PRICKS (men who sew)


Andrew McPhail

Matthew Varey

Steve Newberry



December 5th to the 23rd.
Meet the artists Sat Dec 12, 3-5pm


I seem to always be drawn to making things that border both 'low' and 'high' art. I like the portability of thread. I like it's inherent contrasts: embroidered pieces often read as organic yet are filled with precise straight lines. And the challenge. I mean you can 'paint over' a bad spot on a canvas in 10 seconds. That same move could take 10 hours with a needle and string!
                                                  Steve Newberry


 
Andrew McPhail is a Canadian visual artist. He was born in Calgary Alberta in 1961 and studied at York University where he received his MFA in 1987. Living in Toronto in the 1980's and 90's his work focused primarily on drawing, often with pencil crayon on a polyester film called mylar. After moving to Hamilton in 2005, his interest shifted towards three dimensional work and performance. His accumulative, craft oriented work reconfigures ephemeral materials such as  Band Aids, Kleenex, pins, sequins and post-its into large sculptures and installations often with a performative element. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and in 2013 was the recipient of the Canada Council International Studio in Paris. He is also cofounder, with Stephen Altena, of the Hundred Dollar Gallery and a founding member of The Assembly in Hamilton, Ontario.
 
Matthew Varey was born in Hamilton and now lives and works in Toronto, Canada. He has exhibited in more than fifty solo and one hundred group exhibitions, including the Fondazione Bevilacqua la Masa in Venice. Matthew Varey’s work is in collections including the McMaster Museum of Art, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Bank of Montreal, Bell Canada, the Donovan Collection, Cenovus Energy, and private and collections in Asia, Europe, and North America. Varey created the Etobicoke School of the Arts Contemporary Art program which is recognised as a global leader in art education.
 
Steve Newberry is a creator and an artist based in Hamilton. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) degree from the University of Guelph (2001).  He has traveled extensively and exhibited his work in Canada and Japan.  In 2006 & 2007, as a member of the multi-national art collective ‘A Collection of Foreign Objects’, he took part in installations for the 1st two Nuit Blanche events in Toronto. After moving to Hamilton in 2009 he has exhibited his work locally at Centre 3, Hamilton Artists Inc., Loose Canon, and b contemporary. He received the 2013 City of Hamilton Emerging Visual Artist of the Year Award. He served on the Board of Hamilton Artists Inc for 2 years from 2014-15. Recently he has channeled a lot of his creative efforts into his fun, educational YouTube channel called 'Scratch Garden'.
 
 
andrewmcphail.com
matthewvarey.com
stevenewberry.com/
 
 
 
 
 
image, Andrew McPhail/ Steve Newberry/ Matthew Varey