Revisiting the McMichael Art Gallery

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A Trip Down Memory Lane, Experiencing the Group of Seven first hand, and an aspiring artist's reward

Written for: Wednesday March 29


With March being a great month of exploring the world of using pastels and experimenting I found it about time for a reward and burst of inspiration to help further explore this form of creativity and what better place to visit than the McMichael Art Gallery- home to the Group of Seven's artwork and much more. So with that decided I put the plan in motion to head back to there and revisit the gallery a second time. I looked forward to this trip after it being so long since the first time a second visit I'd hope would give me a greater chance to appreciate the artwork and doing it myself to appreciate the artist's styles and efforts.  

Group of Seven

The feeling of familiarity came almost instantly as we drove down the long driveway into the art gallery as if it were almost yesterday I was there. Now it wasn't just the building itself as familiar but so many of the landscapes as well. Having learned about them through books, my grandmother talking about them and a documentary about a couple who retraced the Group of Seven's steps made returning a little less intimidating and new. I found knowing more also encouraged me to look more closely at the pieces and have a better understanding of what the artists' was getting at in this visit. It was as if I was observing the art with a new set of eyes and perspective, now coming as an aspiring artist myself.

Aside from the Group of Seven there are many other exhibits to check out at the gallery, some just as or more spectacular than the group's style while others were totally different. Being a girl who likes familiarity and having learned some about the Group of Seven and Lawren Harris' transition into abstract style fascinated me the most.  In particular it was learning about his decision to transition into abstract and away from the Group of Seven that I found inspiring. How brave and courageous he must have been to explore something totally different from the group and on his own. I could admire his curiosity and openness to explore other forms as someone testing that out herself knows that there is a certain amount of faith and trust involved in starting something new. Even more impressive was how he later formed the Transcendental Painting Group to help bring again similar artists together and explore the abstract style more in depth.
My interpretation of Inspiration, February 15/17, Kylie Original

All in all, it was a great experience filled with much inspiration and encouragement making a better artist and art fan out of me.

It also is great inspiration as I enter into April further exploring technique and style in the medium of pastels to try more landscapes and techniques in my path to become a better artist.

For now,
Pleased Pastelist Kylie

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