The Gallery at Queen’s Park presents:
“Natura”
by Marney-Rose Edge
Exhibition Dates: September 4 – 29, 2019
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 4, 2019, 6-8pm
Artist Talk: Sunday, September 15, 2019, 3-4pm
Free Admission.
EXHIBITION STATEMENT
Natura means Nature. Inspiration for this body of work began with Marney-Rose Edge’s own backyard pond and spread to local ponds, waterways and nature reserves within our urban areas. Edge strives to highlight not only the beauty found in these places, but also to contrast it against the decay of vegetation that supports and sustains a rich tapestry of life, including animals, birds and their nests. The artist wants the viewer to feel surrounded by nature from a different point of view, a whole new experience. This exhibition includes acrylic paintings, drawings and watercolour studies on paper that support the theme.
Light and colour are key, energetic components that stimulate the senses and create mood and drama in Edge’s work, no matter the medium. A sense of movement has recently been gaining momentum as another thread of commonality.
Contrasts are used between colour, values, edges and texture, so that the viewer does not see everything at once, and discoveries can be made over time. Choosing the right medium for the subject—from watercolour and oils for florals, or acrylics for the textural mediums used in a nest series—to utilizing the versatility of acrylics in a reductive technique for the decaying texture of the Natura series, all contribute to Edge’s journey as an artist.
ARTIST BIO
Marney-Rose Edge was born into a creative family and raised in New Zealand in the beautiful art deco seaside town of Napier. Her father was an avid amateur photographer, and her mother hand-coloured photographs and dabbled in pastels. Ever since childhood and always fascinated with colour, Edge has loved creating beautiful things. She is a “late bloomer” who ventured into painting in her forties; her inexhaustible passion for it has not diminished. A natural teacher, Edge has a following with her watercolour classes and workshops; she also instructs privately.
After a career spanning almost 30 years in the Graphic Arts/Printing industry, an opportunity for Edge to become an entrepreneur/sole business owner, painting full-time, presented itself. She paints realistically, influenced by romantic beauty and an ethereal softness creating an escape from the everyday.
Edge’s paintings have won many awards locally and internationally, and appear in publications such as The Best of Watercolour, The Best of Acrylics and International Artist Magazine. Edge earned Senior Signature status with the Federation of Canadian Artists in 2013 and has served on the Board of Directors, as well as on the Fraser Valley Chapter Board. She is an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour.
