Michelle Hutchinson reflects on life during COVID through her paintings. “When you look at flowers in the wind they blow like crazy but then they come back to rest. They are strong,” said Hutchinson. Photo curtesy of Michelle Hutchinson, QNet News
By Maria Toews
BELLEVILLE – For Michelle Hutchinson, the past year has allowed her to focus on her art.
“Painting has been like a lifeline during the COVID lockdown,” she said. “It has really allowed me a wonderful respite and place away from the reality of what is going on outside in the real world and let me just see what would develop on my canvas.”
Hutchinson is one of 39 artists whose work is being featured in the exhibit Spring Sentiments: A Reflection of Art in Isolation at the John M. Parrott Art Gallery in Belleville.
She says she had more time to paint because of the government restrictions and lockdowns.
“I started painting more joyfully, more thoughtfully, more reflectively. I’m an abstract floral artist so that came out in my florals and they started dancing; they had poetry; they had motion. It’s like the wind was blowing through them and yet they had resistance.”
The theme of the exhibition was decided by guest curator Jessica Turner who put on the show for her final undergraduate project at the Ontario College of Art and Design.
“The pandemic is really what (the exhibition) is focusing on but also how it has affected artists in the Bay of Quinte,” Turner said. “How it’s affected their styles, their art making, their approach to their artistic practise and to see how they’ve reflected on this past year in their art form.”
Hutchinson says she chose to put her artwork into this show because of “the joy that this show offered artists that have been painting all year by themselves. A place to share.”
These once busy rooms are now empty despite the beautiful artwork hanging on the walls. This is because COVID and government restrictions have closed the doors to the physical exhibit. Instead, these beautiful artworks are now being viewed online through the gallery’s website. Photo by Maria Toews, QNet News
Because of the isolation artists have been going through, it has been hard for them to connect with each other and share their artwork this past year.
“Artists work very well in a group,” said Wendy Rayson-Kerr, the acting curator for the gallery. “They support each other and when they lose that it’s not easy.”
Through this show, artists can once again share their art with the community and with each other.
“It’s a meeting place that people can see what you’ve been working on and then they can reach out and talk to you,” said Hutchinson.
Rayson-Kerr has extended the exhibition and hopes that in May it will be safe enough to open the doors to the gallery again and allow people to see the art in person.
“A lot of work was put into it. It’s really worth while to see it in person as well,” she said.
Hutchinson says though there are many positives to displaying her work in an online show.
“It allowed me to see my work in a new way,” she said. “A new way of being able to share my work and for people to buy it if it resonated with them.”
Despite having her in-house exhibition moved entirely online in early April, curator Turner says she too thinks there are many positives to being online.
“I had the opportunity to put in the artist statements with the artwork which you don’t get to do in-house,” she said. “You don’t usually put the artist statement beside the artwork, so it created more of a narrative online.”
Furthermore, she said, “I can put more artwork into the exhibits. You can really put an unlimited amount of artwork into an online exhibition.”
Not only has she been able to create a large gallery with 68 pieces, but she has also been able to reconnect with her community.
“I got to meet so many people in my community that were so focused on creating art – and particularly during a pandemic – which was inspirational.”
This online exhibition enabled artists to connect with each other once again.
“It’s a place of hope. It’s a place that we can safely exhibit and a place that others can safely view. It’s a place to share and it’s local. It’s a great opportunity,” said Hutchinson.
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