Thursday, February 02, 2017

Arms Race Catharine MacTavish

catharine mactavish arms race 1984 detail
I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario last week.
The most interesting piece for me was this painting by Toronto artist Catherine MacTavish.
I liked the scale of it.
I liked the layers of acrylic paint over and under beads.
I liked the slashes that are used as if drawn marks.
catharine mactavish arms race 1984 acrylic, glass and plastic beads, metal grommets
The painting dates from the mid 80's and I assume that the title refers to the nuclear arms race of that period of history.

The bead-marks are intuitive yet obsessive.  They attract yet repulse.
I yearn to touch them, even pick at them but they look as if they might rub away.

I'm afraid of that.
catharine mactavish arms race collection of Art Gallery of Ontario
It's white like a piece of paper, only extra large.
A cosmic scale.
arms race detail of acrylic and bead painting by Catherine MacTavish
It's hard to find information about this artist but there are several paragraphs on the Paul Petro gallery web site - here and here.

From these I learned that Catharine MacTavish studied at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and then at York University in Toronto during the early 70's and that she then exhibited at both artist-run and public galleries.  I learned that her work is included in important public collections, (the Canada Council Art Bank and the AGO) and that she acquired a Masters degree in 2005.  I learned that although she removed herself from the art scene during the late 80's she continued to make art.

"Each piece entails a slow conceptual and technical percolation, she produces one dense painting every two or three years."  Paul Petro. 

9 comments:

Mo Crow said...

beautiful work!

Ms. said...

Viewing this is serving to antidote the effect of too much tumult chattering out of our Nations capital of late. It's wonderful work, and I too love the scale, It becomes an environment. How could a piece about the Nuclear Arms race be calming? Yet, it is.

Judy Martin said...

I have been thinking about this painting some more.

These are fearful times, it's hard for artists to believe in ourselves and our work - I mean believing that it is important enough to keep making art when so much trouble is rising up in the larger world.

This painting was made during the time period of the nuclear stand offs of the late cold war was a healing thing for the artist to make. It took her years. I believe that her art-making got her through, and I believe that the resulting painting is helping us now, thirty years later, to cope because it makes us realize that although there are hard times, humanity does prevail. x

Vivian said...

You're absolutely right Judy, humanity and art prevails at the end. Thanks for showcasing this MacTavish piece. It's beautiful.

jeanne hewell-chambers said...

This is powerful.

Nancy said...

Queens U is in Kingston, Ontario…

Nancy said...

Anyhoo - Remember Cathy McTavish as a first year student at Queens in 1969 and even then she was doing remarkable art.

Judy Martin said...

You are right about Queen’s being in Kingston. Thank you for catching that slip of mine. I’ll edit it when I can. I’m glad that you knew her as a student

Anonymous said...

Dear Judy and friends,

Catharine MacTavish here. Thank you for this posting and kind comments. Yes, I am ghostly. I don't even have a telephone.

Discovering your work is like coming across an oasis in the pandemic desert in which I am hungry and thirsty for art, and have difficulty relating to it online. Thank you for sharing a feast, that I will spend time savouring, then reach out to you again. Yes, I fell off the radar after the 80s. I tried to quit art, because why if no one will see it? only for art to not quit me! awakening me to what I suspected all along, that it does me more than I do it.

For now, you can see a few things at the links below. After I immerse in your gracious and beautiful work I will get in touch again.

Catharine

catharmact at protonmail dot com

https://www.youtube.com/user/CatharineMacTavish

There's a selective CV with the 2019 INVENTORY video

After finishing the Sanskrit Kaavya movie (in the KraftdragKaraokeKirtan playlist), during pandemic I renovated the dollhouse my father made for me in 1957, resuming the miniaturist passion that ignited my art practice. It's been a splendid pandemic project.

https://www.alchemists.com/visual_alchemy/mct/WhatIsAHologram.pdf

https://www.surrey.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/MacTavish.pdf

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/cetacean-constellation-bathers-2-swimmers-catharine-mactavish/YgH5XexLMaaHOA?ms=%7B%22x%22%3A0.5%2C%22y%22%3A0.5%2C%22z%22%3A8.385207062340687%2C%22size%22%3A%7B%22width%22%3A2.466797191080762%2C%22height%22%3A1.2375000000000005%7D%7D