Jeff Molloy's mixed media renderings of Hudson's Bay blankets are smaller than life-size but larger than life in meaning. They hold the shape and colour of a blanket, but their two dimensional outline imply far more than a warm covering. These blankets are the woolly essence of Canada. They hint of wood smoke and weary trappers, of exploration and exploitation, canoes and commerce, the history of a people and the making of a nation.
They are fabric icons of Canada, part of A Canadian Portrait, an exhibition comprised of mixed media works by Jeff Molloy. They will join his hockey sweaters, Canadian country churches, moose and Prime Ministers sporting everything from lumber jackets to buckskins. With titles such as “Lost in the Woods” and “The Original Six” A Canadian Portrait is a textural exploration of the meaning of Canada, a rendition of warp and woof that has brought the artist first to question and then to embrace his country.
Molloy will also debut his “Canadian Story Boxes”, an ongoing series of interactive mixed media assemblage depicting Canadian stories such as Louis Riel, John McRae (Flanders Fields), The Rocket (Maurice Richard), Billy Bishop and of course the Blanket.
"The Group of Seven made paintings of where we live, not who we are. I want to create work that tells the story of the people, the history, the iconic imagery and the legends that are the fabric of this country" Molloy says. “For the past 15 years I have been working to create art that conjures up the spirit of Canada”.
Molloy has been referred to as a farmer of art. He creates multi-dimensional, multi-sensory works that bring emotion to the people who experience them, and energy to the spaces they inhabit.
Jeff’s art does not depend on subject or materials alone, it is created through a wide variety of distinctive techniques, tools, and personal processes; resulting in truly unique, instantly recognizable Jeff Molloy originals.
Exhibit runs until May 1, 2010 Video
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