Andrew and Laura McCain Art Gallery

Printers Inc.
2022-05-28 - 2022-07-09
An exhibition featuring prints by Amy Ash, Alanna Baird, Nathan Cann, Ryan Livingstone, Ann Manuel and Bob Morouney of Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre.

Acrylic Pour Painting with Ann White
2022-06-04 13:00 - 16:00 UTC | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
Cost: $40
Learn a new painting technique with instructor Ann White. Acrylic fluid art is a very satisfying form of abstract art. There are many techniques in this form of art with unlimited combinations of colours. On May 14 we will be completing a “Flip Cup Pour.”
Space is limited. Call the Gallery, 392-6769, or email info@mccainartgallery.com to register.
Class will be held at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol
No refunds for cancellations less than 7 days prior to the workshop.

Eco Printing a Silk Scarf
2022-06-25 10:00 - 17:00 UTC | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
Instructor Renata Britez
River Art Centre, 8746 Main St. Florenceville-Bristol
Cost: $50 + $30 Materials Fee
FULL. Call the Gallery, 392-9769, to be added to the waiting list.
Get to know the colourful bounty of Maritimes flora by working with fresh plants foraged by Natural Dyer Renata Britez. Natural dyeing can be fun, but the experience of using seasonal & regionally relevant plants, as opposed to pre-extracted and imported powders, provides a real connection to this age-old process. Students will come away with an understanding of natural dyeing with fresh raw dye, surface design techniques and leave with sample swatches in various sustainable fibres, a finished silk scarf dyed with local colour as well as informational handouts on how to repeat the process at home with local plants.

Renata Britez is a Textile Artist originally from Brazil and based in Fredericton NB. She is a graduate of the Textile Design Diploma program at the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design (NBCCD) and currently taking her Masters in Adult Ed at UNB. Her main interest falls in traditional printing methods and natural dyes. Renata’s work has been shown and sold across the Maritimes. She travels to teach textile workshops around the Region. In the last couple of years she taught in various festivals and events including the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival, Edventures NBCCD Workshop Series, SJ Arts Centre and ALMAG. Renata’s goal is to explore and share traditional textile techniques using natural dyes and fibres. Learn more about Renata’s 2021 Artist in Residency and exhibit, Naturalis, with the Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery.

Suzanne Hill: Hands of the Horsemen
2022-07-16 - 2022-08-27
Opening: July 16, 2-4 pm. Introductions and artist talk at 2:30 pm. All welcome.

Hands of the Horsemen brings together works from different periods of the artist’s long career. Loaned from the collections of the New Brunswick Museum, The Beaverbrook Art Gallery, private collectors and the artist’s studio, this exhibition places the artist’s most recent work in the context of 20 years of her art and confirms her continued interest in the androgynous and anonymous figure.
Always creating a subtle and evocative space from the surface area upon which she works, Hill’s figures seem to be extracted, scratched, pasted, torn or collaged into being. In exquisite contrast with her very direct method of working, her figures are delicately suspended, poised in time and motion. They are figurative gestures that have agency and exist with consequence. Hill’s figures seem to metaphorically struggle with the singularity of experience, wrestling as does the artist with existential questions while formally engaging with a line, an edge, a frame or their own shadow. When writing about the body of work, Singular from the mid 2000s, Peter Larocque observed that “while we may live in social situations and may interact, to lesser or great degrees with others, ultimately, we remain as parallel singularities delineated by the borders of our own perception and will”.
Suzanne Hill lives in Rothesay, N.B. A graduate of Mount Allison and McGill Universities, she has exhibited nationally and internationally. For many years she taught art in the public Schools in Saint John. Her work has been the inspiration for cross disciplinary creative productions with poet Ann Compton and the Atlantic Ballet. Hill has worked tirelessly for the advancement of the visual arts and has had a significant voice in the cultural affairs of the province. She has served on the Artsnb Board, the Board of Directors of the NB Museum, and the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation. She was the 1999 recipient of the SHMF Strathbutler Award, and 2016 recipient of the NB Lieutenant-Governor General’s Award. Her art is in the New Brunswick Art Bank, the Canada Council Art Bank, UNB, NB Museum, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the University of Maine, the Governor General of Canada, the Canadian War Museum and the Department of External Affairs. Recent exhibitions include Unstable Boundaries, 2019, Spicer/Merrifield Gallery, The Work Before, 2021, Sunbury Shores Art and Nature Centre and the Saint John Airport.
Suzanne Hill will give an artist talk at 2:30 pm on July 16, 2022 accompanied by her long time gallery dealer and friend, Peter Buckland. Everyone is welcome – Admission is free – refreshments will be served.

Cyanotypes
2022-07-23 13:00 - 16:00 UTC | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
Cyanotype by Susan Galbraith
Combine sunlight and plants to create beautiful images with Brandon McDougall and Emma Jones. Cyanotype (sometimes called sun printing) is a method of making photographic images without needing a camera, smartphone, or darkroom.
Plant materials will be provided, but you may also bring plants or other objects with you.
Each participant will leave with some finished prints as well as prepared paper and instructions for creating an additional print at home.

Cost is $25.

Space is limited. Call the Gallery, 392-6769, or email info@mccainartgallery.com to register.
Class will be held at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol.
No refunds for cancellations less than 7 days prior to the workshop.

Free Community Photography Workshops
2022-07-27 18:30 - 2022-08-25 19:30 UTC
All workshops are free and being held upstairs at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, NB

Call the Gallery, 392-6769, to register.

Get comfortable with your phone camera: August 6, 10:30 – 11:30 am – Space available
with David Bailey
A free photography workshop for beginners and more experienced photographers on Saturday August 6, 10:30 – 11:30 am. Get some great tips, have your questions answered and submit a photo to the Community Photography Show. Meet at the River Art Centre 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, NB Everyone welcome – beginner and more experienced. Register at the Gallery please @ 392-6769 by Friday.

Getting to the show on time: Drop-in, no registration required on August 7, 2022, noon – 2 pm
With Stephen Hutchings
Stephen will offer you all the help you need to submit your photograph(s) to the Community Photo Show. He will be at the River Art Centre on Sunday August 7 between noon and 2 PM There is no need to register for this one, just drop in at the RAC at a convenient time and Stephen will make sure your photo is sent and received. This may take 5 minutes or 15…
Can’t make it on Sunday? Send you photographs one at a time by email to jennifer@mccainartgallery.com or on to the Gallery Website, go to Best Shot: Community Photography Show to find instructions.

Using Natural Light Sources: Saturday, August 13, 10:30 – 11:30 am – Space available
with Brendan Helmuth

Brendan wants to help you to use the light around you to create dynamic photographs that accentuate your subject. Bring your camera and a tripod if you have one – otherwise there will be a tripod available.

Through Our Eyes: A Beginner Guide to the Love of Nature & Wildlife Photography: Wednesday, August 3, 7 – 8 pm – FULL
with Angela Stone and Karen Underhill Bush

The leaders want to share with you what brings them joy. Participants are asked to bring their camera’s, cell phones, etc. Angela and Karen have prepared a small presentation and a group activity. This is perfect for all those who are interested in capturing moments of nature and wildlife.
During this 1 hour workshop, Stephen will answer your questions and help you select your best shots and edit on your phone before you submit. Suitable for beginners and more experienced, this workshop is maximum of 5 people so you will get all your questions answered. Please call the Gallery @ 392-6769 to register. Bring your phone camera with a file of favourites.
Composition: Composing your best shots: Thursday July 28, 2022 6:30 – 7:30 pm – FULL
with artist Stephen Hutchings

During this 1 hour workshop, Stephen will answer your questions, show you how your camera can help you compose your best shot and talk about some of the basics of composing with the camera for different subjects. Suitable for beginners and more experienced, this workshop is maximum of 5 people so you will get all your questions answered. Please call the Gallery @ 392-6769 to register. Bring your own DSLR camera or your phone camera.
Get to know your DSLR camera better: Wednesday July 27, 2022 6:30 – 7:30 pm – FULL
with McCain Photographer, David Bailey

During this 1 hour workshop, David will answer your questions, show you what your camera can do and introduce you to new ways to get a better shot! Suitable for beginners and more experienced, this workshop is maximum of 5 people so you will get all your questions answered. Please call the Gallery @ 392-6769 to register. Bring your own DSLR camera.
Get to know your Phone camera: Thursday July 21, 2022 6:30 – 7:30 pm – FULL
with McCain Photographer, David Bailey

During this 1 hour workshop, David will answer your questions, show you what your camera can do and introduce you to new ways to get a better shot! Suitable for beginners and more experienced, this workshop is maximum of 5 people so you will get all your questions answered. Please call the Gallery @ 392-6769 to register.

Share your images with us for this fall’s Shared Shots: Community Photography Show!

Sip and Paint: Watercolours
2022-08-19 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
Cost: $40
Enjoy a relaxing evening while creating a watercolour painting with instructor Susanne Hansen.
Image is an example, not what will be painted August 19.

Space is limited. Call the Gallery, 392-6769, or email info@mccainartgallery.com to register.
Class will be held at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol.
No refunds for cancellations less than 7 days prior to the workshop.

Shared Shots: A Community Photography Show
2022-09-03 - 2022-10-01
The Opening will be on Saturday September 3, 2022 from 2 – 4 pm
Introductions at 2:30
All welcome

Made possible through the generous support of the

Miniature Worlds - Sara Brinkhurst
2022-09-03 - 2022-10-01
What is the fascination with the world of miniatures? There is something so compelling about tiny objects – not just the skill involved in making something so small and detailed, but the complete uselessness of them determines them as objects of desire for purely ornamental reasons. The possibility to make or own a tiny piece of furniture or art that we would never normally have room for, or possibly afford, allows us to create our own perfect worlds. Worlds that can be packed up and fit in one box!
After retiring in 2021, I revisited an old hobby. Exploring and unpacking boxes of minis that I had collected over the years brought back a rush of desire to start creating again. These pieces are the results of explorations into different scales and effects, ranging from 1:12 to 1:144 (a dollhouse for a dolls house). Some contain a mixture of made and bought items (many of which have been adapted); others contain all original items made by my own hand using wood, metals, fabrics, clays, paint and a lot of glue!

Sara Brinkhurst
Born in England, Sara graduated from the University College for the Creative Arts in Kent. She won several competitions and awards before graduating with a BA First Class Honours in Silver/Gold Smithing and Jewellery Design in 2007.
She emigrated to Canada in 2008, where she has continued to explore creative pursuits. These include working in precious metals, theatre costume design and making, writing and anything else that involves research and hand skills. After retiring as Director of Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre in 2021, she revisited a life-long passion for miniatures. Inspiration to finish some old projects quickly led to the creation of several new explorations in the world of mini. Sara is a Juried Member of the Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council and Craft New Brunswick.
Artist Statement
My journey through the mini world started when I was around 10. I loved finding small objects and turning them into something else, and could spend hours making little pieces of furniture or accessories – from toothpaste cap vases, to string-framed paintings, to toothpick and jam jar lid tables. I have always enjoyed researching history around furnishings, clothing, household objects and living styles. As an adult, a degree in jewellery design and making vastly improved my hand skills. Finally all these elements have come together to allow me to create and build as I have always been driven too. The focus required to work at this scale is all engrossing and addictive. For me, it is playing at its finest – and an escape to fascinating little worlds where anything can happen.

Pool Noodle Printing
2022-09-15 16:00 - 2022-09-16 17:30 UTC
Children will learn to create cut paper monotype prints using pool noodles with 2022 Artist in Residence Diana Baldwin.
Cost: $15
Ages 5-8: Wednesday, September 15, 4 – 5:30 pm
Ages 9-12: Thursday, September 16, 4 – 5:30 pm
Space is limited. Call the Gallery, 392-6769, or email info@mccainartgallery.com to register.
Class will be held at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol.
No refunds for cancellations less than 7 days prior to the workshop.

Introduction to Etching
2022-09-17 10:00 - 17:00 UTC | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
Learn to etch with non-toxic materials. 2022 Artist in Residence Diana Baldwin will teach plate preparation through printing. All levels welcome.
Cost: $50
Space is limited. Call the Gallery, 392-6769, or email info@mccainartgallery.com to register.
Class will be held at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol.
No refunds for cancellations less than 7 days prior to the workshop.

Violet A. Gillett: Fine Art and Original Craft
2022-10-08 - 2022-11-12
“My aims – what they are – are not perhaps high. I do not think of my art works – as it seems is the fashion nowadays – as having a socially significant message – unless [it is] in trying to tell in my work, of beauty I have felt or observed, and so to bring it to the attention of others, [so it] does good to mankind and has some social value. If what I have said in my art, or have fostered in my teaching, carries into the world a sense of greater happiness and beauty in my day, then all my aims will be gratified.”
Violet Gillett
Opening and Book Launch
Saturday, October 8, 2-4 pm at the Gallery
Violet A. Gillett, Painting With Words
Artist, Author and Educator
Author JoAnne Rivers, in collaboration with all the descendants of Violet Gillett, has penned a life story
about this important, multi-talented Maritimer that will kindle a glorious and lasting impression for everyone.
“A number of accolades, including becoming a Member of the Order of Canada in 1976, reflects the great esteem in
which both she and her work were held over the course of an active, influential, and distinguished career. Ultimately, Vi Gillett’s hard work and quiet determination fundamentally reshaped art in New Brunswick; a remarkable
accomplishment and enduring legacy.”
Peter J. Larocque Art Curator, New Brunswick Museum
As the founding director of Fine Art at the Saint John Vocational School, Gillett gave influential guidance to young Fred Ross and many others. With Walter Abell and Miller Brittain she was a pivotal force in the Maritime Push. Upon
retirement Violet Gillett returned to her family home in Perth-Andover, New Brunswick where, with her sister Beatrice Rivers they developed a highly successful arts and crafts business catering to visitors from across Canada and the United States. Little has been written about this East Coast renaissance artist. “Painting With Words” tells the inspirational story, from her childhood memories arriving at Market Slip in Saint John in 1909, her early employment with Banting and Best at the time of their insulin discovery, through the many, and variety of artworks she created – even after losing her sight. By combining personal correspondence with published stories from the Atlantic Advocate and a generous collection of images, Painting With Words chronicles a life well lived. For those who know Violet Gillett’s work, this book will enhance their appreciation of her life’s many accomplishments. For those meeting her for the first time, many delightful and surprising encounters await within this book’s covers. JoAnne Rivers

Sip and Paint: Balloon Dip Acrylic Pour
2022-10-14 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
Cost: $40
Enjoy a relaxing evening while learning a new painting technique with instructor Ann White. Acrylic fluid art is a very satisfying form of abstract art. There are many techniques in this form of art with unlimited combinations of colours. On October 14 we will be completing a “Balloon Dip.”
Space is limited. Call the Gallery, 392-6769, or email info@mccainartgallery.com to register.
Class will be held at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol
No refunds for cancellations less than 7 days prior to the workshop.

Fibre Arts Night with Lynn Piercey
2022-10-20 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
Come to the Gallery for a relaxing evening working on your current fibre arts project(s). Lynn Piercey of Where the Wildflowers Grow will be available to answer questions you may have knitting, crochet, weaving, or spinning.
The exhibit, Violet A. Gillet: Fine Art and Original Craft, including several of Violet’s handpainted fabrics, will be in the Gallery at the time. Lynn’s store, Where the Wildflowers Grow, was in Violet’s former residence.
No cost to attend.

School's Out! Art Workshops for Children
2022-11-18 10:00 - 2022-12-09 12:00 UTC
Join us for a selection of School’s Out! Specials this school year.
Cost: $20 per workshop
Acrylic Pour Painting with Ann White
Friday, November 18, 10 am – Noon
Ages: 7-12
Learn Balloon Dip and Flip Cup techniques to make abstract paintings. Sample images were created by a 9 year-old.
Bird Feeders: Create and Decorate
Friday, December 2, 10 am – Noon
Ages: 7-12
STEAM: Circuit Sewing
Friday, December 9, 9 am – Noon
Ages: 9-14
Use circuit thread to make bracelets that light up when snapped together. Embellish with beads, embroidery, and more.

Winter Break Art Camp
2023-01-05 10:00 - 2023-01-06 12:00 (America/Halifax)
January 5-6, 10 am – 12 Noon
Ages 7-12
Cost $40
Explore art with Brandon! Painting, drawing, sculpture, collage and more. Dress for mess!

Space is limited. Call the Gallery, 392-6769, or email info@mccainartgallery.com to register.
Payment secures registration. No refunds for cancellations less than 7 days before workshops.
Class will be held at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol.

the gallery as a studio
2023-02-04 - 2023-03-11
Until March 11, eight artists are effectively turning the gallery into a drawing studio. There is something new to see everyday as the artists make decisions, change directions and make progress on their art.
The Closing Celebration will be held March 11, 2023, from 2-4 pm with as many artists present as can make it.
Artists schedules: Vicky Lentz and Francine Martin will be in the gallery most Wednesdays and Fridays until mid-afternoon. Nick Walsh will be here February 2nd, 9th, 16th and most likely the 24th. Stephen Hutchings will be here midday many days, as will Colin Smith. Jennifer Stead is always here, occasionally drawing but always happy to say hi. Amanda Balestreri will be here February 17 and 18.
Nick Walsh is an emerging illustrator from Fredericton, NB. Nick loves exploring the magic hidden in the forests and his work dives deep into the mystical, spiritual, and cultural myths of the natural world around us. His aim is to rekindle the imagination by weaving strange stories into his surreal art pieces that remind us of our role in mother nature's cosmic wheel.
Colin Smith draws constantly, doodles on paper, in books, over shopping lists and has done it since grade one. The landscape is a living, moving entity, a series of slow undulations, studded with trees and potato fields.
Vicky Lentz's practice is exploratory and diverse as she move between materials, mediums and processes. In her art ideas, images, materials are always reconfigured through the process of art making, transformed during creation to be records of the creative experience.
Stephen Hutchings is working on a future exhibition and "Fallen Tree" is a study for a large painting in the series “Theatre of Trees”. The final painting, of which this is a to-scale drawing, will be approximately 8’ high and 40’ across.

Amanda Balestreri enjoys incorporating nature into all of her work. She is interested in observing how humans interact with nature and how our actions have been affecting the natural world over time. Sometimes her work can be a serious commentary or satire on where we may be heading if we continue to disrespect nature.
Amanda will be drawing at the gallery starting Saturday Feb 18. The 18th will be the only day to visit her as she is working through the family day weekend. Drop in tomorrow to say hi.
William Forrestall's subject is time and in his art he preserves moments by painting the shapes and textures of objects that interest him in that most basic of compositions: the still life. In his practice drawing is a means and a place to work out ideas for a future or concurrent painting.
Jennifer Stead drew the first of a series of long drawings, called "Meander" in 2007. 100' long, it is a landscape of the Canadian Rockies where she lived at the time. In this drawing she is working from memory and responding to all the landscapes she has cultivated and observed from many parts of the country.
Francine Martin is a painter from a small community in northwest New Brunswick. Known for her use of Chiaroscuro, a technique that has a strong contrast between lights and darks. Her still lifes and landscapes have been shown all over the St-John Valley in New Brunswick in auctions, festivals, group and solo shows. In 2018 she had a solo show at ALMAG.

The Sketchbooks of Tom Forrestall
2023-02-04 - 2023-03-11
The Tom Forrestall sketchbook collection offers a unique insight into an artist’s working life, a visual and written diary spanning a creative lifetime. The collection now approaching 400 volumes covers over 70 years of the artist’s creative explorations and development. As a daily creative record of observation, reflection and exploration it documents the passions and interests of an observant and creative individual who doodles, sketches and details the people, animals, ideas and places he visits, both literally and imaginatively. Everyday few days the pages of his sketchbooks will be turned so there will be new images to see each time you drop in between now and March 11.
Tom Forrestall Bio.
Thomas DeVany Forrestall, C.M., O.N.S., B.F.A. LL.D., RCA is one of Canada’s leading realist artists. He was born in Middleton Nova Scotia, in 1936. In 1954, Forrestall was awarded a scholarship to the Fine Arts department at Mount Allison University, where he studied with Lawren P. Harris, Ted Pulford and Alex Colville. Graduating in 1958 he received one of the first Canada Council grants for independent study which provided him with the opportunity to travel throughout Europe. Upon their return to Canada they moved to New Brunswick where Tom became assistant curator of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. He has been a full time artist since 1960. His artwork has been exhibited internationally and is held in major public collection in Canada.

Drawing Drop-In Workshops
2023-02-09 - 2023-03-04 | Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery, 8 McCain Street, Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, E7L 3H6, Canada
Thursday February 9, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm @ the Gallery
Drawing Drop-In with Colin Smith
Pencils & Paper
$5, all materials provided – everyone welcome.
Thursday February 16, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm @ the Gallery
Drawing Drop-In with Nick Walsh
Botanical Studies
$5, all materials provided – everyone welcome.
Saturday February 25, 11:00 am – noon @ the Gallery
Drawing Drop-In with Will Forrestall
String Perspective
$5, all materials provided – everyone welcome.
Saturday March 4, 11:00 am - noon @ the Gallery
Drawing Drop-In with Jennifer Stead
Charcoal & Stencils
$5, all materials provided - everyone welcome.
Thursday March 9th, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm @ the Gallery
Drawing Drop-In with Stephen Hutchings
Stephen will be instructing on how to sketch and draw with tone
$5, all materials provided - everyone welcome.

Sketchbook Workshop
2023-03-18 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Halifax)
Create a sketchbook with artist Meg Clark – SOLD OUT
Learn bookbinding techniques and take home a sketchbook for drawing or painting.
Sketchbook cover size will be 6″ x 8″, inside paper will be 5.5″ x 7″. Choice of drawing paper or, for $10 more, watercolour paper. The sketchbook will feature exposed binding (Coptic Stich) and Decaled edge.
Cost: $35 (drawing paper) or $45 (watercolour paper)
Space is limited. Call the Gallery, 392-6769, or email info@mccainartgallery.com to register.
Payment secures registration. No refunds for cancellations less than 7 days before workshops.
Class will be held at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol.

Other Worlds
2023-03-25 - 2023-04-22
Jean-Paul Riopelle, Works on paper
The exhibition Other Worlds brings together two bodies of work from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s permanent collection. Five landscapes fill the west gallery with one work each by Canadian artists Miller Gore Brittain, Carol Fraser, William Goodridge Roberts, Robin Collyer, and John Hartman. The five landscapes – four paintings and one photograph – demonstrate the expressive potential of landscape subjects, referencing natural cycles, renewal and growth, and pointing to aspects of the relationship we have with nature. Disparate in style and medium, the five landscapes in the exhibition share an impulse to reimagine the natural world rather than mirror it.
A collection of works on paper by Quebec artist Jean Paul Riopelle fill the east gallery. Riopelle emerged in the 1940s as an artist interested in expressions of an inner reality and the language of abstraction. The works in the BAG collection are mostly from later in his life and some of these images may have been Inspired by the large flocks of snow geese that landed annually in the Bas St. Laurent region where he settled after returning to Quebec.
While contrasting in approach, the landscapes and Riopelle share strong formal antecedents and all of the artists explore varying degrees of abstraction, conceptually and figuratively. In 1952 the American critic Rosenberg called an empty canvas “an arena in which to act..what was to go on the canvas was not a picture but an event”, articulating a significant break with history in ceasing to regard the surface as a support for a picture, but to see it as a record of an action or an event. The leap Rosenberg articulated is manifested here between William Goodridge Roberts Field in Summer and Riopelle’s prints across the room.
Born in 1923 in Montreal, Jean Paul Riopelle became an artist in post WWII Quebec, and under the influence of Paul Emile Borduas, rejected the traditional representational language of painting in favour of an internal and emotive form of expression. He and a group of seven painters calling themselves Les Automatistes, rejected not only representation in painting, but also the French Modern traditions of Picasso and Matisse in pursuit of a unique abstract art embracing unconscious spontaneous expression. Continuing to push the limits and conventions of their art, Les Automatistes were vocal in their struggle against the socially repressive and authoritarian Quebec society upheld by then Premier Duplessis and the Catholic Church. Idealist social theories, psychoanalysis, and in particular surrealism inspired Riopelle to find in abstraction a means to liberate his art from the socially oppressive culture of the time.The first exhibition of abstract art in Canada was held by Les Automatistes in Montreal in 1946.
Struggling in such a restrictive environment, Les Automatistes eventually all signed the manifesto Refus Global, written by Paul Emile Borduas, that condemned the stranglehold over individual freedom, called for the liberation of the individual and helped launch the Quiet Revolution in Quebec. The manifesto caused many artists great hardship and with a resistance to abstraction evident in Canada, Riopelle soon left to live and work in Paris.
Riopelle spent many years in Paris and Giverny, a respected artist who developed an international career. Riopelle’s works on paper in this collection that date from the 1980s, were created after his return to Canada. While some have strong representational references, many do not. With no centre of interest, no representation of the real world they layer gestures, movement, marks and colour, reflecting the artist’s subconscious in unexpected juxtapositions and reveal a few of the methods Riopelle developed to liberate his imagination. He died in Quebec in 2002.
Five Landscapes from the Beaverbrook Collection

Wet Felting with Janice Bridges
2023-03-25 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Halifax) | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
Wet Felting with Janice Bridges…. Learn wet felting techniques with Janice at RAC!
Janice will be instructing the class on wet felting technique,
using landscapes as inspiration.
$40
The gallery has a waiting list for the next class so call now!
Please bring an old beach or large towel to transport your work! All other materials provided.
Payment secures registration. If you have not paid, hurry before the spaces fill up!

May Day Baskets at the Gallery
2023-04-29 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Halifax) | Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery, 8 McCain Street, Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, E7L 3H6, Canada
Join us at the Gallery from 3-4pm on Saturday, April 29 to make May Day baskets with Julie! All materials provided and all are welcome!

Fibre Nights at the Gallery
2023-05-04 18:00 - 2023-08-03 20:00 (America/Halifax) | Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery, 8 McCain Street, Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, E7L 3H6, Canada
Join us at the Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery for the first Thursday of the month during May-August for fibre night! Lynn Piercey will be here to answer your questions about knitting, crochet, weaving, and spinning. Drop-in 6-8pm. 1+8 McCain St. Florenceville-Bristol
May 4, 6-8pm
June 1, 6-8pm
July 6, 6-8pm
August 3, 6-8pm

School's Out! May 5
2023-05-05 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Halifax) | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
April 14 10-12
Doodle Drawing

Come learn how to doodle draw with Susanne Hansen
Make your own design or follow along from some of Susannes numerous creations
All materials provided
Ages 7-12
$25 Payment secures registration
Please call or email the gallery at 506-392-6769 or info@mccainartgallery.com to reserve your spot
Our thanks to CNCF for helping our workshops happen. Our community thanks you!
All materials provided
Ages 7-12
$25 Payment secures registration
Please call or email the gallery at 506-392-6769 or info@mccainartgallery.com to reserve your spot
Join us for a fun PD Day morning of action painting at RAC! Drip, splatter, and more to create your own art.

Bookmaking Workshop
2023-05-13 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Halifax) | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
Create a sketchbook with artist Meg Clark
Meg Clark’s last sketchbook workshop was a sold out success and Meg is coming back!
Learn bookbinding techniques and take home a sketchbook for drawing, painting, or watercolour.
Sketchbook cover size will be 6″ x 8″, inside paper will be 5.5″ x 7″. The sketchbook will feature exposed binding (Coptic Stitch) and Decaled edge.
Cost: $35 for sketchbook paper / $45 for watercolour paper
All materials provided
Space is limited. Call the Gallery, 392-6769, or email info@mccainartgallery.com to register.
Payment secures registration. No refunds for cancellations less than 7 days before workshops.
Class will be held at the River Art Centre, 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol.
Payments can be made through e-transfer or at the Gallery with your chosen method of payment.
ALMAG thanks the Carleton North Community Foundation whose support helps us to offer these workshops to our community.
For more information visit www.cncfdn.com

Tell me a Story: Five Acadian Artists
2023-06-03 10:30 - 2023-07-22 17:00 (America/Halifax) | Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery, 8 McCain Street, Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, E7L 3H6, Canada
The Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery is full of spring colour and summer joy this month as the exhibition of five renowned and celebrated Acadian artists – one sculptor and four painters – share their art with our community. The art works are on loan to the gallery through their art dealer, Daniel Chaisson, of the gallery ART/ARTIST in Dieppe. From the playful descriptions of life on the Acadian shore in the work of Yvon Gallant, to the vibrant dynamism of the palette knife abstractions by Louise LeBlanc, stories abound in the art of these five artists. Together their narratives explore and describe humorous moments, acknowledge history, ephemeral states, balancing acts and decisive moments. The power and impact of colour, textures and gesture are vital means of expression for the artists, whether they are investigating their world, their imagination or their process. The only sculptor in the show, Marie Hélène Allain,most famous for her monumental stone works, is presenting six sculptures from a series of 35, that are assembled from rock, alder wood, copper and bronze. Tall, figure-like constructions, acknowledge the history of the alder tree in the development of Acadian society while talking about her faith and the place of the individual in community.
6.G.Goguen_Fond_orange_ligne_bleueGeorge Goguen Louise LeBlanc, Cndn, UP_TIMIST, Sans titre #1, 2020, oil on canvas11.Y.Gallant_Drapeaux_en_berne2.M.Parent_Ce_long_voyage_a_l’interieur17.M.H.Allain_Altruisme

Self Portrait Workshop - Adult
2023-06-23 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Halifax)
Join us on July 15 from 1-4pm at the River Art Centre for a class in self-portrait acrylic painting. Learn technique, perspective, and have a great time.
$35 payment reserves your space
Payable at ALMAG or by etransfer to jennifer@mccainartgallery.com
All materials provided

Altered Land, paintings by Judith Berry
2023-07-27 08:00 - 2023-09-09 17:00 (America/Halifax)
Opening Thursday July 27, 5:30-7:30

Artist Statement

I consider these paintings to be landscapes, although the objects in them often appear more manufactured than organic. Each work employs an aspect of illusion, a reference to three-dimensional space. Yet, upon examination, the forms depicted seem to be composed of nothing other than paint itself, or perhaps a related material, such as modeling clay. Appearing tactile, elements of the paintings twist and transform, becoming buildings, targets, ropes, sticks, bubbles, and areas of flat colour. There is a sense of movement that challenges the weight and solidity of the objects depicted. Larger forms are often composed of a multitude of small, repeated elements, creating works that are both detailed and minimalist.
A few of the paintings in this show came from a recent experiment in which I made very small works, then used them as templates for larger paintings. This led me into new territory. While I was working on them, the small paintings hung next to the larger ones, creating a back-and-forth dialogue between the larger and smaller images. The small paintings function as identification cards, or explanations, for the larger ones. I am presenting these pairs as asymmetrical diptychs to create a slightly humorous relationship between the pieces, inviting comparison and scrutiny.
The paintings also contain references to portraits and still lives. Many of the forms depicted are ambiguous, both in reference and in scale. A vegetal form might represent a tree, a plant, a gesture in paint, or a small part of someone’s face. For me, this preoccupation with shifting
scale is parallel to the experience of life, in which our routines and surroundings may be relatively simple, but they cannot be disentangled from the larger picture of climate crisis, inequality, and disintegrating social structure.
The themes visited in this show stem from a desire to extend the vocabulary of my painting while forming a metaphor for the chaos of contemporary life. Along with an inevitable blend of my daily perceptions and preoccupations, the works contain a contemplation of the larger period in which I paint. It is my hope that, when looking at the paintings, the viewer retains a sense of both scales, of our intimate lives against the macrocosm of our times.

Biography
Judith Berry lives and works in Montreal. She studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax and spent one year in the Studio Program at the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts. She has had solo exhibitions across Canada in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Ottawa. Judith has also shown in numerous group exhibitions including exhibitions at the Musée du Québec and the Canada Science and Technology Museum. Her work is in various collections including: the City of Ottawa, the Musée du Québec and the Art Bank of the Canada Council. She has served as a jury member for the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the City of Ottawa. She is represented by Galerie Art Mûr in Montreal.
Judith Berry, Hand to Hand, 2022

Napoigagenn: Brian Francis, Tara Francis, Starlit Simon
2023-09-16 10:30 - 2023-10-14 17:00 (America/Halifax)
Brian Francis
Author, Poet, Photographer, Director-Producer Brian Francis of Elsipogtog First Nation is painting his visions, dream images that come to him and he is compelled to embody them with paint. Well known as an international award winning filmmaker and musical entrepreneur, he has produced, directed and has written over 70 award winning documentaries. Most recently Brian released his first book, Between Two Worlds- Spiritual Writings and Photographs.
“I think my work in The Sacred Space goes beyond being Indigenous or non-Indigenous. It goes deeper into the heart of who
we all are as people. It goes beyond historical and political rhetoric, it isn’t about Indigenous rights or Native politics. My artwork serves
to unite ancient souls that dwell within all of us that oftentimes get bogged down by daily stresses of life, regardless of who we are as people. The ancestorial space that is occupied by the ones who were here before us ,It is up to us to acknowledge and honour them and it is where we must seek guidance whilst here in this plane. The Sacred Space is within our hearts a place we often forget to look when we seek answer. Perhaps the lesson in that may be that we may be afraid of what it is we will find when we look deep within the confines of our souls. But reality is , these are the answers we need.”
Tara Francis

“My work is a form of prayer, and it’s healing for me just in the very act of doing it,” says Tara Francis, a contemporary Mi’kmaw artist from the Elsipogtog First Nation, now based in Shediac, N.B.
“A youthful portrait taken from a black and white photo of my Maternal Grandmother Lucretia McLaughlin. This is one of two portraits I have created, the first being a portrait of my Paternal Grandmother Louise Francis. (which is now part of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s permanent collection) The stories of these women’s lives and the legacy of their dedication and nurturing kindness to their families and communities are truly an inspiration.
I grew up next door to my Granny Lucretia and it was her support and encouragement that led me to pursue a career in art. These portraits are part of a series entitled That Which has Shaped me. Made possible in part by a Creation Grant from ArtsNB.

Starlit Simon
Starlit Simon is Mi’kmaw from Elsipogtog First Nation and a full-time PhD candidate at the University of New Brunswick in the Faculty of Education. She can often be found highway hunting for porcupine roadkill where she harvests the porcupine quills to create her art. “As I continue through the process of research and academia, I am often grappling with myself, my Indigenous world view, my Mi’kmaq language, and with the western world view and the English language. It often takes me a significant amount of time to operate and understand how to walk, work and communicate in the western world, because when I do, I abandon who I am at my core, a Mi’kmaq woman from Elsipogtog [The River of Fire]. This art piece is symbolic of that internal struggle that many Indigenous scholars can attest to also feeling, not just in their graduate studies but throughout their undergrads and in high schools as well. This piece is a reminder that there is a way to apply two eyed seeing as is the term that was in our language and world view from very long ago. Where you walk with one foot in both worlds. “, Starlit Simon.
