CHANGING PERCEPTION

Galerie McKenzie Marcotte

Wakefield QC

vernissage:

Sunday April 15, 2012

from 2 – 4 pm

Is landscape painting a relevant genre in the techno-frenzied twenty first century?  Is it still desirable to find solace in nature and to portray this experience in painting?  Shawn McNevin believes the answer to both these questions is decidedly yes and continues to paint the landscape because for her, it holds a kind of truth and an ability to inspire a transcendent experience.  In fact, because we are constantly bombarded with stimuli and because the pace of life often does not allow for reflection and assimilation of the frenzy around us, Shawn McNevin’s paintings of the rural west coast of Newfoundland remind us that there are other rhythms, slower subtle natural rhythms that we can draw upon for solace and reflection.

In Changing Perception, Shawn once again presents us with lyrical, meditative paintings of the Gros Morne area of Newfoundland that distill quiet moments in the presence of nature.  She is emotionally engaged with the landscape then reflects it back to the viewer with images filled with a sense of awe at the beauty around her.  Her perceptual and emotional openness allow her to intimately convey her experiences of solitude and meditative awareness.  Shawn’s ability to slow down and experience the stillness and vastness of the landscape is reinforced by her painting style.  There are no large gestural brush strokes, no nonchalant application of the paint.  Instead the fineness of the brush strokes, the careful attention to detail augment the perception of stillness and heightened awareness.

The paintings in Changing Perception, whether they are distant images of land forms lost in the vastness of the sky and sea, intimate observations of a particular tree or the sky at twilight, all reveal an individual artist’s moods and perceptions.  There is indeed the undercurrent of an encounter with solitude, of transcendence and of awe that Shawn has experienced which in turn elicits a similar response in the viewer.  In a time of environmental concern and uncertainty, Shawn McNevin reminds us that we are still part of nature, that it is still important to value the slower rhythms and transcendent qualities of the natural world as an antidote to the frenzy of contemporary culture.

 

Time to Reflect

Studio 167

November 20, November 27 & December 4, 2011

Vernissage:   Sunday November 20^th at  1 pm

Studio 167 welcomes you to celebrate  “Time to Reflect – Newfoundland 2011” an exhibition of oil paintings by Chelsea/Newfoundland artist Shawn McNevin.  The vernissage for the exhibition will take place Sunday, November 20 at 1:00 p.m.  The show will continue for the next two Sundays until December 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For twelve summers, Shawn McNevin has painted and celebrated Newfoundland, a landscape that questions personal significance.  “Time to Reflect“ is an experience of solitude, of transcendence and of awe that this artist has experienced which in turn elicits a similar response in the viewer.

The work is quintessential  McNevin, characteristic of her unique painting style which is  highly regarded for its strong emotional quality and for capturing the ambiance of the moment.

 

 

CLASSICAL ELEMENTS:  Fire, Water, Earth and Air

Galerie McKenzie Marcotte

April 15 – May 17, 2011

Vernissage:  Friday April 15, at 7:00 p.m.

Galerie McKenzie Marcotte in Wakefield Qc is pleased to open its 2011 season with Classical Elements: Fire, Water, Earth and Air, an exhibition of paintings by Shawn McNevin. The vernissage takes place on Fri. April 15 at 7 pm and the exhibition will continue until May 17.

Classical Elements is in fact classic McNevin: evocative, intuitive, nuanced and masterful. In this series of paintings, the characteristics of the four elements are reflected  in both the content and style of the work. The painting of a bonfire visually portrays fire but also implies the emotional qualities of energy and passion. With the Newfoundland landscape as the subject matter of most of Shawn’s paintings,  the element of water in all its forms is richly explored from cloud vapour, sea water and icebergs to glaciers and rivers in the mountains. And everywhere there is the feeling air; the clarity of a distant vista or the atmospheric quality of a place where various elements meet. The works in this show suggest simultaneously the power of the elements as well the preciousness of the natural environment and this sentiment is presented with skill and sensitivity.