Tannis Browning-Shelp
Artist Bess Fraser in front of collaboration with Ottawa artist Jerry Grey. Photo by Grace Ayres
No matter what kind of work Bess Fraser has done over the years, she has always had art as a foundation. “I have done art all my life and really enjoyed it,” Fraser says. “My grandmother and my dad had art in them. My Mom too. They were all art admirers. Dad was a banker, but eventually went to art school when he was in his 60s.”
“Growing up in Toronto, I was lucky to be exposed to so much art. And as a young adult I went to Europe to see it. My high school – Northern Secondary in Toronto – had a huge arts focus (ceramics, graphic design, fine arts, visual arts, etc.). I got more out of my art classes than I did out of any other subject in high school. Our teachers truly cared, and I connected with them. I went into cultural studies in university and attended art school on Vancouver Island in my early 20s. The Vancouver Island college had keen and supportive instructors who created a positive learning environment. They wanted you to dive into whatever art form you were into! And that was it for my formal art training.”
As a volunteer, Fraser has been the layout editor for The Mainstreeter for years. Whether she is painting, creating websites or doing print layouts, her work is influenced by colour, light, shadows, and mood. “And more often than not,” she says, “the mood is playful!” Fraser calls her landscape paintings whimsical or colourful documentations, and she says that they are mostly influenced by light. “My work is joyful. Colour, shape, size, lines, and mark making are very important to me in my work these days. My sketch books are filled with drawings of subjects such as fashion, people, trees, and flowers as well as still life drawings of dining tables.
“I’ve had many different jobs over the years. For instance, my work in the restaurant industry. But art is literally something I have to do every day just to live! I look at art on Instagram all the time. But I feel that I need to get my own illustrations and notes about art out into the world, and I’m working on that.”
Two of the Georgian Bay landscape paintings that Fraser is working on in preparation for two upcoming exhibitions. Photo by Grace Ayres
One way in which Fraser has used her art over the past 15 years has been through teaching art at community centres and working with seniors. “I’m getting a lot out of teaching and giving this experience to seniors,” she says. “It’s rewarding, fun, and, quite frankly, it’s a thrill to be needed and successful in that arena.”
At the Revera Colonel By retirement home where Fraser teaches, they are removing the “hotel art” from the walls in common areas like the dining room and café and will soon be displaying their residents’ artworks. “The people who live there really enjoy seeing what their fellow residents are creating,” Fraser says. “That encouragement and doing the art with them is gratifying.”
Fraser also seems to be doing a lot more art for herself these days. Currently, she is preparing for two art shows. “I recently recognized that I am recording/documenting important people, animals, places, and destinations in my life…these days, for my personal records. But I often get to sell images in the format of paintings.”
Because of Fraser’s access to nature—years of canoeing in Algonquin Park and memorable trips to family cottages throughout her life— Georgian Bay rock has had a profound influence on her painting. “As a young adult, I would quietly paint at a family place, inspired by the landscape,” she says. “Now, my own family has access to a ‘cottage dream’ we are working on, and I am lucky to get to go there. This summer, I have a contract to do landscaping at a nearby marina, and for the rest of the time, I will paint.” Fraser likens this working/painting arrangement to going on a retreat for the summer.
“Our place is located across the water from Killbear Park,” Fraser says. “My focus right now is on Georgian Bay landscapes. In fact, I am obsessed with them! I’m doing oil, acrylic, and mixed media paintings. I will be submitting five or more pieces to an online show in Pointe au Baril https://ojibwayclubartshow.com/. The online show goes from August 10 to August 13. There will be a ton of dazzling artworks by a number of different artists on display.”
A Walk of Art, Old Ottawa East’s 4th Annual outdoor art show, scheduled for September 23rd. Photo by Grace Ayres
Fraser will also be participating in “A Walk of Art,” the 4th Annual Old Ottawa East outdoor art show presented by The Mainstreeter and scheduled for Saturday, September 23rd. Her work can be viewed on Instagram @northern_bessyart.
Author Tanis Browning-Shelp (http://www.browning-shelp.com) pens her Maryn O’Brien Young Adult Fiction series, published by Dog-Eared Books, from her home in Old Ottawa East. Contact tanis@browning-shelp.com if you have information about artists or art events that you believe would enrich our community members’ lives.
