Page-turning art
Laura BlakLey Staff
Since about 1980, in a cramped ArtSpace studio overlooking the Exchange District, Arthur Adamson has been filling canvas after canvas with images of the human form. Stacks of poetry tomes and books of Degas and Frances Bacon flow from the tidy shelves on the walls to the desk beside the window, where Adamson sits and casually discusses his life’s work.
In honour of his 80th birthday, many of his pieces have been immortalized in a book, Arthur Adamson — A Celebration. In addition to showcasing some of his paintings, etchings and prints, the book features dialogue written by Adamson’s friends and colleagues, in which they discuss his impact on their lives. Many of the works included in the book were also shown at a celebratory exhibition.
“I wouldn’t call myself prolific, but I produce a fair amount [of art],” said Adamson. “I had 80 pieces in the show, but I had lots more I could have put in . . . It happens sometimes that I’ll walk into someone’s house and see something I’d forgotten about, a piece that I did about 20 years ago or something.”
Originally a poet, Adamson has illustrated three books of his own poetry, and his poems are included in his book of visual art. It seems fitting that the man can work in almost any medium, including prints from woodcut etchings, painting in watercolour, oil and acrylic, sketching, and the illusory nature of the poetry itself.
“I had to wait until I was inspired before I started [writing poetry], so I can’t do it every day. Painting is much more physical when you’re mixing the paint, and you’re creating something tangible,” said Adamson.
The immensity of the paintings themselves will be lost to those who will see the book but never the real works. The images reproduced on the pages of the book are no more than 10 inches by 7 inches, while the original painting may be almost as tall as the man who created it.
“I have to paint in a variety of sizes because a lot of my friends can’t afford the big ones,” said Adamson.
Adamson’s devotion to Winnipeg is as strong as his history in the city’s arts community. Born and raised here, he draws much of his inspiration from the natural beauty of the province, citing Lake Winnipeg as a willing model.
“I found I couldn’t paint outside all the time, because I’d get distracted. Painting it from memory, you get an image that has really stayed with you,” he said.
The University of Manitoba has seen much of Adamson’s evolution, from his early days as an undergraduate student editing the literary section of the Manitoban, to the English lectures he taught for 37 years as a professor.
In 1995, his retirement marked his change from full-time teacher to full-time artist, although the transition was not necessarily easy.
“An artist sometimes feels lonely,” he said. “At first [when I moved into this studio] I was working without getting my work out. The only people who would see it were friends and family.”
Without a broader audience, Adamson was never certain whether he was receiving fair criticism.
“I often came to my studio and wondered if I was really a good artist,” he said. “Sometimes I thought I was a genius, sometimes I thought I was a fraud. Having the book gave me an ego boost and a sense of accomplishment. Shows do that, too.”
For nearly 30 years, Adamson’s studio has held one of the smallest galleries, with an audience of one. Now that the book is available to the world, the doors of the painter’s studio have been opened for everyone to see the works that lie within.
