Imagine if you dared harvest the crimson hues from an evening sunset, the lightning blue on sunlit water and the majestic purple of a far-flung star field, coaxed them ever so gently together, what enchantment, awe, and surprise, might be revealed? Artist Pam MacKenzie invites you to explore a visual cornucopia of colour, texture, and shape in her newest show “Lemonade,” in which she took a leap of faith and found a remarkable new path in her lifelong passion for art and design.
Returning to a technique she had previously learned in a workshop, MacKenzie developed the show “Lemonade” on display at Partner’s Hall until November 25, 2022, after a serious accident left both her arms broken, in casts, and then extensive physiotherapy for a period of nine months. Unable to use her hands to pursue her chosen field of portraitures and landscape, she was forced to find a way not only to recuperate from her injuries but also to keep working on her love for expression through painting.
Pam wrote this about her ordeal in a preamble to her show: “Last year, on September 14, 2021, I fell down a flight of ten cement stairs and began a journey that had unexpected results.
It began with six casts, three resets and one surgery. Then, there followed two splints and many, many months of physiotherapy. When both of your arms and hands are encased in casts your ability to do anything is very limited. I was able to physically cope with the help of many amazing friends—they did everything, from bringing food and cooking, helping me bathe, and shopping for me, to making seemingly endless trips to Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Orillia. As well, I was fortunate in having a husband who dressed, sponge bathed, brushed hair, and the list just goes on.”
Used to living independently, Pam was forced to acknowledge the helplessness of her physical situation, but her mind was active, and her artistic instincts keenly and remarkably awakened.
‘Dutch Pour,’ or ‘Acrylic Pouring Blow Technique, ’as the practice is called, entails a method in which a painter takes wet paint and applies it directly to a canvas, mixed with different thinners to alter its viscosity. Typically, using a hair blower to move the paints around the canvas produces unexpected and improbable results. Unlike conventional painting, the combined acrylic colour begins to metamorphose into shapes and imagery of their own volition. The painter has some control over the flow of the paint but not the outcome, which usually settles over the drying period. The only initial control the artist has is the choice of colour, how many to use, the size of canvas, and the thinner applied. The outcome depends solely on the colours floating across the medium, almost the way clouds drift across a summer sky.
Given the severity of her injuries, Pam was unable to apply the technique as prescribed because she only had the use of “the tips of four fingers on my left hand and the tips of my thumb and first two fingers on my right, and not weight bearing at all”. She adapted the methods to her acute limitations, starting with small, thinner canvasses, 6” x 6”, and using a brûlée torch to heat the paint and a straw or popsicle stick to prompt its movement.
A fascinating array of imagery and design appears once the work dries. The chemicals in the thinner and acrylics react to each other which form a variety of textures that often surface after some of the paint is wiped away or further manipulated. The process takes place while the paint is still wet so that whatever effect, design, or image, appears in the finished piece, it has the possibility of surviving the curing period.
MacKenzie has been a successful painter most of her later career. Before coming to Huntsville, eight years ago, to live close to children and grandchildren, Pam designed wedding dresses and was adept at large-scale quilting, which often incorporated elements of portraiture, which she later took on as her main artistic activity. MacKenzie was so productive as a seamstress that she made her own clothing for herself and her children.
She is an active advocate for art in the Huntsville area, serving as co-chair of the Huntsville Arts Society and as an organizer for the original Culture Days— a three-day event that invites community participation in all the features of local arts and crafts. Culture Days celebrates the diversity of the backgrounds and skills all Canadians share and offer to enrich society.
After her convalescence, friends of MacKenzie encouraged her to take the extensive body of work that she had created during her recovery and present a gallery showing for the public. The show “Lemonade” has been running in Partners Hall at the Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville since November 1, 2022, and will conclude November 25, 2022.
Not only is the art on display original and profoundly unique, but it is also a testament to MacKenzie’s resilience, verve, and ingenuity. She has crafted a series of pieces that reflect her emotional recovery through a most difficult period, as well as discovering a new approach for expression. In allowing colour the freedom to find its own presence, she has uncovered the primordial splendor that often, unbeknownst, surrounds us.
Mackenzie, in practice and inspiration, embodies the spirit and determination that often stirs within the human heart. Obstacles can be overcome. Challenges can be met. Every occurrence, good or bad, is an opportunity. When life gives you lemons, make “Lemonade.”
Follow Pam MacKenzie on her Facebook page, here.
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Trisha Pendrith says
What amazing courage and perseverance Pam has shown in the face of a horrible experience and challenging disability. I look forward to seeing her work. Congratulations, Pam!