David Hunt, Principal, Pine River Institute
Staff, Principal, Pine River institute
Brenda Caron Yates, Cultural Attachee, Canadian Embassy
Paula Bossa, Art Writer
Peter Field, Chief Executive, Risk Waters Group
Keith Muller, Muller Design Group
Greg Murphy, Dean of Visual Arts, Ontario College of Art


2004

   Sarah Merry’s organic abstraction comes into existence through her muscular appetite for profound feeling. It is this very vulnerability that functions as her creative guide, leading her in self discovery and artistic expression. Merry’s painting reads like a subjective dialogue, where she translates her life into her canvases through colour, composition and texture.

   For the New York School of Abstract Expressionism, as for Merry, the canvas becomes a space in which to explore the reciprocal relationship between self and paint. The artist scrapes, layers and carves, determining shapes and textures through intuition. Merry’s skillful manipulation of paint is achieved with such effectiveness that she forces the viewer to revel in the intense physicality of the medium.

   In addition to her bold exploration of surface properties, the predominant expressive aspect of Merry’s painting is evident in her palette, for she achieves tonal harmony that delivers a sense of dynamism, order and repose. Vibrant, exuberant, stimulating colour instantly captivates the viewer, providing a platform for emotional response. Merry’s sensibility toward colour gives it a dualistic role; not only does it have a lyrical and expressive voice, it also has a balanced, weighty voice that mesmerizes and grounds the viewer. In essence, Merry’s colour compositions translate into liberated energy that awaken the viewer. Like the Fauves, her pulsating canvases allow colour to become the subject of her paintings, where amorphous shapes and lines debate and expose both the beautiful and ugly aspects of life.

Paula Bossa
University of Toronto