Mary Baranowski-Lowden

“I have been printmaking for over thirty years focusing on etching and lithography. It has been the perfect medium for someone who loves to draw. My mother, Maisie, was a fashion illustrator before the war. I have wonderful memories of going sketching with her from my early childhood throughout the years. Our wild west sketching trips when I was living in Alberta ended each day with a scotch and a critique of our work. She never stopped drawing and painting which continues to inspire me to keep pushing forward with my printmaking.

“I first encountered etching while doing a course as part of my BFA at Concordia University in the 1970’s. I loved it. Many years later I took a weeklong etching course at “Series“ at Red Deer College taught by Gwen Frank and Kate Baillies. It convinced me that printmaking was the path I wanted to pursue. In 1988 I enrolled in etching and lithography classes at the University of Calgary. I studied with Bill Laing, Noburu Sawai and John Will. All were excellent instructors and adamant about the importance of building a strong foundation by learning good technical skills and showing respect for the tradition of these art forms. I am very grateful for having had that training from the start, as I believe it has allowed me to develop my own hand as a printmaker and to understand the endless potential of printmaking. There is always a level of unpredictability in etching, which is part of the magic as well as its frustration.

“I spent several of years juggling family life and working as an Art Education Specialist with my time studying printmaking Regularly staying until the small hours of the morning at the University studio allowed me to immerse myself without distraction and I was energized by what I discovered through much trial and error. I was so electrified by etching that it became my primary focus.

“The first solo show of my prints was at Folio Gallery in Calgary that opened on my 40^th birthday. The show was well received and the sales allowed me to purchase my etching press and rent studio space in a wonderful old Feed Mill. I was able to convert the space into a proper etching studio. I rented out space to two other printmaker friends to offset the costs. I became part of a printmaking community through my time at U of C and the Alberta Printmaker’s Society. It was a strong and generous group. I was given an Alberta Foundation for the Arts Award to spend a month at The Scuola Internazionale di Grafica in Venice. It was an incredible experience. A few years later I returned to do a residency during the Venice Carnivale.

“In 1999 we moved to Toronto. My very large press had to be disassembled and installed into our old semi detached house in the city after another studio was built. I became a member of Open Studio during that time where I have had two solo exhibitions. I remain involved with Open Studio and have participated in numerous group projects over the years.

“Seventeen years ago we moved to Wakefield. The press that I had thought would never move from Calgary was lifted by crane over the tall pine trees and rolled into a new studio overlooking the Gatineau River.

“My work has always been about my life from my personal point of view. My early prints were observing my daughters – trying to capture the focus of a particular moment in time. I frequently work in series and explore a variety of imagery from botanicals and animals, still life, nests and birds, and the seasons on the Gatineau River.

“Many of my etchings have been influenced by my travels – the different people, places and cultures have expanded my artistic vocabulary. My recent works have evolved from the nature that surrounds me. I have been discovering the flora and fauna along the riverbank and environs as well as the nature of the river itself. This relationship with the environment within a small radius of my studio informs and inspires my work. My work is often started in soft ground and drawn directly on the copper plate in order to retain the immediacy and freshness of the mark making. Many of my works are large pieces composed of smaller elements often printed on Japanese paper with hand colouring and sometimes handwritten notations. I have been studying the birds in my region and I have been working on many etchings that depict their nests. Each nest I encounter and study is a unique sculptural piece that pulls me in with the complexity of form worked with materials that the birds source locally. The drawing continually challenges me.

“I have become interested in using the plates in different compositions. I print smaller editions in favour of giving each element more potential through various incarnations in other works. I use Chine colle in my work to vary the surface and create focal points.

“I love the etched copper surface and have created bowls, tabletops, mirrors and panels for fireplaces and kitchens incorporating colour and patina on the copper plate.

“I spent May of 2022 on the Isle of Skye in Scotland working without a press to experiment with new techniques and create prints that respond to the grand proportions of Skye. This was a counterpoint to a series of monoprints I have done of the pastoral Gatineau River. I am now working on series of large format mixed media etchings (plate size 18 inches high x 36 inches wide) with imagery from that trip. This September I will return to Scotland and immerse myself in Shetland’s dramatic and wild landscape. I can’t wait!”