Local group Ottawa Mixed Media Artists (OMMA) demonstrate their abstract style in combining visual arts media to visualize well-known sayings in their latest show, Proverbs.
“The artists were challenged to create a unique work of art reflecting their own interpretation of a proverb of their choice,” said exhibition organizer Marie-Paule Thorn.
“The results, as selected by jurors, clearly demonstrate how imagination and the use of a variety of media can create an impressive variety of interpretations of one singular theme, particularly when artists have chosen the same proverb and delivered artworks that are distinct from one another in their approach, media used, and compositions,” she said.
OMMA supports mixed media visual arts, which allows artists to use watercolour paints, collage, ink, charcoal, and other techniques at the same time in a single piece.
OMMA president Stephanie Huckabone explained her own creative process for the exhibit.
“I decided on the proverb first and then painted a painting with it in mind,” she said via email. “Other OMMA artists tend to paint a painting and then come up with a proverb that they think suits their work.
“Overall, it’s hard work putting on a group show but it is worth it once you see the paintings hanging on the gallery wall,” she said.
The Proverbs exhibition features the work of 32 OMMA members and 45 original pieces, and each one is titled for the saying they represent. The Best in Show award was given to established artist Jung Hee Lee-Marles for her work “Aim high in your career but stay humble in your heart.”
Awards of Excellence were given to Holly Dean for “Six of one, half a dozen of the other” and Cristina Del Sol for “empty vessels make no noise.”
“It’s fascinating to see what they’ve done with mixed media,” said Taylor Craig, a Toronto artist and observer of the exhibit.
“A big part of mixed media art is experimenting with different media. It can be an interesting process, and it helps to ground the abstract in a common concept like they have with Proverbs,” Craig said.
OMMA also has a permanent gallery in the Nepean Sportsplex, where they continue to host non-juried shows every two months.
The Proverbs exhibition is on display at the Centrepointe Theatre Gallery until Feb. 12.
