Low Down Articles
Artist Profiles - Rick Madore
Article 39 of 73
From the book Artists of the Gatineau Hill by Catherine Joyce. This article first appeared in the "Artist Profiles" column in the March 1, 2006 issue of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
o o o
Creating the Life and the Art
There is an art to building the life that can sustain the creation of art. It takes energy, vision, courage and a lot of faith. Rick Madore has come to this remarkable place of balance where all the elements combine to fulfill the dream of every serious artist - to work and survive as a creator.
Painter, sculptor in steel and wire, maker of masks, artist on the Studio Tour, Rick came to art fifteen years ago from the military. Born in Brandon, Manitoba, in 1963, the youngest of five children, Rick grew up moving with his family every three to four years - Bordon, Petawawa, Val Cartier, Ottawa.
"The military doesn't give you roots but it teaches you to adapt to new environments, to let go of the familiar and to learn from the unknown. I joined up and became a physical education instructor in the military for nine years. I led an incredibly active life, always on the go.
"And then I discovered art. It brought me down to this quieter, more meditative place but it also offered me that same opportunity for eclectic exploration - one thought process opening out into different directions. There is no end to what you can learn."
Upon leaving the military in 1991 Rick became a personal fitness trainer, with his passion for painting soon becoming central to his life. Fitness training allowed him to paint without worry, to be free to develop his own style - a style reminiscent of the old Masters.
"I use a glazing technique with oils, slowly building up the layers to create depth. I can get lost in my painting, in creating this other-worldly field of awareness. There is a calmness at the centre of the artistic process that feeds you, body, mind and soul."
This layering approach mirrors the step by step process by which Rick has built his career. Balancing athletic speed with meditation, fitness with painting, social contacts with isolation, he has established a home in the village of Chelsea where he maintains a fitness studio for his clients on the second floor. His garage combines a gallery for showcasing his art and a studio for creating his work. He is now building a separate welding studio to accommodate his steel sculptures.
His work comes from many sources. He travels a lot, taking photographs. Years of teaching fitness at the Y drew him to Africa on a youth exchange in 1995 and again in 2002, where he ran a summer camp for children in The Gambia. In the last few vears he has worked with his inspired art mentor, Garrie Joyce.
Misted landscapes or compelling faces framed in steel, the line of a body suspended in wire, a chandelier whorled in welded vines - Rick's work grows increasingly complex, multi-layered.
"I know what I want in my life and in my art. I also know that nothing is permanent anything can happen. You have to adapt - to act, to seize what you love and make it a reality. I enjoy growing older, feeling the depth that comes as you learn from your mistakes and reach further."
Each day Rick Madore adds another layer - to the "masterpiece of life" and art.