May 14 - 26:  "Muse"

Paintings by Ron McKay

 
Exhibition open: 2-6 Tues - Fri.
                            11 to 4 Saturday and Sunday
Opening Reception: Tuesday, May 14, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Artist's Statement: Symbol and iconography; sensuality and the spirit.

The Muse series began as a pleasant walk along Queen Street observing the fashion styles of young women.  What caught my eye and piqued my interest was the many who wore chains with pendants of various symbols or charms around their necks.  While wondering if the wearers knew of, or identified with, the deep meanings behind their adornments, I started to question whether I myself really knew what all those crosses, pentagrams and ankhs meant.  So began a period of research; most notably referencing "A Women's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects" by B.G. Walker.

Muse takes as its particular reference point the nine goddesses of classical Greek mythology - those mystical sisters that inspire the creative energies of life.  Transposed to modern sensibilities, these nine become contemporary icons for some of the worlds great religions or paths of spiritual disciplines.

Some in traditional clothing; some in modern dress, these figures are both signifiers to the ethereal and to corporal existence.  Boldly graphic with saturated colour and strong linear composition, they allude to commercial fashion media but point to something other than the temporal, transient nature of youthful beauty.  These women are ancient, patient and wise.  Not individuals but eternal; they are larger than life, majestic, blind and mysterious.  These canvases engage in - and draw the viewer into - a dialogue of cultures, race, spirituality and feminist imagery.

Muse is a personal exploration of feminine energy and it's creative (or destructive) power.  It is a meditation on ancient meaning and sacred mystery; on the tensions between the body and the soul.  It is a study in balance and harmony.

African Muse Hindu Muse

Christian Muse Wiccan Muse