Arts fest: Creative genes
The Bulls
Martha Bull grew up in a very artistic family and loved to paint watercolours as a child, but says that wasn’t enough to make her an artist. She says that a great many children who are quite artistic become hyper critical of their own work as they approach their teen years and, too often, they give up on art. Fortunately, she says, somewhere around the age of 60, the rational left brain begins to recede allowing the creative right brain to become dominant. Hence many seniors derive great pleasure from art, and should be encouraged.
Both Martha’s parents were art lovers and she had an aunt who attended the Ontario College of Art (OCA) in the early 1930s. She has two brothers and a sister who are all painters, and one brother who expressed his creativity as an architect. There were many childhood outings to the Art Gallery of Ontario, where young Martha was scandalized by the nudes.
She and her sister ran a successful linen shop in Toronto for years but eventually retail lost its appeal and she decided it was time for her to enroll in OCA. That classic training is a great background she says but she has no desire to do what has already been done. Martha describes her own work as expressive and experimental, and she is determined to break boundaries.
As well as being a prolific watercolour artist, Martha also teaches the medium. She starts all her students off with transparent paint in primary colours so they can learn to mix and create custom colours. She says with watercolours you never know exactly what you’ll have when it dries and she loves the range of possible effects. She likes to paint on glossy yupo paper so the paints remain on the surface rather than being absorbed as with traditional watercolour paper and she uses only the best quality paints so they don’t degrade in sunlight. Martha is one of three artists who share space at the Mill Street Art Studio. She says having other artists available when she needs an opinion is a huge benefit because sometimes she gets so deep into the work she can’t tell if it’s landing.
Martha’s niece Frances Bull is one of those people who gave up on art as a teenager. In school, Frances loved art class and managed to turn every project into an animal portrait, no matter what the assignment. By the time she finished high school she despaired of never being as good as some of the artists she admired and put down her brush. Fortunately, she picked it up again 13 years ago and continued to paint animals, now in gouache, a flat, opaque medium. Frances tries to paint a bit each day and posts most of her work to her Instagram account, at FrancesBull03. She says she can’t imagine surviving as an artist without social media exposure, and likes getting feedback from people who see her work.
Her aunt Cathy Bull, who was Martha’s partner in the linen store, has also found her niche as an artist. Her chosen medium is acrylic. She loves putting colours next to each other and seeing what develops. One of her favourite techniques is to pour three colours of paint onto a canvas then use things like a straw or a blowdryer to mix the paint and move it around. She says she has no idea at the outset what images will emerge. Once the piece begins to take shape, she uses a brush to add meticulous detail anddefinition. The entire process is quite tiring, she says, but thinking ahead to the next painting keeps her mind engaged.
Martha Bull will be located at Mill Street Art Studio, 148A Mill St., second floor.
Frances Bull and Cathy Bull will be located at 211 Mill St.
The Menarys
David Menary is, at his core, a storyteller.
His art has evolved a great deal since he started panting as a child. Now 64, Menary says he was always interested in art and has been painting in acrylic as long as he can remember. He recalls at age 15 or 16 buying canvases from the tent and awning store and stretching them himself.
A former newspaper sports editor, Menary has published several books including Terrier Town, Summer of ’49 – the fictional story of the Galt Terriers of the Inter County Baseball League – and Gordie Howe, A Year in Galt.
About 40 years ago, Menary suffered an injury which left his right arm paralyzed for a couple of years but once the nerves began to regenerate, he was right back to painting and drawing. Working as a journalist, he did lots of photography, and was especially fond of black and white.
Menary says when the i-Pad first came out, he thought, “Why would I need that? I already have a laptop that does everything I need a computer to do?
“But then I tried it and found that with the Apple pencil I could do different brush strokes and colours,” he said.
These days most of his art begins with the i-Pad. He likes to print his digital artwork on canvas then enhance the images with acrylic.
Menary’s uncle Don, the youngest of his father’s nine siblings is now 92 and has had a lifelong interest in painting, drawing and music. He took up art as a youngster and won an art contest at the Dovercourt Public School in Grade 8. In later years, he trained with an artist who did lessons on television, and eventually went on to teach other aspiring artists.
The Menarys will be on location at St. John’s United Church Hall at 192 Mill St.
