(Artwork of the Art Mad group that is exhibited on the Art Space Wall for the month of March at the Stittsville Public Library. All Photos: Carissa Fortin)
Serene, calming music. A peaceful feeling as you sweep your brush over a canvas or a pencil across a sheet of paper. This is the feeling I experienced as I watched the artists of Art Mad Artists work. The group started after the Stittsville store, Art Mad, closed in 2012. This small group of artists sought to find a new place they could use to work on their art and soon found refuge at the Stittsville Library. The group is a social group. The group take turns doing different jobs.
(Artwork on exhibit by the Art Mad group that can be found at the Stittsville Public Library on the Art Space Wall for the month of March.)
Current artists in the group include:
- Gerald Chamberlain – Acrylics
- Linda Gorman – Watercolour
- Natalie Jones – Watercolour Pencil, Coloured Pencil
- Janet Knowles – Watercolour
- Maggie Madden – Pastels, Watercolour Pencil, Ink
- Suzanne Marsden – Acrylics
- Patti Morgan – Acrylics
Two pieces that caught my eye were ‘It’s On My Nose’ by Gerald Chamberlain and ‘Summer’s Gold’ by Suzanne Marsden. It’s On My Nose features a Golden Retriever being amused at the snow falling around him, including the flakes that land on his nose. Summer’s Gold features a painting of flaming orange Nasturtium flowers.
The group worked on a variety of mediums as I walked around observing them. Nature, portraits and fantasy were a few of the themes of the pieces of art that were being worked on. There were also abstract pieces being worked on from some of the artists.
The group loves to help inspire each other. As one of the artists told me, “It’s time we make for art because we often have trouble finding time to do art at home.”
(The Art Space Wall at the Stittsville Library is filled with the exhibited artwork of the Mad Art Artists group of Stittsville for March 2020.)
The group meets on Fridays from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The group has 10 members and people often come and go.
The great poet Henry David Thoreau once said, “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.”