​Madrona Gallery presents
Harry Stanbridge and Linda Stanbridge: Paint and Fire
September 9 - 21 2023.
Opening September 9 1:00-3:00
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Linda Stanbridge and I are standing in front of Stacks in the living room of her Saanich home. The spacious, light-filled room is full of treasures and artwork, amassed over five decades of sharing a rich artistic life with her husband Harry Stanbridge. As much as I would like to explore, I am following Linda’s instructions: to focus on Stacks until the optical illusion appears.
“I see it!” I cry, as suddenly the red oblong blocks (not really blocks at all) shift over to a new position. ​Linda explains that by experiencing this shift, a viewer is reminded about the paradoxical nature of perception and consciousness.

Linda Stanbridge, "Golden Koan", 20.75 x 20.75 Inches, Raku Fired Ceramic & Aluminum

Linda Stanbridge, "Stacks", 26 x 21 Inches, Raku Fired Ceramic & Aluminum

Visitors to the Stanbridge’s upcoming show at Madrona Gallery can view 15 thought-provoking artworks. Gallery owner Michael Warren explains that the artists have worked side by side over the years sharing ideas and themes. Madrona hosted a major retrospective of Harry Stanbridge's work in 2019. This is the couple’s first exhibition together in over ten years.

​Harry and Linda met while students at the Vancouver Art School in the 1960s. Both are members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA). Their many group and solo exhibitions span four decades. The Stanbridge's have artworks in the collection of numerous public institutions, including the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) and the Canada Council Art Bank. Major publications highlight these artists’ contributions to visual culture. These include Western Voices in Canadian Art (Patricia Bovey 2023) and Abstract Painting in Canada (Roald Nasgaard 2008). Linda Stanbridge’s work has been the subject of major public commissions such as Genesis 2002 at the Victoria International Airport.

Linda Stanbridge, "Noli me tangere", (do not touch me) 27 x 109 Inches, Raku Fired Ceramic & Aluminum

​Linda’s artistic voice has evolved through a variety of mediums. She began with drawing and painting, then moved to clay in the 1980s. Her wall-based ceramic sculptures are designed to create illusions of space and volume from two-dimensional artworks. The process is rigorous and has several steps. Raku-fired clay pieces are combined with paint, burnished steel and powder-coated aluminum, then secured within an aluminum armature. To create a sculpture, Linda first draws out her concept on over-sized paper. Then she incises the pattern onto a hand-rolled clay slab. Carefully, she cuts out each clay tile and completes two firings - one bisque and one raku. During the raku firing process, some clay tiles are scorched a carbon black while others retain a lustrous sheen.

​Noli Me Tangere (do not touch me) is a visual puzzle which offers viewers a mystery to solve. From a distance, Noli Me Tangere looks like an 3D vessel cut in half, but closer viewing reveals a different truth. Up close, the divided vessel becomes a two-dimensional object, a puzzle of various shapes comprised of glazed tiles and shiny surfaces. Fingers reach out to verify the flat hard nature of the now-altered illusion. “Touch is always the way to confirm certainty,” says Linda. “What the eye sees, the hand will try to affirm.” ​Linda explains that Noli Me Tangere alludes to the tactile and physical nature of the body. “Being broken apart, it visually allows entry to a very intimate space. The space that reveals certainty through experience.” Linda invites viewers to question perception and consciousness, just as she does in her art practice. She agrees with contemporary sculptor Anish Kapoor when he says: “The whole reason to be an artist is, in fact, to uncover in the process of working, some deeper truth.”

Linda Stanbridge, "Vessel Two", 43.25 x 19.5 Inches, Raku Fired Ceramic & Aluminum

Linda Stanbridge, "Vessel One", 21.5 x 43 Inches, Raku Fired Ceramic & Aluminum

​Linda’s search for truth and knowledge springs from a variety of sources. She studied the Russian Constructivists and American Colour Field Painting. She is influenced by the Moorish tradition of Islamic architecture built in the Middle Ages. Linda marvels at the optical effects created by Frank Stella in The Polish Series. Her interest in The Polish Series inspired her first ceramic wall-sculpture. After hanging the completed piece on the wall, she stepped back. It fell to the floor and shattered into ceramic shards of all sizes. “After the shock wore off,” she says, “my mind began to re-imagine the broken pieces into a new configuration. I realized I could make work of any size.” Looking back, she describes her unexpected “accident” as an Epiphany.

Harry Stanbridge, "Figure Becomes Ground", 60 x 48 Inches, Acrylic on Canvas

Harry Stanbridge, "Flow", 48.5 x 72 Inches, Acrylic on Canvas

​Harry Stanbridge welcomes me into his spacious studio and talks about the couple’s artistic journey. “I can trace our cohesion to our faith,” says Harry, “which continues to grow over the years.” Being an artist isn’t easy, explains Harry, so we support each other’s successes and tactfully express our personal opinions.

​Harry props up Figure Becomes Ground and shares some details about its construction. To begin the large painting, he applied a light blue ground on the central vertical panel. A confident and experienced colourist, he understands how light blue enlivens the surface of a painting. This blue tone increases the figure/ground activity by enabling adjacent colours to recede or come forward. “My job as an artist is to use intuition and sensory awareness to create an experience for the viewer,” he says, “so the painting can reveal itself.” Gestural techniques in this painting include drips to create cohesion and scrumbles to activate the edges of shapes. Repetitive black circles ground certain areas, while almond-shaped widgets animate other surfaces. There are several areas of finely-tuned drama, which the artist refers to as “critical junctures to keep the viewer’s eyes moving.”

Harry Stanbridge, "Bi-Polar", 18 x 24 Inches, Acrylic on Paper

Harry Stanbridge, "Pink Rise", 60 x 61.5 Inches, Acrylic on Canvas

​​Linda and Harry arrange three chairs in front of Pink Rise. We sit comfortably, all gazing at the artwork, an activity that appears to be a well-established routine for the Stanbridges. The large square painting is a cornucopia of intersecting patterns and colours. Black dots of various sizes and configurations enliven the busy scene, offering depth and drama. Harry tells the story of the arrival of the black dots in 2014. At that time, Harry was working on a special painting and experiencing frustration with the materials. Not able to achieve the results he wanted, he coated the whole canvas with black gesso. Later, he became intrigued by the visual effect of the dark circles on his multi-hued surfaces.
“This accident or mistake led to the 2014 Attic Series,” Harry says.

​We are quiet for a while, pondering the relentless passage of time, and the inevitable changes in its wake. The Stanbridges ride this turbulent wake well. Both artists manifest the profound nature of transformation in their creative practices. And both have enough life experience to accept the unfolding journey. Remembering that even accidents and mistakes can provide a fertile ground for re-invention and discovery.
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​Madrona Gallery, 606 View Street, Victoria, B.C. V8W 1J4
​Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:00-5:30. 1-250-380-4660.
Visit Madrona Gallery website HERE

Web Design and Content by Kate Cino
Arts writer published in Focus on Victoria, Yam and Boulevard. 
History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from 
​the University of Victoria
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