Mary Hayes
Painter, muralist, scenic painter and art educator Mary Hayes earned her BFA in Visual Arts from Concordia University. She has had several solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in Quebec and North America. She has received grants from the Canada Arts Council, Conseil des arts et des Lettres du Québec, Montréal Arts Council and the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation. Her work can be found in public and private collections, such as the Art Bank of the Canada Council, Loto Québec, Grande Bibliothèque de BAnQ, the Musée du Québec and Senvest Inc. She lives and works in Tiohtià:ke - Mooniyang – Montréal.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Mary Hayes' paintings are inspired by representations of the human figure in both classical European painting and in popular culture. Recent compositions reference teen hero/anti-hero narratives from sci-fi/ fantasy/teen sleuth /adventure genres seen on TV, film, comic books and novels time and time again. Through these familiar tropes, gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within society at large, processing issues such as social isolation, human transience and climate change.
Painter, muralist, scenic painter and art educator Mary Hayes earned her BFA in Visual Arts from Concordia University. She has had several solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in Quebec and North America. She has received grants from the Canada Arts Council, Conseil des arts et des Lettres du Québec, Montréal Arts Council and the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation. Her work can be found in public and private collections, such as the Art Bank of the Canada Council, Loto Québec, Grande Bibliothèque de BAnQ, the Musée du Québec and Senvest Inc. She lives and works in Tiohtià:ke - Mooniyang – Montréal.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Mary Hayes' paintings are inspired by representations of the human figure in both classical European painting and in popular culture. Recent compositions reference teen hero/anti-hero narratives from sci-fi/ fantasy/teen sleuth /adventure genres seen on TV, film, comic books and novels time and time again. Through these familiar tropes, gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within society at large, processing issues such as social isolation, human transience and climate change.
$1,100.00
Oil on masonite panel.
24x26x2"
"Smoking Man" is a nod to a work with the same title by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch.
It is part of a larger body of work in which friends and family members are posed in costumes and adornments that that subvert conventions of gender and sexuality with humour and a certain amount of nostalgia.
$1,750.00
Oil on canvas.
40x40x2"
This is a portrait of a young woman and her best friend, inspired by a photograph I took during a visit to my studio. It a was dark day in an industrial space, the darkness conveys mystery and perhaps the interior states of being. The expressions of the girl and her dog reveal their intimacy, and her reliance on her friend to help her through difficult times.
$2,725.00
Oil on canvas.
52x72x2"
"Equinox" is a fantastical portrait of a ghost. Is someone hiding beneath an old sheet, or is it the spirit of the darker months coming ahead?
$1,230.00
Oil on wood panel.
32x24x2"
Double is a painting of two brothers. They are symbolically joined at the head, referring to brotherly intimacy and inter-dependance. They are also joined by a double "hoody", symbolizing shelter or home, but which also can be restrictive or confining. Above and below the brothers is an abstract night sky, stars and reflections of stars. The painting is a heavily textured impasto.
$1,320.00
Oil on canvas.
30x30x2"
Ministry of N is on of a series of pictures of people that speak to the personal journey of the subject, while addressing issues concerning society at large. A boy with an old soul, growing up too fast.
$2,650.00
Oil on canvas.
62x60x2"
A fur coat is a potent object, referring to both luxury and violence, as well as to both society and the natural world.
"Your Legacy" was inspired by an everyday event in 2019, when a woman gave her old fur coat to her granddaughter. The shared sleeves refer to both the distance between generations and the desire for connection and intimacy.