills is: “You can do it.”

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