By Rhonda Belous / for Scugog News / October 2011
"Married to the Earth" self-portrait by Pegi Eyers
From France to Zanzibar, from Canada to Hong Kong; worldwide harvest festivals begin to celebrate the Autumn Equinox anywhere from mid-September to early October. The origin of the name "Equinox" is from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the Equinox, the night and day have approximately equal length. For those who partake, this time honors the harvest, as well as the festival of sharing and love.
One local treasure, Pegi Eyers, takes much pride in celebrating the harvest as well as the beauty of the living earth, and designs one-of-a-kind pieces, created with paperclay, stamps, pigments, sand, collage elements and other mixed media. Her artwork evokes the feel and texture of an ancient artifact or an archaelogical find. Pegi creates original art with oil and acrylic painting, assemblage, stitching and digital applications. Her work has been exhibited in multiple galleries and solo or group shows. As an Independent Curator she has developed exhibition projects with artist collectives and arts organizations, and has been employed as as Arts Publicist and Fundraiser. Pegi is an artist whose work is inspired by the symbols and expressions of ancient matriarchal or tribal cultures that are connected to the land.
Her company, Lyssanda Designs, donates a portion of proceeds to organizations that protect Canadian wilderness. Lyssanda Designs is proud to be a contributing artist for the feature-length documentary "You Look a Lot Like Me" which is focused on raising awareness about the complexities surrounding domestic abuse. The mission of Tortoise & Finch Productions is to reveal the truth through art, and they are committed to educating, entertaining and inspiring people through various forms of media.
"Pegi Eyers' brilliant artwork sings of the power of the feminine soul and body. A song of protection and procreative power. A song of abundance."
Margot Van Sluytman ~ Palabras Press
One local treasure, Pegi Eyers, takes much pride in celebrating the harvest as well as the beauty of the living earth, and designs one-of-a-kind pieces, created with paperclay, stamps, pigments, sand, collage elements and other mixed media. Her artwork evokes the feel and texture of an ancient artifact or an archaelogical find. Pegi creates original art with oil and acrylic painting, assemblage, stitching and digital applications. Her work has been exhibited in multiple galleries and solo or group shows. As an Independent Curator she has developed exhibition projects with artist collectives and arts organizations, and has been employed as as Arts Publicist and Fundraiser. Pegi is an artist whose work is inspired by the symbols and expressions of ancient matriarchal or tribal cultures that are connected to the land.
Her company, Lyssanda Designs, donates a portion of proceeds to organizations that protect Canadian wilderness. Lyssanda Designs is proud to be a contributing artist for the feature-length documentary "You Look a Lot Like Me" which is focused on raising awareness about the complexities surrounding domestic abuse. The mission of Tortoise & Finch Productions is to reveal the truth through art, and they are committed to educating, entertaining and inspiring people through various forms of media.
"Pegi Eyers' brilliant artwork sings of the power of the feminine soul and body. A song of protection and procreative power. A song of abundance."
Margot Van Sluytman ~ Palabras Press
"Blue Bone" / cast paper / mixed media / Pegi Eyers
The Handmade & Cast Paper Process
| Handmade paper sheets are created from pulp, usually cotton fibre, with dye or colourants and/or other additives such as threads or leaves etc. - whatever catches the eye! The wet pulp is beaten for many hours, lifted from the vat onto screens, and laid or hung to dry. The wet pulp can also be handled to create special effects such as collage and mixed media. Work that is more sculptural can also be made from handmade paper. First, a mold is created from clay, then a plaster cast is taken from the clay. The wet paper pulp (after beaten) is lifted from the vat and "couched" or pressed onto the plaster mold. When dry, the finished paper cast can be worked further with collage and paint, etc. This is a wonderful medium for paper lovers! |
| Pegi Eyers is also the author of Ancient Spirit Rising: Reclaiming Your Roots & Restoring Earth Community, an award-winning book that explores social justice, nature spirituality, the ancestral arts, and resilience in times of massive change. www.stonecirclepress.com |
