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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1979-03-01, Page 1171‘ POTATO, PEELERS. This oil pastel; by former Seaforth resident Preben Marcussen, is one of the artist's most recent works on display at the McIntosh Gallery, on the Western campus, in London. The paintings are on display at the gallery until March 11. •(Expositor Photo) •THE INNOCENT—This painting, of Preben Marcussen and his two brothers, is one of the artist's earlier works, completed in May, 1976. Preben Marcussen, who graduated from Seaforth District High*School, will be having a sedond one-man show at the Isaacs Gallery in Toronto • this fall. ••(Expositor' photo) 101( ALICE ;IBB: Timken Marcussen, 24, who graduated front Seaforth District High School in t 974.• •,helieVCS discipline rather than any sPeciali •inborn: talent is the reason his art work IS" attracting so much attention. • Right now 20 paintings and two SCAlptkire* of Mr. Mareussen's are featured in. a .one man show, called "A, Critic's Delight," 'at the McIntosh Gallery on the UWO cattlpOs • London. • aTiliceshow continues at the gallery until Mh. The Toronto artist, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Aage Marcussen of Seaforth. has painting seriously for only three years. The secret of his success at the often difficult career of artist is due to discipline, plus a "need" to paint. The discipline includes. painting five days a week, working at night until early morning, sleeping a few hours and then trying to fit some . time • in to promote his art by talking to gallery owners or potential buyers. Much of Preben Mateussen.'s art focuses on scenes from his past and includes Members of his family going about their •lives. The paintings tend to be expression- istic rather than realistic, and capture some of the absurdies of everyday life. In one of his most popular paintings, which has been purchased by the McIntosh Gallery, Preben's younger sister .Fla is cleaning the kitchen table. Two other paintings in the show feature Preben and his two brothers, first portrayed as very naive children and in the second painting, still as children, but with adult characteristics, ROOTS "Right now", the artist said, "I am going through a phase where I'm doing things out of my past. Roots have a lot to do with what 1 paint." • For Aage and Paula Marcussen, Preben's parents, ,the London show providedthem with the first opportunity to actually see • their son's work. Prior to thisthey had only. • seen slides of his paidtings. •---Vhe-shov;--sva.s---a "thrill"- -said-Mrs:J., Marcussen, "and I liked it a whole lot better than I thought: I would." From the start of his painting career, Preben has ,facussed on people rather than landscapes. The artist said some critics have ' faulted his work because he doesn't pick a 'theme and paint a series of works. around shows Marcussen's sister Pia cleaning the kitchen table in the house Where the family once lived. (Expositor phot o an e • c11„,..„ • 171:10:. !litIROtt.EXPOSITORiMARCii 1, 1070 ti alent •• Proben,...Marcussen• talks., about ,art this theme. However, Prebenaid he hasn't followed the thematic rotite "because I don't Want. tn bore ritysell or tht, audience." The artist's painting$ Brat receite,d public attention this spring when, his work was featured in show titled "Six on the scene who shouldbe score' at the Isaacs Gallery in Toronto, ono or the country's major dealers. • Maurice Stubbs, curator of the McIntosh Gallery saw two of Marcussen's works banging another Toronto gallery and invited ti.hoencrorni tis$t4titiot,r! a one man show at the • of the paintings in the Mcmosh show we already been, sold -The Potato Peelers and, The Helper to the London • Gallery and The Innocent and a second painting to the Thompson Gallery in Toronto. The paintings Sold for 5750 each, and the artis7tehopes to eventually produce line lithographs Of the works which can be sold to the public in limited editions. This not only increased the worth of the original paintings, bot also makes an artists' work available to more of the public since lithogra•phs can be sold for less than a P4intin8'•SECOND SHOW This fall, Preben Marcussen's work is -go- ing to be featured in a second one man show at the Isaac s Gallery, Right now the artist is working on the anchor piece Tar that exhibition—a large oil pastel of the interior of a schoolhouse, with 16. pupils featured in the work. , The artist, who left the Ontario,. Art Colle4c aftertwo weeks of 'class,. arid is, self-taught, said he starts a work by. sketching a scene -in pencil down to the last shadow and detail. • • Much of Marcussen's work is done from. • photographs he has taken in the past. One of these iS Cycling Sisters. The artist -used an English background with the Thames River - and people in a park and fitted the three sisters on bicycles into the foreground. , The artist said he often carries a 4gamera • when he travels on the subway so -he can -capture an -in teresting-face-andwtkreate-an- encyclopedia for future paintings.", •His . efforts aren't always appreciated and he 'admits. the people 'he •photographs "feel you're a little strange" When he "doesn't have his camera with him, Marcussen • resorts to a sketchbook. Recen.tlyhe sketched the faces of two women sitting aeross from, him on the subway and then Created a painting with the two women in Ani• old fashioned car and the sea In, the background. Although some of Marcusse&S work are domestic scenes like his sister wetting in a farm kitchen, other paintings are starker and .Challenge the viewer's perceptions, One of these is called Make A Clean Breast .0tft and features the native children of his landlord, a Canadian Indian, their eyes filled with pain. ' • ROUGH Min • While the artist seems to be Well on his way to gaining recognition in Canadian art circles, he admits he had to go through some really rough times to get where he is today. .He was partially helped by having a sponsor when he started painting. Even though his paintings are selling now, when a cornmer- cial gallery such as Isaacs Gallery finalizes the sale of one of the artist's works, they receive a 40 per cent commission. Also, when the artist adds up the time and energy • he puts into completing a work, the financial isn't too great. Prelten MareaSsen said. when he first Atattect painting, he could complete am Ott pastel In; less thait pionth. Now he spends more than a month. op eaeh Individual piece, The work is lonely, sinie he: works in the home he shares with twOigther people in Chinatown, and he misses having feedback on a painfing,while he's working on it. •Eventually, Marcussen knows if he really wants to make a name on the art scene, he has to break into the New York art Me a. But Preben Marcussen has already made the transition from Seaforth "where people never lock their doors" to Toronto, "where they have double locks on their doors," The one lesson he's learned since going to the city is that people there pan't be trusted quite as easily as those youmeet in a rural community—you have to watch, OUt for "ruthless, dishonest, money grabbing art dealers." • •.• Preben Marcussen is still testing the Canadian art scene. But at 24, he's already had more recognition than many artists get in years. • • THE HELPER This painting, by ereberf Marcussen, the Toronto artist who grew up in Seaforth, is one'of the more popular works in his show, A Critic's Delight, at London's. McIntosh Gallery. The 'Painting ' BiIIy Bishop Goes to War • . • • Billy Bishop Goes to War. the musical starring Eric, Peterson and composer - writer -director John Gray is going to Broadway where it will be- produced by Mike Nichols. • • • Nichols along with Chistopher Wooten, director of the Vancouver East Cultural Centre; another Broadway producer Lewis Allen and Vancouver businessman Haig Ferris saw a production of the musical in Listowel on the • night of Jan. 29 land liked what they saw.• k While local people who 'saw the musical here were • delighted to learn Billy Bis- • hois headed for Broadway, a istory appearing ifi the Toronto Star on Saturday. Feb. 17 regarding the events relating to the play's success caused more than a few McKiilop laughs, • • Columnist Gina Mallet wrote that Nichols" and his friends had seen the musical in Listowel on Jan. 30 rather than on Jan.'29 — and that • was only the beginning of Ms. Mallet's miscon- • ceptions. • The, performance, ac- eording to Ms. Mallet, had • been staged at, the town's "tinyhigh school". Actually Billy Bishop was staged at the Kin Station hall and while it could be described as being -tiny" by a big city theatre critic, Listowel District Secondary School which accommodates Over ' MRS. ED. KEGELE • Sunday visitors with Mr. and Mrs, Ed Regele were Mt, and Mrs. Robert England and Robert of • Huron Park and Mrs. and • Mr. Reg Schultz of R,R.3, • Blyth. Mr. and Mrs; Harold McCallunil Mr. and Mrs.._ Murray Dennis R.R.1, • Walton, Mr. and Mrs. Keith Sienion R.RA, Walton, Mr. and Mrs. Lavern Hugill, • Seaforth whd Were among the holidaydrs' in 'Smith America have returned to their home. Mr. and Mil, Fred Kistnet of firodhagen spent an after - tidied ii week ago with Me and Mrs.. Ed Regele, We wish Mrs, Adeline EtenneWies of Brodhagen • speedy recovery, she is a patient in Stratford General' Hospital. 1,000 students would hardly • fit that description. Ms. Mallet went on to say that Nichols talked. with • Peterson and Gray following the performanee, at the• ' "farmhouse" where they were staying, noting that he • appeared unannounced in • the "farmhouse kitchen". Just to set • the ,, story • straight, • Nichols met the actor and the musician at the Listowel home of lawyer MacPratt which few people in this area would describe as being a farmhouse, At least Ms. Mallet spelled the name of the town cor- rectly. Old Church • abandoned Huron Country Playhouse has had to abandon one of its • construction -restoration projects:perserving the old • log church which is locate& • on the farm next door to the •Playhonse. Unable to carry out the project , the • Playhouse had to pass up a Canada Works grant which was approved for ,the • project. The project would have provided three months of employment for four workers in disassembling the • log chapel and relocating it • on the PlayhouSe property. The project • was • abandoned because of the • difficulty of finding logs to • replace those which, in the chapel's 120 year history, have badly deteriorated. All • in all the project would have • turned out to be much more costly than it was at first anticipated. • The re -located chapel at the Playhouse would have 4.faced the court yard and • would have been used' as a sou .Venir and gift shop. • The Canada Works fund attained for the. Playhouse projectd were re -allocated to other projectsin Huron. 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