Folk Art Festival by the Sea
http://jareaart.blogspot.ca |
Until the middle of October, you can
stroll around the indoor and outdoor spaces at Kingsbrae Garden Art Gallery to
intimately immerse in the 3rd annual Folk Art Festival/Exhibit. The
St. Andrews, New Brunswick-based event is a partnership between Kingsbrae
Garden patron Lucinda Flemer, and Jantje Blokhuis-Mulder of Jarea Art
Studio.
In addition to creating works alongside her daughter and
son-in-law, leading art activities for school groups and at-risk youth, and
painting murals around St. Andrews, Jantje spends her winter months tracking
down folk artists around the Maritimes to feature in the festival. (She says
she’s hoping to be able to reach out to Newfoundland for future exhibits).
Jantje spoke with Arts East about what visitors can expect when they
attend the festival, the adventures she’s had collecting folk art and the seaside
Dutch town where she grew up and where her creative passion was born.
Has art and creating always been a
part of your life?
JBM:
I grew up as part of a large family in a small
seaside town in The Netherlands. We had little access to ready-made toys, and
so scraps of paper, empty boxes and sticks and stones became a source of play
for my brothers and sisters and I. Also,
there were people in my town who made art from discarded items. I remember them
making wonderful dollhouses and collages of colourful happy scenes from found
objects. Those pieces always made people smile. It was my great uncle, who spent all of his free time painting, who
really sparked my interest in art. He showed me examples of all kinds of
paintings and told me to never worry about the opinions of others, but to just
create. Seeing all those images made me realize that there was no right way or
wrong way to make art and I was inspired to create.
What inspired you to start the Jarea
Art Studio?
JBM:
Life has a way of taking away your free time. As
I grew older, I stopped doing what I loved the most as the need to earn a
living and raise a family took over. When
my daughter Andrea was attending art school, she urged me to once again take up
art. When she graduated in 1993, we decided to combine our talents and our
names, and Jarea Art was born. When Andrea married Geoff—a fellow artist—in
1997, he joined our studio/gallery and we have worked together as a family ever
since. Prior to my husband Hank’s passing in 2009, he too was part of our
creative group. A writer, he also worked along with us, building picture frames
and other modes of displaying our work.
“He
showed me examples of all kinds of paintings and told me to never worry about
the opinions of others, but to just create.”
When did you start the annual folk art festival and how have you enjoyed the experience since its beginnings?
When did you start the annual folk art festival and how have you enjoyed the experience since its beginnings?
JBM: The annual Folk Art Festival started in 2011, when the
opportunity arose to showcase Maritime folk art in St. Andrews at Kingsbrae
Garden. The event at Kingsbrae is a partnership between Jarea Art and the
Garden's patron, Lucinda Flemer. Finding folk artists from across the Maritimes is a great deal of fun.
As an example, our search last year brought us
to a small home north of Moncton where 83-year-old grandmother Beatrice
McFadden lived. Beatrice had a home full of art created by her and her two
sisters, her son, her daughter and her grandson. In the corner of the
small living room was a small arborite table with chrome legs, piled high with
small paintings of the area. She reminded me of the people I had seen creating
art in my hometown many years earlier. Beatrice’s cupboards were full of art
and we left her place with 127 pieces of folk art destined for the festival.
We included eight folk artists that first year
and increased that number to ten in the second and third years.
What's the
geographic range of places you
investigate?
JBM: This year, we have folk artists from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. We are hoping to add artists from Newfoundland next year.
Jantje Blokhuis-Mulder setting up the Folk Art Festival Exhibit at Kingsbrae Garden, St. Andrews NB. |
JBM: This year, we have folk artists from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. We are hoping to add artists from Newfoundland next year.
To you what is the meaning of ‘folk
art’?
JBM: Folk art by definition is the art produced by
self-taught people—in other words, those who have not studied at art school,
learning instead through trial and error or by watching others work. However
for me, the meaning of folk art goes much deeper than that. Folk artists have a
desire to create, without worrying about whether or not their trees are in
perspective or the colour of the sky is “just right.” Some pieces of folk art
have a strong spiritual message while others simply tell a story about a
certain person or a specific day. Folk artists are often compelled to decorate their surroundings and they
see possibilities for creating art not just with paint and paper but also with
rocks, twigs, discarded shovels, bits of wood and old oil drums. There is no mistaking a piece of folk art because what
you get is a peek into the soul of someone who is driven to create.
“There
is no mistaking a piece of folk art because what you get is a peek into the
soul of someone who is driven to create.”
What are some examples of pieces showcased
at the festival this year?
JBM:
This year’s festival features colourful painted
carvings created by husband and wife team Laurie and April Thomas. There are
also two large-scale metal sculptures crafted by Kerras Jeffery. Doug Dorken
makes humorous relief carvings featuring images of fishermen and golfers. Holly
Everett paints pictures of her seaside town using wild and wonderful colours
while Maureen Newman produces lovely images of rural living. Leo Narcisse
Robichaud’s work is that of a man capturing childhood memories, while Lorraine
Ebbett Rideout creates cheeky woodland creatures on wood and stone. Brian Allen
Adams shares unique images of the spirit of Canada, and I work with found
objects and paint to make collages like the ones that made me smile back when I
was a child in Holland.
For those who have never been to the folk art festival yet, what would you like them to know?
For those who have never been to the folk art festival yet, what would you like them to know?
The folk art
festival is a summer-long event. It begins in mid-June and continues through
mid-October. People are welcome to come to Kingsbrae Garden to see the folk art
located inside the gallery and outside on what is known as Memory Lane. If there are any folk artists who are
interested in taking part in the 2014 Folk Art Festival, I would encourage them
to contact me at jantje@jareaart.com
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