Low Down Articles
Artist Profiles - Marilyn Smith
Article 61 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 15, 2006 issue of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
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Sharing the Challenge of Art
Wakefield's Marilyn Smith is an impassioned champion of Art. An accomplished watercolourist and a teacher of Art at Philemon Wright High School, she understands the complexities inherent in creating and fostering art.
"Artists feel they must defend themselves because Art is so often regarded as a fringe activity. But if you look around, you see that art and design are everywhere. Art is at the core of our society and educating young people in the arts is central to helping them become full human beings."
Marilyn comes to her classes with this fierce belief, which grew out of her own journey. "I teach my students to follow their hearts, to follow their strengths. I teach them how Art mirrors our complex world - there are no formulas. You must problem-solve every step of the way. I don't give them answers. I help them to discover their own answers - to see the process as evolving, choice by choice, be it a question of colour or background, composition or perspective. Art takes a lifetime to explore - it's a constant journey, a forever challenge."
Born in Toronto, the fifth of six children, Marilyn learned early to go with the flow to discover what was happening. In Grade 13 her art teacher surprised her by asking, "So, at what university are you going to study art?" Marilyn had never seen it as a viable option. "Artists are full of self-doubts. We all underestimate our talent. She was an inspired teacher and her confidence in me helped to decide my future."
Taking her degree in Fine Art from Guelph University, Marilyn initially loved drawing, sculpture and print-making more than painting. However, soon after her teaching degree from Queen's, she stayed home with her young family and discovered that watercolours allowed her more freedom. "I had this short window of three hours in the afternoon while my son was sleeping. I took books out of the library and taught myself.
"There is this magic with watercolours, a lack of control where you are never sure. Something about the challenge - about the unexpected effects that happen before your eyes. I've always believed in risk-taking, in breaking out of the safe boxes we put ourselves in. So after a time, I decided I would not use natural colours anymore but try green skies, yellow trees. I began with fresh little sketches, with few lines, to capture an unworked feeling before I tried to reproduce the effects on a larger scale. Watercolour is transparent - there is always this sparkle where the light comes through even with the darkest colours."
This sparkle effect, this vivid but transparent thread that weaves through Marilyn's life as an artist and a teacher, has become a lifeline. Art - both the making and the teaching - has helped to create her, and she in turn inspires young people to experience the challenge of artistic expression. Seeing her paintings with their delicate, luminous colours is to understand her love of the mysteries and her need to share them.