Previous exhibit: March 9th to March 28th, 2010

Spring Ahead

Jay McLennan, Sharon Reay and Linda Doherty

Previous exhibit: February 9th to March 7th, 2010

Winter Prints - figurative sports paintings

Maxie Von Schwerin

Artist Statement:

The first thing people ask me, when viewing my work, is whether or not I love the sports and whether I do any kind of sport myself. The answer is yes. I always liked to move my body and be active but the reason why I show sport-figures goes a bit further:

I chose the genre sport because it represents an achiever-mentality. It ranges from getting motivated to overachievement, from doubts to triumph and all the stages that lay in-between. My figures talk mostly about the permanent insistence to improve. They talk about the suffering that often reaches the edge of exhaustion, the break through and the very short moments of victory. I talk about the hero and the victim in one and the same person.

This mentality, or characteristic, is shown so clearly in the body language of athletes.

I have never done sports as a career or a full time job but believe that, as an artist, one can express only what one experiences oneself. I wish to share the experiences of having lived through a competitive twenty-year career and, reflected in these works, I possibly showcase my own particular personality.

I believe that these experiences are very common for a lot of people, especially in our western and North-American culture. Who has not experienced the feeling of being cornered, how it feels to find a way out, the experience of getting up at night to be the "Early Bird", or when reaching the goal one has always dreamt about while already focusing on a next target?

Through my prints, and the way I approach these media, I place importance on catching the spirit of a moment.

I work intensely and fast, if possible, and without larger breaks. This helps me to keep a certain momentum alive and avoid getting lost in details. I favor the resulting sharp edges of lines and shapes.

I love doing linocuts and woodcuts because of the material and the body impact while doing the cutting. The methodical and strategic organization of the printing process and the, oftentimes, surprising results suit my temperament.

I have also chosen the genre of figures in motion because "getting it right" and catching the moment is a big challenge for me. It is never boring and full of innumerable poses and possibilities... well, I agree: it may also reflect my own achiever-attitude.

Previous Exhibits at the Seymour Art Gallery:

• June to July 2011
• May to June 2011
• April to May 2011
• March to April 2011
• February to March 2011
• January to February 2011
• November 2010 to January 2011
• October to November 2010
• September to October 2010
• August to September 2010
• July to August 2010
• June to July 2010
• May to June 2010
• April to May 2010
• March to April 2010
• February to March 2010
• January to February 2010
• December to January 2010
• November to December 2009
• October to November 2009
• September to October 2009
• August to September 2009
• July to August 2009
• June to July 2009
• May to June 2009
• April to May 2009
• March to April 2009
• February to March 2009

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver through The Arts Office: