Lynne Ayers wants you to feel the emotion flowing through her art. For the month of April, Ayers is exhibiting a themed series of acrylic abstracts at the Alexandria branch of the SDG Library.
The exhibition, titled “Emotion: An Abstract and Personal Look,” will be the first time these paintings have been shown in public. Ayers created 25 new pieces specifically for this show. Most of the works in this show are abstract paintings in acrylic, but she’s also including a few of her landscapes and photographs.
Painting this series of abstracts was cathartic for Ayers. After her husband died three years ago, she experienced enduring grief. “The paintings allowed me to feel and process my grief, and to embrace it,” says Ayers.
Ayers, from Green Valley, began painting with watercolours in 2002. Ten years later, after “getting into a rut,” she switched to photography. About two and half years ago, Ayers decided to try painting again, but this time in acrylics.
“I find acrylics suit the way I work much better,” says Ayers, who finds that acrylics allow for a slower, evolutionary creative process.
Landscapes had been her subject of choice, until recently. Ayers had tried painting abstracts before, without success.
“Each time I began one, a river seemed to take shape in it and the painting turned into a landscape,” says Ayers. When Ayers committed to this show at the Alexandria library back in September, she decided to give abstracts another try. After some brainstorming, Ayers came up with the idea of emotions. She wrote all her emotions down then tried to paint them.
“None of the paintings started as a specific emotion,” says Ayers, “but each one took on an emotion as I painted.”
This exhibition marks the first time Ayers, who is a member of the Glengarry Artists’ Collective, has created a body of art specifically for a show.
“By expressing myself through these abstracts, I was able to work through my grief. The grief will never go away, and I accept that it is part of me.” Ayers hopes that people will sense some emotion—hers or their own—when they look at her paintings.
“Emotion: An Abstract and Personal Look” by Lynne Ayers runs at the Alexandria library, 170A MacDonald Blvd in Alexandria, from April 1 to 27. For opening hours, visit www.sdglibrary.ca or phone the branch at 613-525-3241.
