GUELPH – As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe and people were confined to a life of isolation, one artist used her time alone to add a little colour back into the world.
Guelph resident Perry McEwen, 76, discovered a hidden app on her computer while in quarantine in March of 2021.
The app, Paint 3D, opened McEwen’s eyes to the expansive world of digital art.
“I clicked on it and it was like opening Aladdin’s cave … ,” said McEwen.
“It had all the brushes, I can use watercolour, I can use oil, spray paint, and if I make a mistake I can delete it and start again.”
McEwen has been an artist her whole life, focusing on mediums such as watercolour and gouache.
Despite previously working with paper and canvas, McEwen says she has grown to prefer working digitally.
“I’ve always found a blank piece of paper a little bit intimidating,” said McEwen.
Working digitally has also made McEwen a bolder artist, allowing her to experiment without the finality of paint and paper.
“I’ll use bright colours because I know that if I don’t like them I can just delete them and try another colour.”
McEwen is a self taught digital artist, having worked hard the last four years to refine her skills.
“I set myself a task of … a painting a day for the two weeks I was in quarantine. It took a lot of learning, you know, with the help of professor Google,” said McEwen.
“I’m still learning, even now, four years later, I’m still learning new techniques.”
As a testament to her hard work and creativity, McEwen was invited to display her work at the Marden library.
The display began early last month and will continue until the end of October.
“I’ve gone to the Marden library since we [she and her husband] moved to Guelph 28 years ago,” McEwen told the Advertiser.
“I know the girls there and I actually had an art show in the room opposite the library in 2019.”
The staff at the library approached McEwen to see if she would be interested in displaying her work again.
“They asked me if I would hand my work for September and October and I said, ‘I’d be delighted to,” she said.
McEwen doesn’t stick to a single theme or topic.
From quirky characters to geometric shapes and bold colours, McEwen told the Advertiser she never really knows what she will create until she starts.
“When I sit down in front of the computer, I never really know what’s going to appear,” she said. “It just seems to appear.”
McEwen was 72 years old when she began creating her digital art. She initially thought she was “too old” to learn it.
“I’m not techy and I really dread any upgrades, it has me stressed out,” said McEwen.
“But I thought, ‘there’s no way I am going to learn that because I’m a dinosaur.’”
McEwen says she has always been intrigued by the world of digital art, sharing her admiration for digital artist David Hockney, the man McEwen says is responsible for “making it acceptable to paint using the computer.”
“He made it acceptable in the 1980s,” said McEwen.
She has completed 560 individual pieces, taking the time everyday to sit at her computer and paint.
It’s something she says helps to distract her from world news.
“When I’m painting I feel absolute joy,” said McEwen. “I don’t think of the world news, what’s happening in Gaza, what’s going on south of the border.
“I’m absolutely immersed in what I do.
“I find the worse the world is getting, the brighter my colours seem to be.”
Aside from painting, McEwen has also been crafting stories to accompany her pieces. She shares the stories on her Facebook and Instagram pages.
McEwen’s exhibit is open to the public at the Marden library until the end of the month. The exhibit is free and available anytime the library is open.
For more information visit McEwen’s Facebook and Instagram pages at PerryMcEwen and @perrymcewenart1 respectively.
