Description
From urban to wilderness settings, the Canadian landscape has been a constant subject in Barbara Gamble’s work. Born in Ontario, she grew up in Canada’s Maritime provinces, lived in the US and Europe, and settled in Ottawa. Her paintings have been exhibited extensively in galleries and in municipal, provincial, and national institutions. A passionate advocate for the arts, Barbara has also served in many volunteer positions in the cultural sector, including positions on the board of directors of the Ottawa Art Gallery, CARFAC National, and the Enriched Bread Artists. Her paintings are held in many private, corporate, and public collections, including the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the City of Ottawa, Air Canada, Fairmount Hotels, and the Business Development Bank of Canada.
Included in the show BARBARA GAMBLE: SPELLBOUND, FORTY YEARS OF ARTMAKING, and never previously exhibited to the public, is a special series of 7 works in pastel. Painted by Barbara Gamble en plein air in 1989 as part of an artists workshop led by the renowned pastel artist Horace Champagne in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, they signal a pivotal period in the evolution of her practice. “I had an exhilarating week hiking and drawing in the high mountains. I backpacked my supplies to striking settings – lake edges, mountain vistas and quiet meadows,” she notes. “This in situ experience proved to be a pivotal moment in my art career. Shortly after the trip, feeling confident and motivated, I committed to a full time art practice.”
