In the collection the Glenbow Museum is Mary Scott's work "Once tree it away it complete," made in 1978-79. Mary Scott is a painter who subverted the tradition and introduced new ways of considering the art form.
This painting is not composed of brushstrokes, instead each mark is a letter applied to the canvas through a syringe. The letters make up a piece of text from The Making of Americans by Gertrude Stein, a text Scott has repeated on the painting's surface until it transforms into textile-like texture. Scott, while limiting herself to only the three primary colours, achieved an intricate and mesmerising painting from the careful layering of the these shades.
Glenbow Museum states, "this process, in its laborious, meticulous, and repetitive nature, can be understood as a metaphor for women's work." This significance, though intended for a past audience, profoundly resonates with our current generation. Scott's piece puts the Glenbow Museum collection on our must visit list!
