To paraphrase Maurice Sendak, the Arbor Gallery will be the place to be “Where The Wild Things Are”, on September 29.

Chimerical Creatures: How We See Each Other and Other Myths, is a series of portraits, in which anthropomorphic forms are seen as though sitting for traditional portraits. The purpose is for viewers to examine how they present themselves to the world, how they make their assessments of others and how they, in turn, are assessed.

“By using imaginary creatures, I have removed the usual biases we tend to bring to our appraisals of our fellow humans, so that the assessment process is unmoored,” says artist Barb Lougheed. “We must work harder to arrive at conclusions, instead of making snap judgments.”

The series asks viewers to question how we make judgements about each other. One figures out the nature of each creature by examining its expression, form and stance. Is its presence commanding? Does it inhabit the space with confidence, timidly, joyfully?

“The creatures in these bright portraits are almost completely abstracted,” notes Lougheed, “with their ‘personalities’ communicated through line, colour and texture.”

Most of the creatures are posed in chairs which provide more clues about them. The chairs range from a Louis XIV armchair, to a bar stool and a high chair. The settings include a 70s rec room, a recliner, a 60s kitchen with a starburst clock and a COVID portrait, complete with face mask.

Artist Barb Lougheed has studied at the Ottawa School of Art, the Montreal Visual Center, Algonquin College and the Haliburton School of the Arts. She started making art in 2001 and has been showing her work since 2012, with numerous solo and group shows, including at the City of Ottawa’s public galleries.

This unique and thought-provoking show runs from September 29 to October 23, with the vernissage scheduled for Saturday October 8, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Arbor Gallery Cultural Centre is located at 36 Home Avenue, in the heart of Vankleek Hill. Summer hours on Saturdays are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. More information about programming and events is available on Arbor Gallery’s Facebook page, website or Twitter, by subscribing to the gallery’s newsletter at www.arborgallery.org or by email at [email protected].