Mary Ann Gerwing

Raised on the Prairie, as a child, art meant colouring books and crayons.

As a teacher I curated student art shows both locally and across Canada; Public speaking along with drama were helpful to interested students as this afforded a sense of self expression.

Abroad musical theatre and choir brought me into contact with renowned artists.

Living on the West Coast as an Art Group member I participate in the group shows but I have held several successful solo shows in Chemainus.

As a print maker I feature various techniques mainly in water and landscape.

As a retiree it is my goal to continue the learning process and sharing in my community of Chemainus.

I began printmaking several years ago to explore a new form of art expression. Recently, I have been working on monotype printing which is the most painterly of the printmaking methods. Monotype gives me freedom to play with layering, colour, and stencils to create abstract images usually with some reference to reality, like a landscape. I like the spontaneity of the process and am attracted to the translucent quality of colour on paper and the layering of inks to reflect light on images. I also enjoy drawing into monotype prints with other mediums such a coloured pencil and graphite to accentuate details.

My submissions are both monotype; one of a landscape that reflects my past life on the prairie and the other is a water scape which relates to my life here on the West Coast.