Les B’Old Hags are a group of six Moncton area artists, who aren’t squeamish about the word ‘old’, just as long as it’s prefaced with an upper case ‘B’ for Bold or alternatively written as Brave and Old. And they don’t mind the word ‘hag’ either. Although it’s used pejoratively in modern society, it actually has honourable roots, because in ancient societies – Celtic, First Nations and Asian – elders were respected for their wisdom. In fact, the word ‘crone’, another pejorative in our culture, has its roots in the Irish Gaelic word for wisdom – ‘crionnacht’.
The group was founded with two purposes. The members wanted to explore and celebrate various perspectives on aging with insight and humour, wisdom and grace through the lens of visual, musical and literary art. Secondly, the members want to present their work publicly as a way of creating awareness that ‘women of a certain age’ are not invisible and still have much to contribute to society.
Les B’Old Hags include founder and clay artist Catherine Linfield, Moncton; painter Dianne Ryan, Riverview; fibre artist Jacqueline LeBlanc, Moncton; musician and harp therapist, Laurence Marie, Shediac; poet and photographer Margaret Patricia Eaton, Moncton and mixed media artist Patricia Winans, Riverview.
Catherine Linfield
Biography
I attended Mount Allison University in 1997,8 and 9. Learned a lot and still kept to my main reason for attending …. to be able to teach a higher level of art to non university students than was available in my area, Moncton.
I have had a great 40 years of teaching and find I learn more myself as I teach others.
A wife of 47 years, a mother of two sons, grandmother to five. My three female grandchildren all like horses as do I.
I am proficient in drawing, painting and clay sculpture.
Artist Statement: My Body Image / L’Image du mon corp
I am old. My body is failing me. I can laugh or cry. Most weeks I do both, but my choice for this exhibition is to laugh. When I think of funny things, I refer back to the comics of the Saturday newspapers. Wanting to make my images recall a bit of history for those over 50, I chose a newspaper format of black border, outlined image and occasional colour.
Dianne Ryan
Biography
Dianne Ryan was born in 1941 in Vancouver, BC. Raised three children with her husband Jack in Riverview, NB. Jack was deceased in 2014.
Retired, she presently teaches senior art students for the City of Moncton, after many years as a teacher and supply teacher.
She earned her teaching certificates at Lakeshore Teachers’ College in Toronto, and two Art Certificates at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto. She has attended workshops in many disciplines over the years, including sculpture, printmaking, watercolour and mixed media.
Having come from a family of artists; her mother, a niece and now a granddaughter, she has always loved painting, drawing and collage work.
Her interests lie in portrait painting, still life, and experimenting with mixed media collage. Influenced strongly by the simplicity of Georgia Okeefe, the impressionists, i.e. Monet and semi abstractionism. Her style reflects a realistic interpretation executed with an impressionistic approach.
She has exhibited a solo show at the Moncton Public Library, has been included several times in the City of Moncton Juried Show, has participated in Silent Auctions of her work and has illustrated in watercolour a children’s book by Kay Doucette titled “Just Nanny and Me”. Her work resides in collections in Canada and the United States.
Artist Statement: Embracing Aging
The body of work for Les B’Old Hags show contains images of some of my contemporaries painted and collaged to express elements of the lives they have lived. I have observed and interpreted those elements through the filter of aging. One collage using varied media expresses a visual recording of the passage of time, mostly physical in nature. The pieces also attempt to see the soul through the eye, and how the spirit speaks to us whether we are young, middle aged or elderly. In summary I will attempt through my art to reveal as much as I can, the physical, emotional and spiritual changes we encounter on our way to becoming B’Old Hags.
Jacqueline LeBlanc
Biography / Biographie
Jacqueline LeBlanc is an artist who enjoys working in a variety of media and techniques. In recent years, she has discovered a new medium of art making, that of creating felt.
Through advanced workshops at the Centre des textiles contemporains de Montréal as well as New England Felting in Massachusetts, she has developed a very personal style of felt art.
Today, Jacqueline is pleased to share her artistic vision and technical skills by teaching felting workshops.
Jacqueline LeBlanc est une artiste multidisciplinaire qui s’intéresse surtout aux textiles.
Elle a participle à des ateliers avancés au Centre des textiles contemporains de Montréal ainsi qu’au New England Felting au Massachusetts.
Aujourd’hui elle partage sa passion pour les textiles en offrant des ateliers de feutrage.
Artist Statement: Empty Nest
Empty Nest represents that feeling of sadness parents experience when their children leave home. The vessels represent the empty nests from which the birds have flown while the rusted nest represents the end of fertility. As women age, we lose the power to reproduce, but we become wiser and more spiritual. I incorporated a feather into one of my pieces to reference the beliefs of First Nations’ people who respect the wisdom of elders. Rather than signaling the end of productivity, aging presents opportunities for continued creativity.
Laurence Marie
Biographie / Biography
Laurence Marie a étudié les sciences infirmières, la naturothérapie, l’homéopatie. D’autre part, elle détient un baccalauréat en musique de l’Université de Moncton.
Voulant conjuguer santé et musique, elle est allée étudier au International Harp Therapy program à San Diego, CA et en 2001 obtient son diplôme de harpe-thérapeute. En 2006 elle est certifiée thérapeute de harpe vibroacoustique.
Laurence offre plusieurs services : enfants spéciaux, personnes âgées, thérapie vibroacoustique, groupes, ateliers , méditation…
Laurence Marie studied Nursing, Naturotherapy and Homeopathy. She also holds a Music degree from University of Moncton.
Wanting to combine health and music, she went to San Diego, CA, to study at the International Harp Therapy Program and graduated in 2001 as a Harp Therapist. In 2006 she was certified as a Vibroacoustic Harp Therapist.
Laurence offers several services : Special Children, Elderlies, Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy, groups, workshops, meditation…
Artist Statement: Life is Good/La Vie est Belle:
The harp music whether live or recorded is an improvisation trying to express my life journey from a young girl feeling somewhat lost but cradled to safety by music, then as an adult trying to figure out the stormy seas to finally reaching peaceful, joyful shores. The visual display expresses contrasts: emotional contrasts, yin-yan, darkness-light, etc… what we as humans all experience at some point or another… in hopes of finding balance… eventually.
Margaret Patricia Eaton
Biography
Poet Margaret Patricia Eaton, Moncton, is a visual arts columnist and author of three poetry collections, Seeking Grace, Painted Poems and Vision & Voice, the latter two in collaboration with Sackville visual artist, Angelica De Benedetti. Her poems have appeared in literary journals, such as the Nashwaak Review, in anthologies including Under the Mulberry Tree (Quattro Books, 2014) and received 1st Place in the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick Poetry Competition (2009).
She’s also a freelance writer and photographer with over 700 articles published following a 32-year education career; a graduate of Mount Allison University (B. A., B.Ed.), Nova Scotia Teachers’ College (Diploma in School Library Management), UNB (M. Ed. Counselling) and the mother of Toronto-based actor/singer Tara Baxendale.
Artist Statement: Falling Into Light
My triptych entitled Falling into Light explores the aging experience through three poems: Fields of Fire, which recognizes that even though our bodies age, our spirit remains youthful; Pencils, a dialogue between past and present, with the determination that we must continue to move forward, no matter how tempted we are to linger in the past and Falling into Light which celebrates the freedom to live courageously, a gift of aging.
To present my poems, which were translated by Marie-Claude Hébert, I continued to explore society’s view of aging through contemplation of the Celtic triple spiral symbol which honours equally the three stages of womanhood: the maiden (maighdean), the mother (máthair) and the wise woman or crone (seanbhean). I found it telling that the Irish Gaelic word for wisdom (criónnacht) is linguistically related to ‘crone’, indicating a greater respect for age among the ancients than found in contemporary society. I interpreted the symbol through crocheted lace circles to reference a traditional craft. Through their lacy openwork they suggest our vulnerability, but when coated with metallic paint, they become shields of strength.
Margaret Patricia Eaton
April 18, 2016
Patricia Winans
Biography
Patricia Winans creates her art in her studio in Riverview, NB. Now retired as a nurse educator, various forms of art have been her touch-stone for many years. She currently concentrates on her work as a mixed media and fiber artist and has participated in numerous solo, group and juried shows in Canada and the United States. Her work is represented in Canadian galleries and is in private and public collections in Canada and the United States.
Artist Statement: Because I’m Vintage…
My art pieces entitled Because I’m Vintage… offer to the viewer visual metaphors that tell my story. Storytelling is an art and my intent is for the viewer to hear their story in mine and to share that experience with a sense of knowing that transcends discussion.
The joy of creating has kept me balanced and has allowed me to reach my current age with a spirit, mind and body that is resilient and grateful. I purposefully and consistently use material in my art that has had another life, ever conscious of the energy that it has absorbed along the way – both negative and positive – and giving it new energy by transposing it into another form. I also use antique tools, invoking the spirit of the individual who previously used the scissors, thimble, needles or hook to come forward, influence the process and be a part of the evolution of the piece.
My experience of being a survivor of cardiac arrest has brought into focus for me how fragile we are. The repurposed items that I heard wanting to be a part of my art are a tangible expression of this fragility. So, come walk with me as I tell my story and listen for your own.