Oran Chapel on Isle of Iona, Scotland. Photo by Catherine Fraser

​Catherine Fraser presents: 
Spirit of Place - Isle of Iona

​January 18 - February 22, 2019. Opening was Friday Jan 18, 5-7pm  Artist’s Talk at 5:30pm

The Chapel Gallery at St Matthias Church, 600 Richmond Ave, Victoria.

Gallery Hours: Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday 10am-2pm. Artist in Attendance on Saturdays.

House Beautiful Column at the Times Colonist featured Catherine Fraser’s Cowichan Bay cottage on April 6, 2019.
See link with STORY HERE
Cowichan Artists Studio Tour participant April 13-15 2019. ​​

Catherine Fraser at her cottage in Cowichan Bay. Photos by Debra Brash for TC

The isle of Iona is located in the Inner Hebrides on the western coast of Scotland. Considered the birthplace of Celtic Christianity in the British Isles, the history of Iona is fascinating. In 563 a monk named Columba and 12 devotees fled Ireland and settled on Iona. The group built a monastery and preached Christianity to communities in northern Britain. Iona became a centre of arts, culture and healing in the 7th and 8th century. Sculptors used marble from an Iona quarry for sacred church altars and statuary. Stone masons carved elaborate curvilinear designs on funeral slabs and celtic crosses. The Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the old and new testament, was believed created on Iona in the 8th century.

​Beginning in the 7th century, pilgrims helped support the monastic community. Over 300 celtic crosses once lined the pathway to the abbey church. Near the abbey, Saint Columba’s shrine attracted medieval believers seeking miracle cures. Since the 1800’s, Iona hosted a renewed wave of artists, musicians and seekers. Today, the small island attracts pilgrims and tourists from around the world. Over 130,000 visitors explored the shops, museum and historic sites last year.

Wisdom Listener, watercolour on paper, 11x14 in, 2008. Photo: Paul Peters

Crystal Resonance, watercolour on paper, 11x14 in, 2013

Catherine Fraser has visited Iona four times between 2009-2015. “There is a special energy I experience on Iona,” she says, “The air is different, other worldly and timeless, renewing and replenishing my creativity.” On daily excursions, the artist visited stone age burial sites, isolated beaches and rocky hilltops, traversing fields of heather and skirting peat bogs. The photo of Fraser below shows her seated beside The Well of Eternal Youth, believed blessed by Saint Birgit of Ireland in the 6th century. ​

The energetic vibrations of Iona take shape and form in the exhibition’s paintings. Fraser is an award-winning artist and member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, with work in international collections. The Duncan area artist participates in the Visions Studio Tour and is a member of the Cowichan Artisans. She is also a registered nurse with training in art therapy, and likes to experiment with various techniques. ​While on Iona, the artist used a variety of media and methods to describe her experiences. She took her sketch book on outings and paused to draw and take photographs. Plein air watercolour paintings were also completed on excursions. On stormy days, she worked inside on many-layered veil paintings. One memorable evening she completed Touch Drawings in the Iona Abbey while listening to an organ recital of Bach music. ​

Veil Painting #1, watercolour on paper, 12x8 in, 2015

Shining Light, watercolour on paper, 30x22 in, 2005.

Veil Painting #1 is created from multiple washes of colour. Each colour is allowed to dry completely, so the process unfolds over a series of days. The rainbow of colours move from light to dark and build from the painting’s centre. The process is meditative, with attention to breath control and bodily awareness. Images can appear that provide inner guidance and direction. ​Crystal Resonance is a pictorial response to singing crystal bowls and their healing vibrations. Fraser heard this concert on Iona during one of her visits. She twice boated to Fingal’s Cave on the Island of Staffa. This famous cave is formed from hexagonal basalt columns of volcanic rock. The cave features exceptional acoustics and a wealth of geological and mythological history. ​

Shining Light commemorates Fraser’s close friend and neighbour. The neighbour introduced Fraser to Iona by sending her a postcard from the famous isle. A shared spiritual journey kindled their friendship. Fraser’s friend worked as a nurse in the Arctic and was fond of frosty temperatures. With this in mind, Fraser placed watercolour pigments outside in sub-zero temperatures. The resulting crystalline shapes and vibrant colours emulate the clarity of her neighbour’s spirit.

Exploring Iona.

Catherine Fraser at The Well of Eternal Youth on Iona.

The Celts practiced nature-based spirituality which celebrates humanity’s basic goodness within the sacred wheel of life. They viewed creativity as an expression of the soul, and valued many art forms and imaginative undertakings. Reviving Celtic spirituality is a goal for some seekers on Iona. The ceremony that produced ​Celebration (below) featured a woman singing and chanting. Her powerful vocals created energetic visualizations in the artist’s mind. Fraser recorded these visual pictures with a pencil on paper using unconscious or automatic drawing techniques. ​​

The left hand image shows the original automatic pencil drawing. In the middle image, Fraser used tracing paper to simplify the complex composition and found it resembled a stained glass piece. In the far right image, Fraser used a technique called Direct Painting - applying watercolour without layering or mixing. Vibrant jewel like tones are applied with a single brush stroke of precise colour and value. ​These artworks are each 8 x 11 inches and framed as a triptych.

New Beginnings (below) is an example of Touch Painting, founded by Deborah Koff-Chapin in the 1970‘s. After hearing a talk by the founder Fraser explored the medium. A board is covered with paint, then a lightweight paper placed on top. Finger tips and finger nails are used. A reverse image is revealed on the paper when pulled off the board. In 2012, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra hosted pianist Anton Kuerti and maestro Julian Kuerti to perform a Beethoven concert. Fraser was invited to do a series of touch drawings while listening to their rehearsal. ​

New Beginnings, water-mixable oils on paper, (Touch Drawing) 2012

Wings of the Dove, water-mixable oils on paper, 19.5x15 in, 2014.

A European tour in the 1980’s inspired Celtic Cross Rose Window. The artist saw sunlight beaming through a Celtic Cross in Scotland. (After 100 days of rain according to locals.) Fraser added the stained glass motif to the painting. She had recently viewed the magnificent Rose Windows at cathedrals in Amsterdam and Strasbourg. The original painting was stolen from a church rectory in Vancouver. Prints of the original painting are available in various sizes at the exhibition.

Celtic Cross Rose Window, giclee print on canvas, 28x20 in.

Kiss the Dove, watercolour on paper, 30x22 in, 1999.

 Curator Nicky Rendell has a Fine Arts Diploma from the Vancouver Island School of Art. A member of the St Matthias congregation and practicing artist, her goal with the Chapel Gallery is to engage community with meaningful dialogue. “Our seasonal themes are universal themes,” she says, “designed to enrich and inform visitors.” Well acquainted with the Celtic Christian mythos that surrounds Iona, Rendell visited the island in 2016. She believes that everyone who visits Iona is touched in some way. “I resonated strongly with the sacred nature of the place,” she says. For the curator, Fraser’s paintings explain how the human persona and spiritual realm can connect and interact in various ways.
For more info visit:   ChapelGallery

​Catherine Fraser welcomes your interest in her work. She can be reached at [email protected]
Visit her website at CatherineFraser

​Below are photos of the opening on Jan 18, 5-7pm . The artist’s talk at 5:30pm was very interesting and well-attended.
​Show continues until Feb 22, 2019. Gallery Hours: Sat, Tuesday & Thursday 10am-2pm. Artist in Attendance on Saturdays.

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arts writer published in Focus, Yam and Boulevard. 
She has a History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from 
​the University of Victoria
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