Elemental Entelechy

Elemental Entelechy is the title I chose for the exhibition of my works at the Gore Bay Museum's art gallery. For the promotional material, I selected a painting I did of our Sorraia stallion, Altamiro. There are actually several paintings I did with Sorraia horses as the subject which are also on display at the museum this summer. I thought I would share a glimpse of this exhibition, which also features the fantastic fiber art of Lynda Noe.

This is a newspaper clipping showing the advertisement of the exhibition:


Kevin wanted to take a few photos, and though I am very poor at posing for photos, I indulged him as he was so keen to document a bit of the the opening day.

Outside, on the west side of the museum, stands a forlorn looking creature, looking very nervous and uncomfortable.

Walking up to the main entrance of the Gore Bay Museum

The main room is the perfect venue to showcase Lynda Noe's incredible environmental statement titled:
"What have we Done?"

I was completely stunned by the fiber art of Lynda Noe. Using brightly coloured fabric and stitching in exquisite details, Lynda creates amazing fabric collages with breath-taking realism. Her large piece is the image of planet earth, with the polar ice caps melting and layers of pollution from years of human abuse cascading below it. It's a powerful image and a timely one, which calls attention to our "throw-away" society and the continuing damage humans are causing the earth and all its inhabitants to suffer.

Lynda's fabric art documents the many beautiful places she has seen while traveling across Canada from "Sea to Sea". Several of these artworks are not only lovely to look at, but contain a message highlighting controversial and troubling issues. One such piece shows a beautiful scene of wild horses running over a mountainous landscape and is accompanied by a short text telling about the plight of the wild horses of Alberta which are, like the horses in the western U.S., highly regarded by some and despised by others. If I get an opportunity to go back and take photos myself, I'll put up a close up of this particular artwork because I know a lot of readers here would appreciate the image and the message. You can see a bit of the image in the photo below:

Lynda Noe and Lynne Gerard stand in front of a portion of the "Sea to Sea" exhibit

Kevin had me pose near several of my paintings, and I awkwardly obliged him:

Ever since I was a young girl, I have felt a kinship with Nature and spent a great deal of time outside, exploring. I never felt frightened or alone when hiking the fields and forests, instead I felt I was being guided by a wise presence which created in me a deep awe and respect for the world around me.

I came to believe everything was alive--the trees, the rocks, even the wind.

As I grew older, I learned of the animistic philosophies underlying Native American and Old European societies. These were great revelations for me because they validated my own sense of how the world is and prompted me to realize that the acquired beliefs of human superiority (which evolved into the dominator model of abusing and exploiting Nature) are not normal beliefs, rather they perversions.

My personal studies led me to the concept of "entelechy", which is the vital force that defines latent potentialities and motivates optimum self-expression and is inherent in all things, whether material or non-material. Everything, absolutely everything, has a dynamic destiny! To know this is to suddenly realize how exquisite even the smallest aspect of existence is and how important it is to be mindful in our thoughts and actions, even more so when interacting with the natural world.

Especially after moving to Manitoulin Island my writing and painting determined to reflect a message of inter-connectedness and appreciation for all of Nature and the remembrance that domination, war and destructive usage of our planet are not our original heritage.

The only photo of me that I'm happy with!
Here in animated discussion with the Gore Bay Museum curator Nicole Weppler.

Nicole has been very helpful to me and my own gallery from the very first and I consider her a treasured friend. In addition showcasing my work in the museum's art gallery, Nicole has also prompted me to provide informational literature and photos on our Sorraia Mustang Preserve to help people become educated to the beauty and inspiration of these endangered primitive horses.

The author/artist's husband, Kevin Droski, posing near a small portrait of himself

Our friend, Henk Pel took this photo of Kevin. I was actually in the photo as well, but took the liberty of editing myself out of it, since in addition to looking nervous and forlorn, I also had closed eyes...but Kevin looks very dapper and I thought readers should see how well my farm boy cleans up.

I am honored that the Gore Bay Museum is exhibiting my latest works and that the Elemental Entelechy show hangs with the phenomenal fiber art of Lynda Noe. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to curator, Nicole Weppler for her nurturing diligence in promotion of the arts and for putting together such a lovely opening reception. I would also like to thank all those who came to the reception and to those who will come to see the exhibition throughout this summer season.