The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-10-19, Page 22PAGE 2,01;WRICOSIGNAT.--STAW. THURSDAY, GC iGRERA
Mona Mulhern: An a
°frees page IA --
is, she might draw a
simple thing like an onion
and then thaw a design oar
work a face into it
somehow_
"Peopie might say, an
onion?'„ but I think they
need more reminding of
the simple things in life
that they take for
granted," she explains_
When people looat her
various Serrenwood
drawings, she hopes it
will get them looking at
their surroundings more
too She hopes it will
make them smile
thinking of their own
imaginary childhood
places as well.
Serrenwood is not a
place where terrible
things happen. People
have had enough harsh
realism for awhile_ They
have enough preisamm on
them already, she says_
The fact that many ar-
tists are into fantasy and
using softer colors these
days is a reflection of the
times, she suspects_
Sen-enwoodthe: isig
coulw,ds for even
en
beusedasa
series of children's books
- the kind that adults Me
too. Mrs. ingofMulthern
is
thiskwith a writer to weave a
laity tale or fantasy
around scenes from
Serrenwood_ It would be a
fantasy set in Huron
County, a place with lots
of potentiot because of its
beautiful buildings and
its beautiful scenery with
all its little nooks and
crannies, thinks Mos_
Mulhern_ She tries to do a
lot of hiking to discover
these nooks and crannies
and thus weave
Serrenwood pickure
stories around them_
Mrs. Mulhern is not
sure how much of her
Serrenwood concept is
derived from other
people's concepts (ie_
Tolkien and the Incraans)
CT how much of it is her
own_
I'm sure Wait Disney is
one -who has had a big
influence on me," she
say Ol" "I went to a lot of
movies as a kid and I took
my kids to see Jungle
Book and loved it"
CHILDHOOD ON
THE PRAIRIE
Mrs_ Mulhern is a
native of Saskatchewan_
She grew up on what she
calls, -the bald prairie"
This could, in fact, be the
reason reason why she
always has a lot of space
around her work, she
Speculates_ It is probably
also the reason for her
interests in trees_ She had
never ever seen an apple
tree until she moved to
Chatham several years
ago.
Mrs_ Mulhern has
never bad any formal art
training but she no longer
feels that she is at a
serious disadvantage
because she doesn't have
a Fine Ants degree. Even
those who attend art
schools have to learn
from scratch and
discover their own styles
when they graduate_
As a child, Mrs.
Mulhern was alone a lot_
She made up her own
games and let her
imagination run wild.
Her father died when she
was five and she made a
traumatic move with her
mother from her farm
home to the big city.. S
continued to spend her
summers on the fams
though.
Up 'until Grade 3 or 4
she did a kit of drawing as
it seemed to be a way for
her to inowess people_
Then one day a teacher
was critical at wbat she
was drawing so she
pulled away from, art
unt0 she reached Nei
school where she
discovered a good art
department
After high school she
considered studying
interior design but *his
would mean moving to
Plifonitoba and expenses
she could not afford. So
she majored in political
science at the University
at Saskatchewan instead_
/ When she moved to
-10aatham, she croscovered
a fine little art gallery
and started lessons in oil
paintings there from a
man who bad winked
with the Group of Seven
as a youngster_ Each
year different artists
were hired by the gallery
to teach and eventually
Mrs. Mulhern switched
from oils to water
colours_
After moving to
iNGoderich about 10 years
ago, she started itnking
art lessons from a woman
in London_ This teacher.
she thinb:s, had the most
profound influence on her
work_ She had a more
sensitive and emotional
approach to art and she
got Mrs_ Mulhern in-
terested in sketching
using both pen and penal.
Sketching was much
easier for her at that
particular time with
three smolt children_ It
was less messy than
working with oils' and
watercolours_ And re
matter what she turns to
now in her work be
says, she always seems to
come back to pencil
sketching..
Mrs.. Mulhern has
taken various night
school art courses at
Fanshawe College in
London and this year she..
is taking a print making
course there_
MORE THAN A
HOBBY
She says that art is
something you must do if
it's in you_ It is a difficult
field though, she main-
tains, and seldom self-
sustaining_ An artist
usually must be prepared
to work at another job
and work at art in his
spare time_
She wishes she had a bit
of background in com-
mercial art because, far
her, art is more than just
a hobby_ It is a way of
earning money too and
people just don't realize
what is involved with
such a job. When you try
to sell your work, you're
dealing with personal
responses. Certain pieces
wall sell in certain places
and others won't Mrs_
Mulhern has gone to
shows and sold nothing_
And she has gone to
shows and sold almost
everything_
Mrs_ Mulhern likes to
frame all her work under
glass so it won't
deteriorate and this is
expensive. Other
materials are costly too
and if you want to sell
your work through a
gallery, you must pay
that gaBery rornotiodne
All of this puts the price
of the art work up, often
determining whether
people will buy or nat.
expl otos Mrs. Itutherm
GETS LAIVOLVED
Mrs_ Muntenia com-
bines her art work with
being a bousewife and
another_ She lOtes gar-
dening and does a lot of
baltng and preserving_
She has done setoretarial
weak and also worked for
a time as an events co-
oriforator for a YWCA_
When Mrs.. Mulhern
forst moved to Godmich,
she loved it from a
scenery point of view but
she was at a loss as to
what she should involve
herself in to keep busy_
She joned- the -1_0tD_E_
and both site and her
husband Jim took up
-coding. For two years
she was chairwoman of
the Municipal Day
Nursery_ She involved
herself totally in the
nursery school which
Warted as a pkiy weep
and blossomed from
there_ Later she became
involved as a volunteer
parent at St. Mary's
Schod_
However, with all of
theseoutside activities,
she had less time to
concentrate on her art.
Creativity itself can be
exhausting and one must
have the time to work at
SETS GOALS
So, for the past few
years Mts_ Mulhern has
been concentrating 00
her art again and setting
goals for herself_ You
need goals, she says, to
get your work done_ At
present, besides
preparing for the County
Fair, she is ploracting a
show with another artist
Goatham for which she
must proclaim 30 pieces.,
She may open her home
and have a display and
sale there as she did once
before. The response was
overke.heirninfk, the titsr
time she tried tbis.-with
people coming from all
over_
Mrs_ Mulhern sub-
scribes to an arts
magazing and avidly
scans the newspapers to
get a markdown on
exhibitions to visit or
enter_ She likes to go to
various shows, not only tiD
sell her work but In get
people's response to her
work_ Living in a small
town, away from the
cities wherep, art trends
are often set, an artist
doesn't know if what he or
she is doing is acceptable_
Larger portions of
artists are moving to
smaller centres thoakkgh,,
thinks Mi s Muthetio
There are many ad-
vantages to living in a
small town if you are an
artist, she says_ You don't
get caught tip in trends
and yoti don't always
have to sell your work
just to sulk whe as you do
in a costlyt,t city en-
vironment_
NEED GALLERY
There are many
talented artists in
Goderich, says Mrs..
Mulhern_ Unfortunately,
she says, they have no,
vehicle through which to
display or sell their work_
A few years ago Mrs.
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place..m
rlitalherts mad some others
tried to Sorra an Arts
Council i Goderich_
Being patticulanly in-
terested
arts, Mrs_ L miasma felt
the town needed an art
gallery and startedk
looking around for a
place that was easily
accessthie to the public_
An art galley doesn't
have to be anything
fancy, she exploit -co
For awhile the film
R0000 do" at the
Goderich Pulttic islarmy
served as a type of
gallery and Mrs,. Mu...Ramat
tried to get a group of
people together to look
after it.
"It could become a
regular gallery if
someone would just take
it on as a project" she
says, adding that the
artist thoold not be the
one to do this_ The library
staff themselves have
taken it on accassionally
but something more
regular is needed„ she
StreaSea.
-There is so much
potential for a small
gallery here," she con-
t ue s . -It is lost
necessary to get out-
siders to run it as some
would think:" she ex-
pins
"We have the people
here who could do it," she
says_ "And there are
displays packed 'away in
crates in Toronto that
would gladly be loaned
for lack of any other
Sparc to display them."
This area would be a
-fantastic" spot for an
artists" summer school
and workshop too, she
says.
The lack of enthusiasm
for the arts can not be
restricted to Goderich
though, says Mrs.
Mulhern. Canada as a
country has a long way to
go when it comes to
supporting the arts.
Grants supporting the
arts are being cut all the
time.
Why is art so im-
portant? Mrs_ Mulhern
says, often times, artists'
o pictures are the only
record of history and
re lection on the times.
Also, it is important, she
thloko, tO ttt 40,
things v4th Yaw. hands
and m1ordetoeel
gol* about "urif-rit ts
equally impo tant 40 -
teach children how to
play and use their
imaginations whether it
be for art or some other
purpose_ Mrs. Mulhern
has a cupboard in her
kitchen stocketi with
paper. pencils and other
materials and she en-
courages her, children to
make use of these a.nd to
become involved in
things.
"When our kids grow
up, they're going to have
more leisure time than
ever on their hands, she
par. “qpicilt Important
for thorn to have
something to de in their
spare time."
Arts -and Crofts -help to
offset an ever inereasing
computerized society,
she thinks.
"I didn't think I had
any imagination, left
myself anymore," says
Mrs. Mulhern, "until I
discovered Serrenwood."
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