About
the Project
Background
In 1996, artist Jerry Grey began experimenting with the use of pastels
as a medium to portray the character of elderly people who, despite the
debilities of age, remain fully engaged in the business of living. Initially,
it was a personal involvement that prompted her to express through portraiture
the qualities she saw and admired. By the winter of 1998 she had decided
to undertake a larger-scale project involving a wide variety of subjects
- people with whom she has an active relationship, and whom she esteems
both for their past accomplishments and their continued productivity in
the face of physical limitations.
She
also began to conceive of the project in a broader sense, as one that
addressed a universal theme through individual life experiences. From
its inception as a series of drawings, the project has expanded to include
various collaborators. The Council for the Arts in Ottawa has become a
principal sponsor. ManuLife Financial, The Minto Foundation and the Community
Foundation of Ottawa generously provided financial support. Numerous individuals
and supporters gave of their time and talents to assist with the realization
of the project.
The
end result of this initiative is an exhibition intended for galleries,
including 30 portraits of fifteen subjects, with accompanying text and
taped material. The project was completed in the fall of 2000, and the
inaugural exhibition opened at the Ottawa Art Gallery on December 7, 2000.
Project
Description This project is comprised of three elements: a series
of colour and black and white portraits for exhibition; an audiotape of
the subjects reflecting on their experience; and a series of written profiles.
These three components have been integrated as an installation designed
to tour Canadian public galleries.
The
project serves at once to celebrate the lives of some exceptional people
and to illuminate the different aspects of their character. Pastel has
been chosen because it captures particularly well the character in the
faces, and gives a greater sense of their humanity than other media.
Each
person is represented by two separate images, one in black and white,
the other in colour. The black and white drawings project strength and
establish the timeless authority of the documentary image. They are also
a kind of visual metaphor for the treatment older people receive in our
society, forcing us to confront issues about aging most of us would rather
ignore: the fear of isolation, of losing hold, of being infantilized and
treated with condescension. The colour pastels give a sense of the personalities
and enduring qualities that the process of living has imparted like so
many layers and hues.
The
audiotape and written profiles are based on interviews with the subjects
and research of existing records.
The
original works are 65 cm (25.5 inches) high, 50 cm (19.75 inches) wide,
Sennelier pastels on La Carte Board.
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