Exploring Rurban Art – Lorraine Roy
Posted on | October 15, 2009 | No Comments
The sixth and final artist in The Rurban Fringe’s limited online art series is Lorraine Roy, a textile artist living and working in Dundas, Ontario, Canada.
Through her beautifully crafted and unique art, Lorraine demonstrates – through fabric – that contemporary rurban art is not an art of cultivated isolation – rather, it is approachable and creates valuable opportunities to ask questions and make connections with our environment … the very place we live in.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your work. How would you define your art? What are the influences on your work?
I was born in the French village of Pain-Court, in Southwestern Ontario, and was raised on a cash crop farm. This might account for how much I am drawn to rural landscapes and natural subjects … in fact, I liked it so much, I went for a BSc in Agriculture with a Major in Ornamental Horticulture!
In the meantime, my mother taught me to sew at the age of six … and I took to it like a duck to water.
Then, after many years of sewing, I branched out to embroidery and eventually stopped regular sewing altogether in favour of making fabric wall hangings.
Although I don’t have a formal education in art, I took many workshops over the years with qualified textile artists and fine artists as teachers.
Whenever I need a new skill, I take a class.
Over my 20 years of professional art experience, my technique has evolved quite a bit and it keeps changing with my subject matter.
After graduating, I was employed in various Garden Centres and with landscaping firms, but in my spare time I was always working on art.
Eventually, the art took over.
My biggest launch was a solo touring exhibition of rare and endangered Carolinian trees for which I received a generous grant from the Ontario Arts Council. After that, I never looked back.
Now, most of my pieces are inspired by native trees and the Niagara Escarpment area where I live. My style is a blend of realism and abstraction.
How do you promote yourself and your work? What is the local response to your art?
I show my work in six commercial galleries in Ontario, and try to show out West as often as possible. I participate in two major yearly art shows: the Toronto Outdoor Show and the Artist Project, both in Toronto. I offer workshops two-to-three times a year. I try to create one major solo show every two-to-three years for public galleries. Sometimes, I enter juried shows, and am included in a few group shows each year.
My husband (a professional photographer) and I share a large separate studio on our property, where we invite visitors during the yearly Dundas Studio Tour, and we are also open to the public on the odd weekend.
I donate work to local charity auctions and appreciate how many of them now offer artists up to 50% of the final selling price.
Also, I do commissions … I’m happy to work with clients on particular spaces and projects.
I very rarely buy advertising, preferring to seek out any free publicity that is available – it always seems to work better.
To overcome shyness, I took public speaking courses and it helped a lot! Now, I get asked to do presentations and talks to quilters, art guilds, and nature groups. This is a source of income and exposure.
I have a very good website, and a web-guy to match. He set it up and does all my changes. It’s nearly impossible to succeed any more without the web.
Still, people must SEE the actual work and even meet the artist before they buy the work.
Only rarely will a buyer choose art from the internet without having seen it in person first. My theory is … viewers like to see our work three separate times in order to start thinking about buying. A radio interview, a TV spot, a newspaper article – all these things help make it happen.
The response to my work here in Dundas has been great! People appreciate local subject matter that is dear to their hearts.
Still, I can’t depend on local traffic to make a living. For that, I must include galleries and shows in outlying towns and Toronto. But although Dundas is a small village, there are many artists and artisans in this area, so I never feel a lack of stimulating feedback whenever it’s needed. Now that I am established, this isn’t as necessary as it was in the past, but I very much appreciate the companionship.
Over time, I’ve attracted clients from all kinds of places … mainly Canada and the US. I haven’t noticed any particular demographic, but all seem to enjoy texture and colour, and appreciate this unusual medium. The subject matter is universal.
I spend about 30-50% of my time working on the business side of things. I don’t really like it, but if I don’t do it, my work will never get out there – even now after 20 years.
You can never coast!
I figure I would rather be at the desk working on my own business, rather than someone else’s!
Is there a plight of rural artists? Do you see any perceived challenges or opportunities as opposed to working in an urban area or as an urban artist?
Rural artists don’t always get the kind of support that a strong community of artists and art lovers can offer. Artists need to rub elbows with each other to encourage growth and risk-taking. Family and friends are not always the best critics, even if their hearts are in the right place.
Access to – and knowledge about – good gallery representation is another factor.
Rural artists can rarely rely entirely on their community for financial gain so they must reach out to the big city. This is a challenge for beginners. It helps to go into big cities and take workshops on selling, marketing, presentation, grant applications, creating exhibition proposals, and building your portfolio … or hire someone to present the information locally.
When you’re in it for the long haul, you know it in your bones and nothing will stop you anyway … it just might take longer.
Persistence is the most important quality an artist can have, after raw talent.
Do you have any suggestions as to how rural and rurban communities can support a thriving arts and cultural scene?
Art education – from childhood on up – builds active viewers and participants for the future. And lots of hands-on activities for the young, and visits to the major galleries … that’s what they are there for!
I would also like to see more artist-run initiatives. Many times, artists know best how to show and organize their own projects. I don’t want to undermine the good work that business and government bodies do but – even with the best of intentions – they can trample passion and energy, and organizers who really don’t know much about art can end up with mediocrity … blind adherence to rules and by-laws is a sure killer.
And of course, public bodies have to encourage spending on the arts.
Artists would not be financially challenged if each adult in Canada bought only one piece of real, local, handmade art or craft.
I don’t think that’s a lot to ask … they would soon learn that the arts and artists give it all back, and more … now THAT would be a worthwhile grassroots movement!
***
To find out more about Lorraine – and to view samples of her work – visit her website at lroytextileart.com.
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