­­­2012 OTTAWA SCHOOL OF ART FINE ARTS DIPLOMA GRADUATES

HEXAD

Hexad means six in Greek and the six graduates are presenting their final exhibition. It is an exhibition of six unusual individuals coming together at the end of three years' training to create a fun and varied showcase of painting, drawing, prints and installation works. Beginning on June 28th, it will be held in the two downtown campus galleries.

Each emerging artist will present a selection of works:

Jacinta Leblanc has been working on vellum. Her figurative drawings address issues of gender around the theme of the absinthe drinkers.
Helen Mitchell has become an abstract painter over the three-year course and uses elements of line, colour and shape to create bright and bold paintings.
Kate Oakley is a painter and photographer who took beautiful photos of rain upon windows and used them to inspire her paintings in a painterly design.
Tess Parker is a graphic artist. She is a gifted draughtsperson and printmaker. Her drawings on Mylar (vellum) are on the theme of a few of the deadly sins.
Seung-ah Ryu works in a careful and beautiful way with graphite, paint and ink. Her theme is growth in nature and she focuses on small organisms to great effect.
Antonia Weetman is a painter who also creates fun pieces in 3D and mixed media. She has created a 3D installation for the show in warm colours.

These six artists have now completed three years of fine arts training at the Ottawa School of Art. This exhibition is display of their final works. They are six different personalities who have come together for this show and it will be all the more interesting for that.




Artist bio: ANTONIA WEETMAN

Originally from England, Antonia has lived in Ottawa with her young family for several years. Her children influence her work and ensure that she does not forget her imaginative side. She is a painter who also enjoys working in mixed media. She uses found objects and recycling material in her 3D work. Before starting the Fine Art Diploma program at the Ottawa School of Art, Antonia Weetman earned a Master of Arts in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oxford.

Awards achieved while studying at the OSA
2009 – Lillian Raport Memorial Scholarship
2010 – The Ted Marshall Award + The Brodie Shearer Memorial Scholarship
2011 – The David and Nicole Henderson Scholarship + The Ottawa Mixed Media Artists Scholarship
2012 – The Corrie Gibson Memorial Studio Scholarship + The Robert Hyndman Drawing and Painting Scholarship


Artist bio: HELEN MITCHELL

My work is fundamentally influenced by nature, relationships, and aspects of a complex life. However, none of these things are about my paintings, specifically because I do not start with a particular image in mind. The paintings evolve through the use of imagination unrestricted by reality. The essence of my work is the material: the paint and the canvas. Crucial elements of the work are colour connections; the way one colour illuminates another or softens the image. Form and space affect each other. I begin working with a single stroke of colour on the canvas, paying particular attention to balance and composition. Helen Mitchell first studied at the University of Calgary earning a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts.


Artist bio: JACINTA LEBLANC

Hailing from the Maritimes, Jay is an Ottawa based artist who works in many different mediums, predominantly drawing and painting. Her work is mainly figurative and explores such themes as gender, sexuality, and identity by blurring archetypal roles and creating ambiguous narratives through gestural drawings. In her final year, she has worked with large-scale drawing on Mylar and with video. Jay LeBlanc entered the Diploma Program after finishing a Bachelor of Arts in English at Mount Allison University.

Awards achieved while studying at the OSA
2011 – The Robert Hyndman Drawing and Painting Scholarship
2011 – The Ottawa Art Association Fine Arts Scholarship


Artist bio: KATE OAKLEY

Born in England in 1951, and migrating to Canada as a teenager, I wrote, published and performed poetry in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto, and travelled extensively. Although enriching, a number of practical career choices including academic researcher left me wanting. Studying at OSA since 2009 has been fulfilling--a gift of reconnecting with my inner voice.Kate Oakley has a Ph.D. in psychology from Carleton University and has set up a painting studio in Ottawa.

Awards achieved while studying at the OSA
2011 – The David and Nicole Henderson Scholarship
2011 – Lee Matasi Memorial Scholarship


Artist bio: SEUNG-AH RYU

Seung-ah Ryu is an artist and web designer.
Her multiple creative career has enabled her to develop her own unique voice as an artist. She is inspired by the beauty of nature and her ongoing contemplation of balance. Her work also reflects her cultural heritage and her interest in BioArt. Seung-ah Ryu has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and ten years of teaching experience.

Awards achieved while studying at the OSA
2010, 2011 – Lillian Raport Memorial Scholarship
2010 – The Robert Hyndman Drawing and Painting Scholarship
2011 – The Ottawa Art Association Fine Arts Scholarship


Artist bio: TESS PARKER

I am an emerging Ottawa born artist. Interested primarily in painting, printmaking and drawing, I grew up in an artistic environment and have been creating from a very young age. My subject matter is inspired by popular culture, nature, my environment, history and from the figure. OSA has helped me grow as an artist through experimentation of different mediums and process and I am very thankful to have attended the diploma program.

Award achieved while studying at the OSA
2010 – Wallacks Fine Arts Scholarship


HEXAD
Vernissage: Thursday June 28th, from 6-9pm
Exhibition dates: 28th June – 5th to August, 2012

Ottawa School of Art
35, rue George Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 8W5
www.artottawa.ca


Contact Information:
Antonia Weetman - antonia_weetman@hotmail.com

or

Nina Camilleri, Marketing & Events Coordinator
613-241-7471 x 26
marketing@artottawa.ca

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