Sara Hartland-Rowe @ MSVU

Sara Hartland-Rowe, Now as at all times, 2012

In August I saw Sara Hartland-Rowe: Look to the Living, curated by Ingrid Jenkner at the Mount Saint University Art Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I first saw the work of Sara Hartland-Rowe in Small World at the Textile Museum of Canada in 1998. A small stitched drawing of a King and Queen in bed is firmly stuck in my memory bank. Hartland-Rowe teaches painting at NSCAD.

Sara Hartland-Rowe, Now as at all times, 2012 detail

Although Look to the Living was mostly populated with paintings, two installations of drawn modules, Now as at all times and Untitled, were what drew me in. Big time. Now as at all times is an installation of ink drawings on paper. Hartland-Rowe created an environment for the figures with subtle painting and drawing on the wall. I could have spent hours happily taking it all in had I not had a parking meter ticking down.

Sara Hartland-Rowe, Now as at all times, 2012 detail

Sara Hartland-Rowe, Untitled, 2012

Now as at all times was a warm up for Untitled which is an installation of ink drawings on silk organza. The colourful figures read well and I was smitten with how Hartland-Rowe took advantage of the transparency of the organza. I'd like to know how she cut out the shapes without the edges fraying. Untitled is one piece that I'd love to share my enthusiasm for with multiple exclamation marks. But I won't.

Sara Hartland-Rowe, Untitled, 2012 detail

This bottom figure captured my imagination. Don't you love the expressive line quality and the mystery figure lurking behind/within the blindfolded fellow? Yowza!

Sara Hartland-Rowe, Untitled, 2012 detail