Painter Mackay discovers his inspiration in Sussex
SUSSEX
By Charlene Nelson
Sussex is a great place to
paint because of its beautiful quality
of light, says Sussex artist Rod MacKay.
"And people here are interesting,"
he added.
At a
country fair or outdoor community event, MacKay is present but unobtrusive,
taking in the action and color and occasionally snapping a picture. He uses a
camera to capture fleeting light patterns in landscapes and candid expressions
on people’s faces.
"I try
to sneak up on them and steal their souls
when they're not looking," he said.
"So much of it is good luck. I could be a photographer, but paintin& gives you
the liberty to alter things and make your own reality."
How does he pick his topics?
"I
look for something I think other people won't notice about Sussex," he said.
He takes different perspectives on sights
such as the railroad station or a pile of rail ties than many people overlook. Some ask him where a scene is and are
surprised to learn it is right under their noses in their own hometown.
It's difficult for him to say how long it takes him to do his acrylic or watercolor paintings
because he often works on several at once.
It takes him a whole morning to do a
detailed pencil sketch of what he wants to paint on the canvas.
He draws in the negative space around
the light objects, outlining the dark spots where he will apply paint first.
Then, with the sketches set out around his
Court Street studio, he begins
applying one color, usually black for the darkest shadows, to all the paintings. When they're dry, he starts in with the next color for the
painting series.
"I do several at once because it uses
up the color and it saves money to spread the color between the bunch of paintings," he said.
Another advantage of the method is that it
allows him to work the series up as a show
all at once.
About six months from now, I can
have a show with these paintings that all bear a relationship to each
other, but are different than the current batch."
Fairs a
favorite
Among his
favorite themes are fairs and circuses.
"I
love carnivals. I'm kind of a circus nut. I
like to see what people are doing," he said.
"It's
completely artificial, like having a Walt
Disney movie come alive, and I like to be able to be part of it."
He enjoys the bright
colors and the crowds that such
events attract. His paintings of Sussex people and events are
among his best sellers. Other carnival paintings have been bought by Bill Lynch or Martin and Downes Circus
employees.
This spring, one of his paintings of a scene in Sussex was part of a
group show at Owens Art Gallery in Sackville, along with paintings by his former Mount Allison University instructor, famed Canadian artist Alex Colville.
MacKay is becoming increasingly recognized as an artist in the
Atlantic region. His Loyalist murals and paintings at Market Square in Saint John are highly visible, and he has exhibits in Halifax, Moncton and Fredericton galleries. His works are part of corporate collections
by companies such as Domtar, Connors Bros.
and Nelson Monuments, and they are in
many private collections as well.
Each year he donates a painting to be auctioned at the
local Ducks Unlimited annual fundraising event, and the sale of tickets on one
of his painting started off the community fundraising drive for the proposed Sussex Health Centre expansion.
He's working on a "big Halloween bustout, probably a year from now," he
said, commenting that the fall months seem to be the top selling period for artists
He would also like to do an atr show with his daughter Cathy now living in Toronto. He may get his
brother in on it too.
Mackay’s first Sussex gallery show is being held this summer at Art Illusion
Gallery on Broad
Street. The
exhibit will be open until the end of September.
MacKay's first Sussex gallery, show is
being held this summer at Art Illusion Gallery on Broad Street. The exhibit will be open until the end of September.
