The 'Shilling Experience'

A & E

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Artist Travis Shilling and his mother, Millie, who represented her late husband Arthur Shilling (absent from the photo is Bewabon Shilling)  at the Opening Gala

The 'Shilling Experience: Past and Present'  at the Southampton Art Gallery is aptly titled as it is an experience to view the energy that is behind the work.

This multi-generational art exhibit illustrates the talent  with which the entire Shilling family has been gifted. The upper gallery is filled with the works of Arthur Shilling and his two sons Travis and Bewabon. 

To fully understand Arthur Shilling and the man behind the paintings, visitors should take the time to view the award winning documentary on his life that is shown in the gallery.

His life, that of his wife, Millie and their sons, is a touching depiction of the drive, and sometimes demons, that drove Arthur Shilling to create.  Although he lived a short life (1941-1986), he was prolific in his artistic expression.

Elder, 'Mike'

One of Shilling's favourite subjects to paint was the Elder, Mike, a close family friend.  Shilling says in the documentary that, "... his favourite subjects were children and elders, because they are so innocent".

Ali Boltman (L) and Sharon Barfoot

The Art Gallery's Director, Ali Boltman, and Sharon Barfoot, worked closely with the Shilling family and the Owen Sound Tom Thompson Gallery in bringing the exibit to Southampton. 

"It took almost a year of 'team work' by the Art Gallery, the Tom Thompson Gallery, the Shilling family and collectors, Rudy and Gloria Bies, to bring the show together," says Joanne Sturgeon, artist and Art Society member.

Barfoot is a friend of the family's and says that it was an immediate reaction to  Arthur Shilling's work at a gallery in Waterloo in the 1970s that spurred her to follow an art career at the University of Toronto.  "It has always been a dream of mine to have all the Shilling works in one exhibit and Ali shared that dream and vision."

Travis Shilling with his father's 'Children in the Woods - Autumn'

The difference in styles between Arthur Shilling and his sons Bewabon Xavier and Travis, is very distinct and each area of the upper gallery in the Southampton Art Gallery is almost akin to mini-galleries.

Travis Shilling's 'Campfire (Rez Dog)'

Travis Shilling's work has a breathless soulful quality while his brother Bewabon's work is modernist with vibrant colour - both different from their father's, almost impressionistic quality that captures the energy behind his subjects.

Bewabon Shilling's 'The Field Series #1'

Arthur Shilling's portrait of James Mason, late Chief of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, on loan from daughter Gayle Mason-Stark

The special exhibit runs through until September at the Southampton Art Gallery and is a must see for everyone to understand the man behind the art, to see the very distinct artistic differences that can exist in one family and, through their art to perhaps have a better understanding of the First Nations peoples.

For more on the Shilling family and the 'Shilling Experience: Past and Present' Click Here

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Saturday, August 07, 2010