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.
$1,830.00
Oil on canvas.
36x48x1.50"
Formule Magique comes from a series of paintings I made of friends in costume. It invites the viewer to decide: whether the subject is a real fairy or someone on their way to a Halloween Party?
$1,575.00
Oil on canvas.
36x36x2"
''We were blinded by the light'', was concieved of during the first months of the world wide pandemic, one of several paintings I made to empower young people to survive and thrive through challenging times.
This style of this painting is inspired by teen hero/anti-hero narratives seen in sci-fi/ fantasy/teen sleuth genres popularized in movies, television, and graphic novels. Through these familiar tropes, gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within society at large, addressing larger societal issues.
$1,700.00
Oil on canvas.
42x36x2"
"Night Camp" part of a series of paintings featuring teens and youth in situations inspired by teen hero/anti hero narratives from American popular culture. Gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within the greater context of society at large.
$2,750.00
Oil on canvas.
65x60x2"
''Runaways'' part of a series of paintings featuring teens and youth in situations inspired by teen hero/anti hero narratives from American popular culture. In this painting Gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within the greater context of society at large, addressing issues such as climate change, conflict and the courage to find a safe place to live.
$1,750.00
Oil on canvas.
40x40x2"
''Girlscouts. (may we live here?)'' is a tongue and cheek, sci-fi fantasy commentary on the climate crisis. Two resourceful girls get on with things by exploring the possibities, politely asking If we make planet earth uninhabitable, shall we live on the moon?
Girlscouts (may we live here?) is part of a series of paintings I painted between 2020 and 2022, featuring teens and youth in situations inspired by teen hero/anti hero narratives from American popular culture. Gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within the greater context of society at large, addressing issues of such as climate change and human transience.
$2,350.00
Oil on canvas.
48x60x2"
''Girlscouts'', is inspired by Teen Thriller, teen sleuth/adventure/sci-fi genres, seen time and time again in American popular culture, for example Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Twilight, Riverdale to name a few.
This body of work is the latest of a lifelong collaboration with the younger members of my immediate and extended family. Gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within the greater context of society at large.
$2,350.00
Oil on canvas.
48x60x2"
''Demon Seeds'', is inspired by Teen Thriller, teen sleuth/adventure/sci-fi genres, seen time and time again in American popular culture, for example The Hardy Boys, Harry Potter, Stranger Things, Twilight, Riverdale to name a few.
''Demon Seeds'' is part of a series of paintings that features teens and youth in situations inspired by teen hero/anti hero narratives from American popular culture. This body of work is the latest of a lifelong collaboration with the younger members of my immediate and extended family. Gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within the greater context of society at large.
$1,700.00
Oil on canvas.
42x36x2"
Description
''Contagion'' part of a series of paintings featuring teens and youth in situations inspired by teen hero/anti hero narratives from American popular culture.
This body of work is the latest of a lifelong collaboration with the younger members of my immediate and extended family. Gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within the greater context of society at large,
During the early months of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, I thought a lot about how prolonged isolation would affect young people; and how young Canadians of Asian descent were doubly impacted by a resurgence of anti-Asian hate. The highly saturated palette that my subjects inhabit is a reflection of the urgency of this period.
$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.