"Embodied Spirit" is the title of a new focus exhibition which has just opened at the Foyer Gallery. The four gallery artists presenting samples of their art are: Jay Anderson, Ruirong Yu, Linda Privitera and Paul Hopkinson. The show will continue until Feb. 8.
Anderson is presenting 11 of her works, ranging from subtle to powerful landscapes and several figure studies, primarily portraits. By far the most impressive and, in my opinion, the best among them is a large oil painting called "Kay." Its dimensions are 60" by 36" and it shows a middle-aged lady engaged in conversation with her hands on her chest. The drawing is powerful, especially the hands which contribute greatly to the expressive power of the painting. If the proposed national portrait gallery should ever come into being this painting deserves to be in it. Another impressive work by her is called "Palace Pier," depicting a wharf, a breakwater and a large structure on the wharf called Palace Pier. Its dimensions are 36" by 60" and the gestural quality of the paint contributes to its immediacy.
Yu is showing 10 works, all of which are marked by great subtlety of execution. The finest one among them, for me, is the work called "Fresh Lotus Flowers after Rain." It is a close-up view of a lotus blossom, plant leaves and tendrils, all finely arranged into a pleasing composition. Also in the painting is a small white bird that nicely matches the colour of the lotus blossom. The work is also nicely framed under glass which gives the painting a look of dignity.
Another fine work called "FlowersI" shows a bough of a tree with blossoms just opening. The whole arrangement is decoratively arranged against a sky that is uniformly coloured in a way that suggests the use of gold leaf, although it is coloured paper. Sitting on the bough are two birds that, because of their gestures and colour, complement the painting by being strategically placed to continue the flower patterns. A smaller one called "Flower Vase" also takes my eye. It is a painting of a black vase, embellished by floral patterns on its surface. It is also on coloured paper to suggest gold leaf.
Privitera has 28 works, most of which seem to have a reference to the actual or perceived role of women over history and even into the present. These works require careful examination to avoid the possibility of overlooking some subtle yet significant factor in their make-up that contributes to their intended meaning. A case in point is the construct involving a female figure placed in a small wooden house that is deliberately too small for her since her head is on the top of the roof. The implication being that modern women no longer fit into the stereotypical role society had previously consigned to them. This is further indicated by a partially obscured quote on the far wall of the house stating that woman’s place is in the home. Another clever touch is the use of what appears to be the cover of a bowl in a child’s tea set, which is placed so that it implies a breast, thus adding to the concept of the function of a stay-at-home mother.

Another work by her, which can easily stand for the subtlety evident in many of her works, is the small construct entitled "Flower Girl." It shows a small doll-like figure whose head is wearing a large flower. The torso of the figure consists of a small handmade book, the pages of which refer to great works of art through history and also to music of a classical nature.
Hopkinson has 10 works in the galley plus one in the display case in the walkway to the other side of the Nepean Sportsplex. All have the mark of his characteristic concerns for authenticity in depicting landscape. His usual medium is watercolour but he has also included five smaller works, two of them rendered in mixed media. Of the latter two, both are of equal merit. One is called "The Beginning of the End," which shows a well drawn plant with pale green leaves close to the ground amidst moss and lichen that grows in northern climes. The growing season is very short and in a week or two the plant will be gone and the other plants will be preparing for the long winter. The other mixed media is called "White Water, Jock River," which shows patches of snow in the foreground as late fall begins to set in. In the middle ground are a few rocks leading out into water that is beautifully rendered in ink and coloured pencil. Both works are rendered as a partial close-up with the horizon located above the frame. This provided the artist with an opportunity to examine the subtlety of the ground underfoot, thus presenting to good advantage the variety and rare beauty of the plant forms that are easily missed by our habit of not looking down.
The Foyer Gallery is located at 1701 Woodroffe Ave., entrance 1. For more information, call 613-580-2424, ext. 42226, visit www.foyergallery.com or visit Wednesday to Friday 3 to 9 p.m., or Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.