Artist's Statement

The human impulse to create, and the generative forms of nature have a lot in common: they germinate unseen, and can burst forth unexpectedly in forms that are highly diverse, but always reveal their origins. The creativity of women artists – from the medieval mystic and healer Hildegarde von Bingen, to 20^th century painters Frieda Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe – often finds its subject matter in the natural world, and particularly in plants, fruits and flowers. The work in this exhibition, "Botanical Forms", pays homage to these artists and their inspirations, and contemplates the affinity between our generative powers and that of the world around us.

Artist Bio

Mary K. McIntyre is a Toronto-based metalsmith who loves to explore the undulating lines and plastic forms that metal takes when shaped under the hammer. Though a confirmed city-dweller, McIntyre takes inspiration from the contours, colours and textures of the natural world at a variety of scales, from microscopic pollens to massive geological formations. She studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design, and at Fleming College - Haliburton Campus under renowned Canadian silversmiths Lois Etherington Betteridge and Brigitte Clavette. McIntyre's work has been exhibited in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Fredericton, and is in a number of private collections across Canada.