Painter Nicole McGrath at Blueroof Farm

Jun 12, 2014

“I'm eager to paint where my co-habitants live because all depend on a natural place to survive.” Those are the words of Hartington artist Nicole McGrath, the painter whose 50 landscape paintings graced the walls of the Blueroof Farm near Bellrock on June 7 and 8.

Blueroof Farm is the home of award-winning Canadian artist Kim Ondaatje, who invited Nicole to show her work at Blueroof. The farm is the perfect backdrop to McGrath's richly colored and expressive works, which focus on the natural beauty of the Frontenac Arch. The works are small in scale, most measuring 8x10 inches, and at first glance are reminiscent of the small preliminary landscape sketches made by many members of the Group of Seven. However, unlike the latter, which were used as studies for much larger works, McGrath's small paintings are resolved and complete unto themselves. They are bright, colorful and fresh, each projecting a quiet, interior, meditative feel that invites the viewer to relax into each unique scene.

McGrath says that painting out of doors is an integral part of her practice and she enjoys the quiet contemplative feeling that the natural surroundings bring. “I found that painting from photos never gave enough information that I needed so I took an en-plein-air class and began painting out of doors. I found that I could see much more clearly what I was trying to paint.” McGrath said that being in nature puts in her in a place where she is "better able to function as an artist”. She adds that the movement of en-plein-air gave painters in France (where it began) the freedom to be outside and paint landscapes in their real, natural light. “I love to look at the light as it is on objects and how it's almost always changing. It's a beautiful space to be in your mind.”

McGrath paints in oil and her landscapes include forests, hills, shorelines and watersheds painted in each of the four seasons. The colors are often vibrant and eye catching, as when subtle purples and mauves are outlined and put side by side with striking red lines. Some works are painted in a more impressionistic style with visible brush strokes made apparent on the surface and others are more smooth and blended. “I try to let the landscape I am painting tell me how it wants to be painted. Sometimes it looks more impressionistic and sometimes more like the Group of Seven but I never set out to paint in a certain way.”

Asked about the challenges of painting outdoors she said you have to paint fast. “The light and shadows are always changing, faster or slower depending on the season and the time of day so you have to be prepared and work quickly to get what you want on the canvas before things change. I really don't have much time to think things out and plan the paintings; I just quickly compose the piece, focusing immediately on the color and the placement of things to the point where it seems I am almost working from the subconscious.”

In fact it is due to the quickly changing color and light that outdoor painters learn to paint the foreground first whereas in studio painting, the background is often painted first. Plein-air also requires practical preparation. Having the right clothing and equipment is key. Multiple layers and a waterproof shell are key in the winter months, when McGrath says she often sits in the snow. Similarly two types of gloves, fingerless and not, come in handy, the first for better dexterity while painting and the second for warming up.

Summer offers its own challenges where heat and rain are factors though one can be out working for much longer periods of time. McGrath said she will soon be traveling to Peru where she looks forward to painting the rain forests. Hopefully we will have a chance to view some of her new works on her return.