June 24, 2008 - Media Release

Local artist Jackie LeBlanc gives back to regional hospital

Jackie LeBlanc - Northport

Dobson, Brundage, Crowell, & McCabe – also part of this summer’s group of five

AMHERST, NS (2008-06-24) When walking through the halls of Cumberland Regional Health Care Center (CRHCC), one can not help but notice the talent of the many different artists on display. The art gallery, located on the main floor of the health care center, brings in a variety of artists from across the County, including local artist Jackie LeBlanc as part of five local artists exhibiting this summer.

"You’re going back a long time, I’ve been drawing since I was just a young girl" said LeBlanc, who was always encouraged by her teachers and her parents and whose father was an artist as well. I used to sketch a lot, and do portraits for people on my lunch hour at work" she added. LeBlanc worked in the graphic arts field for almost 30 years, but it wasn’t until she started doing watercolour about 15 years ago that she really started to enjoy painting. I’ve been waiting for this point all my life, just to be able to paint" she stated.

Although an artist can sometimes be more productive when painting by themselves, LeBlanc finds it helpful to exchange thoughts and ideas with her friends. A lot of her paintings are inspired through workshops or by painting in groups. When given the opportunity, she loves to get out and paint on location. It loosens me up which often results in a more successful watercolour" she said. She also believes that it is better to paint quickly, to catch the moment of the picture before the light changes. You have painting quickly," continued LeBlanc, because the light and shadows are constantly changing. More attention is paid to capturing the larger and basic shapes rather than the smaller details."

LeBlanc’s favorite subject to paint are seascapes, which are a natural fit for the ‘water’colour medium – she especially loves reflections and the way the light occasionally dances on the water, as can be seen in her style of artwork. One of her favorite things to do is sit and look out at the water. She has one painting at home of a person sitting and looking out at the water that she can not bring herself to sell because it is so relaxing for her. I guess that is part of the message I am trying to send in my paintings," she said, is to find something that relaxes you and that you enjoy".

This will be LeBlanc’s first major display in the CRHCC, where she will be on exhibit in gallery 1 for the summer. She likes the idea of supporting the hospital, it is a nice way to give back to the community, eventually everyone in the County needs the services of the hospital at some point, and hopefully sometime they will be able to further enhance the care they already give here." She also believes that art within the hospital can be very uplifting, and can bring up a patients spirit. She noted that it might give people something else to think about, clear their mind, and even open up their mind to other possibilities. LeBlanc takes pleasure in the fact that she is helping to do this, but it can also be hard to let some of the paintings go, as she hopes that people will like and enjoy them as much as the artist enjoys painting them.

Jackie LeBlanc - Blah, Blah, Blah

The Cumberland Health Care Foundation manages the four galleries with the portion of each sale going towards buying medical equipment for the regional acute care centre. There will be five other local artists also on exhibit this summer displaying their talent in galleries 2, 3 and 4. One artist, Harvey Dobson, is self-taught, having learned primarily from trial and error. Dobson enjoys painting wildlife with oils and palette, and over the years has developed a love for landscape painting. Similar to LeBlanc, local artist Colin McCabe enjoys using watercolour as a medium. His motivation to paint comes from the local landscape, including the shoreline, the marsh, and the fields. Also self-taught, artist Terrie Brundage uses painting as a therapy, working mostly with acrylic paint and doing some pencil work. Artist Anne Crowell, a resident of Amherst for the past 18 years, took up oil painting upon moving to the area, and eventually became fascinated with watercolour.

The Cumberland Health Care Foundation is a registered Canadian not-for-profit charity. It is dedicated to enhancing the provision of a high standard of health care within Cumberland County, by raising funds and supporting new and improved services, programs, equipment and facilities. For additional information, please visit our website at www.chcfoundation.com or call locally 667-5400 ext. 6210.