Above, Briana Corr Scott with one of her Sable Island pieces on display at Argyle Fine Art. Photo Dominique Gusset.
The exhibition opened on Friday evening, June 15th and will run until July 4th. On June 20th (Wednesday) 6:30-8:30 pm, Argyle Fine Art will host a free artist talk with Briana Corr Scott about her process and her trip to Sable Island. Also, marine biologist Nell den Heyer will be there to discuss her experience on the island during her many field trips to study Sable’s Grey Seal population.
(Argyle Fine Art, 1559 Barrington Street, Unit 102, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1Z7. 902.425.9456)
Posted May 12, 2018…
2018/ PIECES OF SABLE ISLAND
Opening reception June 15, 2018, 7-9pm
Argyle Fine Art, Halifax
In 2016 I was drawing regularly from the Museum of Natural History in Halifax as a weekly art exercise. For an artist that works from life and is inspired by natural objects, this museum is a valuable resource.
I started to spend all my time in the permanent exhibit about Sable Island. For weeks I read and dreamed and drew it all. But I felt I was limited by only words and photographs. I had to see the island for myself.
Sable Island embodies the ideas and feelings I pull from when I paint. Working from natural objects inspires ideas of life, decay, beauty, sadness, mystery, and impermanence. Sable Island, located just over 100 km south of Nova Scotia, seems close but is so hard to get to and just out of reach. It is bursting with life, but decay and death lay out untouched, left to take its natural course. It is both robust and delicate, it is real but mysterious. Beauty and wonder abounds in its unique ecosystem. The more I learned the more I found myself astounded by information about the plants and flowers that survive wind and salt, bees and beetles only found in this place, the largest grey seal colony in the world, and of course the Sable horses. Sable is wild, yet protected. It is impermanent-actually changing shape over time. All of these ideas kept pulling me there.
I visited the island on October 27, 2017, without any idea of what I would see, be inspired by, or make. I hope I did its beauty justice.
The paintings and drawings in this body of work are the “pieces” of my dreams about Sable Island, what I really saw, and what I remember.
Since my visit to Sable I have worked from only memory and drawings. This can be limiting! I am grateful for the unique pleasure of drawing from specimens and artifacts from the Sable Island Institute. This has been an important part of developing these works. I make art from direct observation, and to have access to all these authentic Sable objects is thrilling! I was only able to visit Sable Island for one day; working from the Institute has expanded my subject materials, my art and my interest in the Island. I feel I am peeling back another layer to the place, I hope to continue to work from the Institute, and someday go back to Sable.
Seals on North Beach, Briana Corr Scott, 2018
Sable Dunes and Light, Briana Corr Scott, 2018
Endless Sea, Briana Corr Scott, 2018
Whale Invertebral Disk and Emerald Light, Briana Corr Scott, 2018
Moonsnail and Emerald Light, Briana Corr Scott, 2018
Briana Corr Scott
Prepared for the Sable Island Institute, May 2018
One Response
These are stunning images in words and paint, and so vividly true to Sable Island’s spirit. I am excited about the show at Argyle’s Fine Art that launches in June!