Barbara McGivern: The Gold Lady

July 15, 2011 - PRLog -- At Art Dubai she shared a glass of celebratory Champagne with a local art dealer over the sale of two of her large paintings, but not before dropping a few pieces of gold leaf in each glass, explaining that "it's good for arthritis," then taking a sip.

In Basel the Toronto and Dubai-based artist heard a maître d’hôtel demand a table be secured as quickly as possible for The gold lady.

McGivern, whose signature style and technique do something very unique with the precious metals on her canvases, probably deserves the moniker. Equal parts Metaphysics and alchemy, her work vibrates with a barely restrained energy. They have been known to invoke emotional reactions that border on the Primordial and for this reason some of her more appreciative collectors have been known to place her pieces in naturally lit rooms of their own with only sufficient seating for one or two as the only companions to the panels.
   
“ I paint over it, drip paint on it and sometimes cover it up completely because I did not like the painting and start over...there are many paintings out there with layers of gold under them...but you cannot melt the gold down as it is so fine and wafer thin....but I could never use anything else but real gold, " she tells me when I ask about her liberal use of precious metals.

Barbara McGivern’s work can be found in galleries internationally, including Edmonton’s Lando Gallery and a coming show at Montreal’s Art 11.