Mary Pavey
Solo Exhibition
Saturday, November 26 – December 10, 2022
Pavey graduated from the Ontario College of Art (OCA) with Honours where she concentrated specifically on painting. After graduation, Pavey travelled extensively through France where she studied art both independently and with artists from all over the world. In Paris, she attended the world-renowned Académie de la Grande Chaumière to draw live models. Pavey took in as many galleries and museums as she could with the objective to see the work of painters she admired most like Matisse, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Van Dongen and Monet. She set off in a rented Renault on an incredible adventure. Highlights of her trip included a visit to Monet’s Garden at Giverny, a journey to Calais and Avignon to see Matisse’s studio and then Nice and Arles to see Van Gogh’s famous yellow house which left an indelible impression.
In 1993, Pavey returned to Europe to visit the great museums in Holland, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and France. She stopped in Paris again to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. In the south, she went to Antibes and stayed in the beautiful old Hotel Djoliba. She rented a couple of rooms in this former mansion, now renovated with a wraparound balcony complete with stunning views of Antibes and the Mediterranean. Her rooms were filled with antiques, unique objects and furnishings that provided endless inspiration.
In terms of style, Pavey gravitates towards the works of Matisse, the unfinished landscapes of Cezanne, the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh and Monet’s Water Lilies at Marmottan. She was able to view this immense painting first-hand and said that to be surrounded by Monet’s famous work was remarkable. The Impressionism movement aside, Pavey was also influenced by the strength of German expressionist painters like Kircher, Vlamaink, Vaneonden, all members of the famous group known as Die Brücke.
Pavey is well known for her interior scenes and still-life paintings where she uses fabrics, found objects, antiques and glass to create interesting vignettes of everyday life. She aims to keep her paintings and colour fresh and tries not to overwork the painting to preserve its spontaneous energy. Pavey is also adept at portraiture. She prefers to paint subjects of her choice as opposed to formal commissions, where she feels sometimes constrained by expectations.
Pavey’s landscape paintings take her out of her studio. She enjoys working plein air to allow for the colours and the vibrancy of a live vista which is not likely to be captured in a photograph. At her farm, she would place her easel high up on the hillside so that she would have a wonderful vantage point from which to paint. Her desire to paint landscapes outdoors has led her to locations as far away as Machu Picchu in Peru and various cities throughout Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Pavey’s paintings are held in esteemed collections worldwide. Notably her works can be found in the corporate collections of Dupont Canada Limited, Sony Canada Limited, Canaccord Capital, the former Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, General Electric Canada and GlaxoSmithKline. She is a long-standing member of the Ontario Society of Artists and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.