Gathered collectively were, among others, loved ones, peers, neighbours and the media. Each will have had their specific reasons for being present and they all shared at least one thing in common: all were drawn by the light of one Ruby Ewen.

Ruby is elegant; grace personified. She carries herself with a dignity . . .

that stands alone and even if you did not know her, you would afford her time and space, instinctively drawn to her, even as she distils her world to you – offering you her undivided regard. In the great annals of time, her peers in this realm garner our praise, admiration and devotion, for theirs is the story that inspires, and now hers among them.

ArtPontiac has, rightfully, honoured Ruby with the first exhibition of the season and elevated what is traditionally an opening night for the art community into a gala event with the doors thrown wide.

The exhibition is titled “Retrospective” and one can’t help but feel the associated joy and shadow melancholy that goes with that, for this is an exhibition looking back while acknowledging the present. Ruby has been active as an artist her whole life and a large part of the motivation for the installation stems from her having hung up her paint brushes one last time. Her piece entitled “Caged Bird” (2022) simultaneously brings tears and awe for she has, in one fell swoop, shown the world what artists, of all walks of life, experience at some point: death before dying. For they are all cursed to die twice, first creatively and then, physically.

The top floor of the Stone School Gallery in Portage du Fort is a large space boasting some 80 feet (24 metres) of wall space and Ruby has filled it with pieces from the 60s right up to just last year. She admits to having experienced extreme difficulty in curating the exhibit as she wanted to not “just fill up the walls with pretty things” but to tell a story. And not just any story … her story: an autobiography of a visual artist.

She has seized the narrative and there is a wonderful story being told. There are moments of identity sought combined with others of identity lost. There are brush strokes with intonations of youth and there are sculptures leaning on legacy. There are diminutive representations of love and huge renditions of hope. It is there. It is all there, and so is she.

Gala indeed. And the art put on quite a performance, continuing until June 25.

Almost outshone by the activity upstairs, the artPontiac Stone School Shop opened doors for the second season down below. The near 70 feet (21 metres) of wall space is home once again to a broad collection of art from a large number of artist-members of the association. Canvases, cards, stained glass, knitted items, baskets, wooden bowls, scarves, pottery, carpets and sculptures rank among the many items on display.

Association president, Cheryl Beillard, is hopeful that this current season will be as successful as the last with sales going directly to the artists at a time when art is generally considered a tough sell.

The gallery and shop are open from Thursday to Sunday each weekend from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Artist Ruby Ewen’s honesty and artistry both shine through in Caged Bird as a reflection on her feelings at having given up painting.

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