The Ken Segal Gallery is proud to present The Order of Things by Danny Hussey. First exhibited at XEXE Gallery in Toronto and later at the Art Gallery of Calgary, this show is our first solo show of this Ottawa artist. Hussey, a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, was on the short list of the Royal Bank New Canadian Painting Competition in 2002. His work can be found in public and private collections throughout North America.

According to scientific theory, the universe is filled with a pool of elemental materials that constantly collide and combine in different ways to form all “things”. Some material is coaxed into forms that would not occur naturally. For The Order of Things, Hussey has created his own visual universe, made up of a pool of nine elemental, household materials (a child’s toy, a pencil sharpener, a brush, etc.).

“Imagine that these everyday things represent all the material floating around the universe,” Hussey muses.

Each painting is made up of a number of panels.

Tool Box or Salt Shaker

Each panel represents an elemental material in the universe. Images on the panels are not intended, necessarily, as subject matter, more so as tools, to ultimately reveal the subject (or “thing”).

“The works in this series show how materials can combine to form new things, and they also suggest alternative outcomes. If these materials come together in one particular order, they might make a tool box. If they shift into a different order, they might form a salt shaker. Root images are shared from one work to the next, showing how a small amount of material can produce an infinite number of things,” Hussey explains.

“Rather than following the traditional method of completing one painting in a series and then moving on to the next, I worked on all series of plywood panels in The Order of Things at the same time. Each panel has its own identity and individual purpose, and I moved forward step by step until all panels were finished simultaneously.”

Then, Hussey combined the panels to create some 20 completed works. Some have as many as nine panels bolted together. Each completed work is unique, and each has a title such as “Cassette or Butterfly” or “Tool Box or Salt Shaker”.

A wood-cut block is added to a painted panel.

Furthermore, wood-cut blocks were added to some painted panels, or used as individual cells in multi-celled paintings. By design or by chance, some paintings even resemble a giant wood-cut block.

In addition to paintings, this show explores Hussey’s printmaking as well. Works on display include his numerous wood-cut prints of images from The Order of Things.

So, please join us on Thursday, February 16th, 6:30 – 8:30pm, to meet Danny Hussey, enjoy some light refreshments and see the exhibit. Danny will be available for in-person interviews only on the 16th. But, telephone interviews can be arranged for any time. The show will be ready for preview prior to the opening and press-ready images are available. For more information or help please contact the gallery.