Shadbolt’s Owls
by Kai Dao
The Artist:
Jack Shadbolt
Shadbolt was born in 1909 in Shoeburyness, England to a sign painter and a dressmaker.
He and his parents immigrated to British Columbia in 1912, and specifically Victoria in 1914.
Shadbolt had a vested interest in the psyche, mental health, and the contrasts between a dark interior and a light exterior.
As he got older, his art when through a sort of metamorphosis, turning darker and inward until his death in 1998.
The Artwork: A Given Number of Owls
Painted 1972 using acrylics
Did you know: the NAC likes to put artwork behind functional bars, of which there have been many, and that “Owls” is the only one to have remained unscathed? This is all thanks to someone having the brilliant idea to put “Owls” behind plexiglass.
Just like the artist, “Owls” has been bounced around the building before settling into the Canada Room.
Look familiar? Here’s some more owls from Shadbolt’s Mind’s I book of poems.
p. 101
p. 102
p. 96
p. 100
p. 95
p. 91
p. 94
p. 33
p. 2
p. 32
Additional Content: Shadbolt’s poems
Shadbolt is not only a celebrated artist, but also a poet. The book of poems this content will focus on is his Mind’s I, first published in 1973. Like everything Shadbolt has done, it is mentally engaging and does not follow a linear narrative.
Shadbolt, J. (1973). Mind’s I.McClelland and Stewart Limited.
Transformations
Poem is found in Mind’s I, p. 104
Images found in Mind’s I, pp. 92-93
Poem is found in Mind’s I, p. 62
Images found in Mind’s I, pp. 58-59
PROJECT DISCLAIMER AND THANK YOU
The Art@NAC project is a student assignment within MPAD2002: Basics of Visual Communication. Research, narratives, and development are conducted by Bachelor of Media Production (BMPD) 2nd-year students at Carleton University and it is not an official National Art Centre (NAC), Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS), or Carleton University project.
Special thanks to the NAC, CIMS, and Carleton University for their support.
All photographs and videos are provided by NAC Archives, Carleton Immersive Media Studio, and BMPD Students Joe Creech and Eddie Benhin unless otherwise specified.