Tintinnabulation

Shawn O’Hagan

June 27 - September 20, 2019

As a teenager in the 1960's, I was passionate about art. I spent every lunch hour in the school library pouring over art books. None of these books were about or even included women artists. On my own, I discovered Emily Carr and Georgia O'Keefe. What struck me at the time was their passion and determination to make art in what was then an almost totally male-dominated art world. Where did that strength come from? How could I find it in myself?

Shawn O'Hagan

Tintinnabulation is the lingering sound of a rung bell, soundwaves emanating from a central point washing over the listener. 

Each of the twelve pieces presented in Tintinnabulation by west coast artist Shawn O'Hagan, represents a communion with iconic women artists who preceded and influenced her own work. In this series, O'Hagan reflects on respective artists' materials, their palette, and the critical essence of their thought as a radiant centre.

O'Hagan returns to these creative women to pay homage and revisit their powerful influence, asking in the process what they mean now and how they remain relevant to young artists today. She draws on textile techniques such as beading, stitching and embroidery—processes historically associated with the domestic and marginalized labour—mingling them with the language of painting.

Shawn O'Hagan was the 2019 Grenfell Art Gallery artist in residence. She has been based in Newfoundland since 1975. She lives and works on the west coast, dividing her time between her house in Corner Brook and her cabin in the Bay of Islands. She has a BFA from the University of Guelph, a B.Ed in Art from the University of Toronto and an MFA, with a specialization in painting, from the University of Waterloo.