OOE ARTIST FEATURE: MY DAY AS AN ARTIST’S ASSISTANT

As the day dawned on September 20th, our neighbourhood sat bathed in Saturday morning serenity, its squirrel and bird sounds rising above the occasional vibration of distant traffic. The crisp six-degree temperature – no longer summer, and not yet autumn – inspired laser focus and buzz among the handful of artists clustered on a stretch of Mason Terrace.

My husband, Andy Shelp, and I had joined the group by 8:00 a.m. The artists were selecting their spots and setting up their displays for A Walk of Art, Old Ottawa East (OOE)’s sixth annual outdoor art tour presented by The Mainstreeter. Andy and I were newbies to this kind of set-up but had come to do our level best for artist Ruth Browning, my mom, whom I will hereafter refer to as Ruth.

In previous years, we had set up Ruth’s art in our own front yard using our dining room chairs as stands. (We’d been inspired by artist/event founder Steve Fick, who displayed his art that way in the inaugural year.) The organizers now encourage the artists to display in groups or “pods”, so Ruth would be joining a pod just a short walk from our place.

Prior to event day, we were able to contact two of our pod members – portrait artist Sarah Lacy and The Mainstreeter’s resident urban sketcher Tim Hunt – for help in preparing for this change. They generously invited us to share some of the art display metal grids they had rented for the day. Sarah helped us determine how many grids we would need and Tim helped us sort out the hardware required. Sarah organized the rentals and arranged to have them delivered to, and picked up from, the display location.

Art tour preparation also involves art completion, selection, and framing. Some artists create new works for the event. Our preparation focused on selecting works to display, many of which were in frames from previous shows. Ruth also offered a sneak peek of one of her works-in-progress and two portfolios of unframed acrylics for visitors to flip through during the event.

The couple who provided the use of their property for our group had gained the full support of their neighbours. Young people from next door offered home-made scones for sale as a fundraiser. The pop-up sidewalk gallery boasted a backdrop of beautiful homes and mature trees, one adorned with burgundy red crab-apples that competed with the artworks for viewers. I loved hearing the artists discuss best angles and vantage points. Painter Ross Rheaume, for example, displayed his stunning historical painting of the host home on an easel directly in front of the existing house.

Our daughter, Sydney Shelp delivered Ruth to the site at around 9:45 a.m. where, fortunately, the artist expressed delight with the set-up. In previous years, Ruth had been fully involved in the arrangement of her paintings, but as part of our “full range of assistant services” we offered to handle it, and she agreed. We wanted her feeling energized for the duration of the show.

The wonderful host family came out with coffees for the artists and, later in the day, cheese, and blueberry muffins.

Sydney dashed home shortly after the start to retrieve an extra sweater and blanket for her nana. Our good friend, Ed Herweyer, brought his family’s dog, Lexie, to check out the art, then walked home and returned with a home-made latte to further warm Ruth up!

As the day unfolded, the sun warmed our bodies, lit up the artworks, and enticed folks to emerge in even larger numbers. Young couples with littles ones in tow, people out walking, or riding bikes or scooters came out in droves from other parts of Ottawa or from just around the corner.

Ruth paints from her own photographs, frequently from trips she has taken over the years. While working this way, she finds what she calls “secrets,” or unexpected textures. “When I was working on a painting called ‘The Walking Trees,’ I remember looking at my photo of the birches hanging down into the water and seeing flat stones coming to the surface of the lake to create golden – almost abstract – shapes in the water. I had taken the photo to get the basic layout for the painting, but soon discovered the stones and their magic,” Ruth says. “I also like to work from photographs because light changes so quickly. That way, I can take as long as I like to paint the morning or evening light and all of the wonderful shadows that accompany it.”

From my perspective, there were many highlights that day. I loved seeing and hearing the expressed admiration of those viewing the displayed artwork. When looking at Ruth’s art, they often reminisced about their own travels. I appreciated that Ruth and the other artists had the chance to visit, see each other’s work, and even spell one another off to explore other groupings. The artists and attendees all interacted with warmth, support, and camaraderie. I am almost certain that Tim Hunt and Ruth have now adopted one another. And my very favourite moment occurred when painter Bess Fraser walked by carrying an enormous painting and somebody cried out: “Oh! Is that what they mean by A Walk of Art?”

Take-down was a cooperative mad dash. I had another event to attend afterwards. So, with the help of one of the hosts, I made confident snips of the zip ties; loaded the paintings, portfolios, and table in our car; carried the grids over to the pick-up spot; and got out of there in three shakes of a lamb’s tail (as Ruth would say).

On the topic of sales (another aspect of the tour), Ruth says: “I love knowing that my art will live on in the homes and workplaces of such lovely people who will continue to enjoy the works for years to come.” To arrange to see more of Ruth Browning’s work, contact me (her assistant) at the email address above.

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.