Ruth Massey
The Edge of a Shadow: The Paintings of Ruth Killiam Massey
“...our earth, our land is what we should cherish most, as humans come and go, but the land stays on.”
Arthur Lismer
Like the edge of a shadow, which Ruth Massey referred to as being “so eloquent,” Massey’s paintings express the ever-changing mood of the coastal landscape, using a distinct colour palette and soft-edged brushwork. Hernando Island, where she had a summer home, was a favourite muse of Massey’s and this is one place where her view that “the expression of mood in nature through its slate of vibrant inter-relationships” could be explored on the boundary between the sea and shore and the hillside and forest. Massey framed views of the ocean through piles of driftwood and windswept grasses and at times, turned her perspective inland to capture the interplay of light and shadow in the branches of a craggy tree or created by clouds passing overhead. The exhibition is a tribute and celebration of Ruth Massey (1924–2011) and the legacy she created over her lifetime.