Art @ 10C: Old Growth
If you have been looking to purchase an artwork from a local artist, this is an opportunity you won’t want to miss!
Old Growth is an exhibition of small collage watercolour paintings by Colleen Telford. The artwork is on view from March 4 to March 31 in the First Floor Gallery here at 10C. All artwork is available for purchase at the front desk.
Old Growth
This collection was born out of a period of artistic block in late 2023. When I experience difficulties with the creative process I tend to tidy my art space. This led to me going through a pile of old watercolour practice pieces and I began to sort these into “keep” and “throw” piles. Instead of tossing the “throws” I decided to try and recycle them. As I played around with tearing and reshaping the paper the colours and textures began to form landscapes. At first I was thinking I would use these as greeting cards, but they became instead a series of 5×7 landscapes. Through this process I reacquainted myself with letting go of preconceived outcomes and just played with the different pieces. I also employed gel plate printing, acrylic paint, mark making and stenciling to enhance the uniqueness of these little colourful pieces. I feel as artists we are often taught to stick to one practice, this is something I have struggled with, perhaps because I am still trying to find my space in the art world. If something inspires me outside of my typical acrylic landscape work I have to pursue that vein of creativity until it runs itself out or results in an evolution of my work as a whole. This messy and destructive undertaking became a very satisfying and exciting journey that has revived my creative juices. These 18 pieces that I am very thankful and fortunate to share here are the result of my creative block side quest.
About Colleen
Colleen Telford, born and raised in Guelph, now residing in Fergus, is a community-taught artist who sees and understands what the natural world can teach us about the strength of being human. Colleen believes that trees in their varying landscapes are very much representative of hope, strength and resilience. The environment in which they grow is very often the focus of her work, asking us to sit with the story being told that demonstrates the peace, calm, chaos, messiness and violence we all experience during our journeys.
As a domestic violence survivor, Colleen is an example of the strength and resilience we can gain through chaos beyond our control. Through art, Colleen is able to process these events allowing her to heal and grow.
Follow along with Colleen’s artistic journey:
Facebook @ivybarnarts
Instagram @ivybarnart
