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Reed T. Cooper award given to two recipients

November 15, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

The Reed T. Cooper Bursary in Visual Arts was established under the auspices of the Dufferin Arts Council’s (DAC) Artist Support Program, in collaboration with Reed Cooper’s wife after his death in 2006.

In his lifetime, as a resident of Dufferin, Mr. Cooper was a multi-award winner, not only in the Dufferin area but widely in Ontario, having been invited into the Ontario Society of Artists. At that time, he was perfecting his printmaking techniques and by the 1990’s was fully engaged in serigraphy. 

Once he retired to Mulmur, he became very active with his painting, involving himself in group tours and shows all around the greater Dufferin region and further afield, wining awards and acclaims for his work. 

This bursary was created in honour Reed T. Cooper for his many contributions to the local arts community. The bursary is awarded annually to a mid-career visual artist(s) in Dufferin County. Applicants have been “working professionally for a minimum of five years, and display a unique talent and a potential for excellence.”

The terms of the Bursary allow for a maximum of two recipients of $3,000 each.

This year’s recipients are Clay artist Ann Randeraad and Visual artist Ricky Schaede.

With 25 years in the business of being a Clay artist, mainly self-taught, Ms. Randeraad has abandoned the standard electric firing for the hard labour and distinct joys of wood firing only. 

The process sounds overwhelming but Ms. Randeraad takes it in her stride. “It takes 4-5 hours to load the kiln on day one. On the second day, the firing begins and it takes.somewhere between 12 & 30 hours to fire up to temperature. The kiln must reach 2300 degrees F. Once temperatures ​are reached, the kiln is closed up and allowed to cool slowly for 3-4 days.”

Opening the kiln is thrilling every time for Ms. Randeraad, as it is impossible to know exactly what has happened to the pieces she has worked to create and prepare during the process.

Although using wood to fire her pieces is very labour intensive, it also brings the rewards of producing pieces which are all distinct each from the other. The reason for the is the endless list of variables: the type of wood, the size of the wood, the firing atmosphere, weather, density of ware load, meaning no two pieces are identical.

Always innovative, her application for the Reed T. Cooper bursary as a mid-term artist, is her continued determination to learn more about her craft and has prompted her wish “to research, develop and create a large scale body of work decorated with brand new techniques. She wants to travel to North Carolina to develop ways of using slips, as either the finished surface or to be the primary layer on which to lay glazes.” 

This award will aid that ambition.

Working “primarily with acrylics, but often using oils and egg tempera, india ink, graphite, and modelling clay,..” Ricky Schaede pays “close attention to detail, which results in a very repetitive and meditative painting process, with pieces taking dozens to hundreds of hours to complete. It is my fascination with the minute details of life which compels me to look closely at each tiny space in my works of art, filling each space with an element of detail to create the larger components in the work.”

Ricky Schaede has worked very hard in the arts community, especially to bring the joy of creating art in younger people. He co-founded Club Art, a not for profit organization established in Orangeville the mandate of which “is to create a safe, inspiring space for youth to experience and create art.”

He currently works and teaches art, frequently to younger students at Maggiolly’s Gallery and Art supply shop in Orangeville. He also displays his work there and in other venues, open to the public.

He once told the Citizen, “For me, art work is a chance to explore the mysteries of the universe, the deeper contemplations of life. Art accesses the deeper part of ourselves, not just for the sake of something pretty.”

Mr. Schaede applied for the bursary to assist him in self-publishing ‘Ricky’s Creatures’ his first children’s picture book.

The Reed T. Cooper Bursary is “open to any professional artist who is a resident of Dufferin County and who is a member of the Dufferin Arts Council. Eligible media include, but may not be limited to: painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, fibre arts, glass, wood, photography, digital/computer-generated art.”

Congratulations to the Ann Randeraad and Ricky Schaede on their wins.

For full details, go to www.dufferinartscouncil.ca.


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