East Braintree artist unearths movement in art

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This article was published 25/06/2016 (2860 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An East Braintree woman is combining two of her passions into her first solo art exhibit by bringing her body movements to life.

Chrissy Sie-Merrit, an artist and yoga instructor, is showcasing an art exhibit that focuses on using her entire body to create pieces with charcoal and chalk pastel.

“I’m going to be showing a body of work that I’ve just recently started doing in this particular style. They’re quite large pieces that I use my whole body to make lines, shapes, and create into images,” said Sie-Merritt.

Sie-Merritt said she’s been creating art her whole life. In fact, she grew up with it as there are other artists in her family. She attended the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design, where she studied textiles and drawing.

“Painting was always my go-to for my practice. I used to draw quite a bit, but more realistic. Just recently, within the last year and half, I just came upon working with charcoal again and using chalk pastels,” said Sie-Merritt.

“This was a way to change my practice completely. I was doing quite realistic paintings with a lot of precise detail. It was just feeling a little bit restrictive, so I kind of just needed to expand and try something different.”

This led Sie-Merritt to explore with the different media and incorporate body movement.

“I found myself one day, in the studio, just kind of needing to get out of my head and have a break from what I was doing. I just rolled out a big piece of paper and laid on it with charcoal in both hands. I started moving—not really with any intention behind what I was doing,” she said. “I just wanted to trace my movements.”

From there, Sie-Merritt said an image appeared. She said it felt really freeing to do the practice, so she continued. She ended up with several large pieces and decided to showcase them.

Body movements are not something Sie-Merritt is unfamiliar with—she’s also a yoga instructor who has been teaching for 12 years.

“The more I practiced it myself, the more I noticed how healing it was that I could move through things in my life by moving my body,” said Sie-Merritt. “Just noticing how our bodies really hold the story of our life. I love the practice of reaching into yourself through stretching and moving. The more I was teaching, the more I was starting to have a desire to attach a visual.”

Though she’s sold her art at craft shows and had a few pieces on display at Cre8ery, this is Sie-Merritt’s first solo exhibition.

“It’s a little bit scary, but exciting at the same time,” she said. “I had a lot of pieces, but it kind of matches my philosophy that if something scares you, it’s probably something you need to do. It’s good for you to put yourself out there and push yourself past your perceived limitations.”

Sie-Merritt’s exhibit, UnEarthed, at the Cre8ery Gallery in Winnipeg will run until July 5. All her pieces featured in the exhibit will be for sale.

Sie-Merritt also teaches yoga and art workshops in the East Braintree, Falcon Lake, Kenora and Winnipeg.