Art is more than its visuals. Creative pieces carry emotions, memories, and stories and evoke a response. ‘Looking at the Sky,’ the current exhibit at the Grebel Gallery by Grebel alumni Nina Bailey-Dick, embodies this concept. Her work is rooted in personal moments and stories, however it resists the urge to direct its viewers. Instead, her pieces invite reflection, offering space for anyone to find their own meaning within her skies.
Here are some of Nina’s reflections on her exhibit and her relationship with the sky:
“Why does looking at the sky make me feel better?
There seems to be a mysterious human connection to the sky. Science is trying to measure and prove the positive impact that the sky has on humans - someone has even given it a name: Skychology.
I don’t need an explanation or proof. I like the mystery. I need to see the sky.
My art shows my love for skygazing. We lived on a farm with a big sky for a few years and I felt like a sky hunter. I would see a cool cloud or unusual lighting after a storm or the golden glow before dusk and grab my camera to try to capture it. Those photos were my inspiration for many of my batiks.
I remember first noticing the dramatic relief the sky gave me when we were caring for my dad as he was dying in 2012. I felt so tense and scared and overwhelmed. I remember being in our urban backyard, looking up and noticing a cloud slowly passing by. Then I realized I felt better. Skygazing gave me temporary dramatic relief. It loosened my tight chest. It made me feel better.
When I am not in acute duress, the sky still makes me feel better. I am coming to accept that my human journey is a cycle of peace then tension/conflict/rupture then repair then back to peace. I can’t hold onto that feeling of peace. It’s not realistic or possible or even healthy to try to stay in a state of peace or harmony. It is normal and healthy to experience the discomfort of the inevitable tensions. This does not mean something is wrong. It is just what we humans do. The trick is to not panic. Reach out for repair. Initiate that hug. Acknowledge that I goofed. Ask if we can be ok. Say I am sorry.
The sky reminds me that I am part of something much bigger than me and my worries.
I experience the sky as repair and connection. All humans in relationships cycle daily and weekly through experiences of peace and harmony, then tension/conflict, then repair, then back to peace and harmony. There are many things that help us to repair, and the sky is one of them.
Now that I live in the city again, I am still sky hunting. I used to think I had to be in a rural landscape to really see great skies, but I was wrong. The epic and astounding skies are here too in the city. I just have to remember and take time to look up and notice.
One piece that I made late last fall was inspired by a piece by Lanecia Rouse Tinsley. I had been playing with collaging layers of rice paper and scavenged paper and seeing what she made gave me permission to "go big" and collage on top of a wooden skid. The kind that forklifts use. I named it "Home" because many images on it remind me of the years I rooted at our house in uptown Waterloo and how I worked so hard to make it home. Then we moved away.
Lanecia also gave me cosmic permission to let the rips and tears remain. Don't cover them up. I loved that she invited visitors to write a hurt/grief/loss on a scrap of paper and drop it into a crack of the art piece. So, I have done the same. Visitors to the gallery can choose to leave a pain in the crack of that piece.
Many of my collages have a layer of encaustic wax added at the end. I love the texture the wax adds to the layers of paper. It adds smoothness while still being rough. There are a few collages on barn boards that feel so good to hold. The weight of the wood and the combination of rough wood and smooth wax... it's so satisfying.
I believe that art is meant to be loved, to be touched, to be used even if it gets dirty or faded or ripped. Like the velveteen rabbit, it will get better with love and age. Maybe it will be ready to be composted someday. And that's okay too.”
Visitors are invited to touch the art in this exhibit and reflect on their relationship with the sky and the art:
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Why does the sky make you feel better?
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Does a photo or a batik of the sky make you feel better too?
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How small of an image of the sky still makes you feel better?
Nina’s exhibit will be displayed until Wednesday, April 29. Visitors can tour the gallery during reception hours or after hours with a booking.