CATHY DALEY - Newzones Gallery – $675 to $9,400 Calgary

×

1 of 6

Expand

"Untitled 819"

Cathy Daley, "Untitled 819," 2011, oil pastel on vellum, 36” x 49”. Courtesy of Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art.

×

2 of 6

Expand

"Untitled 821"

Cathy Daley, "Untitled 821," 2011, oil pastel on vellum, 57” x 36”. Courtesy of Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art.

×

3 of 6

Expand

"Untitled 810"

Cathy Daley, "Untitled 810," 2011, oil pastel on vellum, 12” x 9”. Courtesy of Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art.

×

4 of 6

Expand

"Untitled 822"

Cathy Daley, "Untitled 822," 2011, oil pastel on vellum, 54” x 36”. Courtesy of Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art.

×

5 of 6

Expand

"Untitled 875"

Cathy Daley, "Untitled 875," 2012, oil pastel on vellum, 24” x 19”. Courtesy of Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art.

×

6 of 6

Expand

"Untitled 871"

Cathy Daley, "Untitled 871," 2012, oil pastel on vellum, 24” x 19”. Courtesy of Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art.

Prev

Next

CATHY DALEY

Newzones Gallery – $675 to $9,400

Calgary

By Maureen Latta

Wielding black oil pastels and a cheeky attitude, Toronto artist Cathy Daley has made a career out of exploring fashion iconography. Since the early 1990s, she has produced various series on transparent vellum that feature women’s legs in little black dresses and flouncy skirts. Exhibited worldwide and discussed in Art in America, Canadian Art and Border Crossings, Daley’s drawings have been dubbed ironic, witty and post-feminist.

“Originally her work related to body politics and image, but it relates in a sexy, sassy way,” says Sabrina Sullivan, assistant director of Newzones Gallery in Calgary. “It’s whimsical and puts a smile on your face.” Sullivan points to the purchase of Daley’s work by the National Gallery of Canada as “a huge statement” as the gallery typically accepts donations only.

Daley’s trademark use of black pastel leads to continual invention. “Limitations can be helpful in that they can add to creativity because you end up finding new ways to work within the parameters,” she says. Pastel offers a spontaneous approach and is capable of producing a range of tonality and depth. “The drawings often have an almost sculptural presence,” she says.

Daley has taught at OCAD University since 1988. She is represented by galleries in Paris, London and New York. Her work is in the collections of the Kenderdine Art Gallery in Saskatoon, the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery in Montreal and the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery in Owen Sound, Ont.