Ortansa Moraru
(Canada)
Back to the Garden, Headbones Gallery, Toronto, Canada, September
Les cris-écrits de la nature
Kunst,KUNST,ART,ARTS,art,kunst,beeldende,Kunst,tekening,Zeichnung,tekeningen,Zeichnungen,
Dessin,Dessins,Dibujo,dibujos,Drawings,drawings,Drawing,drawing
Peintre-graveur-poète du noir sur tout type de supports.
Ses connaissances d’artiste, de peintre en gravure, reposent sur l’usage des signes et des images synthétisées en lignes et formes obscures sur du blanc. L’art de la mise en page notre obscurité quotidienne… L’art de préparer la nuit pour le lendemain de l’aube.
Ortansa Moraru was born in 1968, in Romania. After working as an Art Teacher at the “Marin Sorescu” High School of Arts in Craiova, Romania, she immigrated to Canada and worked in Toronto since 2002. She began doing woodcuts in 1987 under the supervision of Dafinel Duinea, a Romanian self-taught printmaker. Ortansa earned her MFA and B. Ed. in 1997 from The Western University of Timisoara having Constantin Catargiu the Lithography Professor. From Suzana Fantanariu, Ortansa learned Drawing, Composition and the hand pulled Woodcut technique. She was awarded with the first Scholarship in 1993 at the 4th European Biennial of Fine Arts Academies in Maastricht, Holland, in the Masterclasss Section, with Professor Luciano Fabro. Another two Scholarships were awarded to her from the “Dante Alighieri” Cultural Society in Rome, Italy, in 1996 and 1998. She is a professional artist with exhibitions across Europe, Asia and North America.
Since her arrival in Canada, Ortansa was awarded with the Third place prize in Italy at the IV International Biennial of Graphic Arts, Francavilla al Mare in 2006 , Juror’s Award in 2007 at the Glenhyrst Art Gallery, at the Juried Drawing Exhibition, Brantford, Third Prize-Abstract at The Society Of Canadian Artist’s 41st Open Juried National Exhibition Todmorden Mills, Papermill Gallery and recently – Arts / Social Justice Award of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada presented by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. She is a member of the Society of Canadian Artists, Aripa Art Gallery, Turin, Italy, Drawing Society of Canada and Ontario College of Teachers.
Style and Essence
Talking about Ortansa Moraru’s art
by Maria Cecilia Nicu
Brancusi said once: «I give you pure joy! » underlining the idea that art has the « mission » to enlighten and enrich our life.
And more: « A true form ought to suggest infinity. The surfaces ought to look as though they went on forever, as though they proceeded out from the mass into some perfect and complete existence » sais Brancusi.
Saying that we should accept that art is a road of discovery, every step is taken is controlled by desire to find something good enough to keep us searching, good enough to want to go farther and find that remote way of entrance into that turbulent universe of emotions, thinking, living.
How much the artist hunker after, it’s expressed in his inner capability to find that ephemeral originality of transforming earthy materials in to a hieratic bouquet of fillings.
Talking about art is never easy.
In November 2008, Varley Art Gallery of Markham hosted a remarkable Collection of art work, « Aligning with Beauty » and one of the artists included in the exhibits was Ortansa Moraru who participated with woodblock prints, black and white ink on Japanese paper being the communicator of her choice.
And I wrote that time: « Based on the dramatic impact black and white combination can produce Ortansa’s prints create a string of emotions for they invade your mind and soul with inquisitive questions. Titled, NEST (II IV V), they send you to an idea of primordial life, but the clarity of an answer is far away from the images Ortansa puts in front of you. Black and white color dance around one another into a frenetic twist, each color fighting to keep its purity, sometimes successfully, other times losing, and the dye is tinted; purity of life, right from the beginning, being an illusion. »
Born in Romania, in 1968, Canadian from 2002.
Ortansa Moraru earned her MFA and B Ed. in 1997 from Western University of Timisoara, studying Lithography, Drawing, Painting, Compositions and the hand pulled Woodcut technique.
Awarded with scholarships from Holland, Italy and Canada, with exhibitions across Europe, Asia and North America, Ortansa confirms she is a remarkable artist with an outstanding talent.
On March 5th this year Ortansa proposes an Open House exhibit and an expended display of her work become a shocking experience ; a chromatic universe provoke our visual perception and reveal the complexity of her personality. The artist is willing to travel from purity of drawing to the intensity of woodblock cut printing, from the precision of graphic lines to the colourful palette on paintings using unexpected shapes and styles and giving the impressions of an intense strive to discover what Brancusi called, « pure joy »
The « Nest » motive is still there, but sometimes it’s amplified by a splash of colour, brighten intervention in the dramatically display of black and she called them the « Passing By », new series of woodblock print projecting a light interpretation of the protective sense of a nest which surround and insure the growing life it’s supposed to embrace.
« The Fences » become a very special surrounding, a jump aver them seems to be a necessity, a chance to achieve what we desire.
In charcoal decisive lines, fences spell out the idea of that open road we dream about and we dare to look for.
Searching for her own style, Ortansa plays between a realistic, easy translatable images with sometimes confusing or even more, intriguing tangled layers of lines or colours.
That way she’s giving herself liberty of an imagistic originality and the chance to get inward and discover a world of ideas, passions, regrets, melancholic reveries, ,all those secret and rich human fillings.
Two of her new series of woodcut print, « My Way » and « Roots » unveil once more Ortansa’s technical possibilities as well as her intense exploration of life interpretation: an almost egg shaped images, « My Way » exploit the dramatic power of black in that fight we know from « Nests » to suppress white sense of serenity or to entangle highly emotional battle Series of « Roots « having an ample format the woodcut prints give us a new meaning of the word-root- going deep under the surface of the earth, the artist discover a new world, I could say, a mirror reflection from above. Colours, hues of brown and red mangled with pale dies of green implying a sense of “déjà vu “, nothing is new, nothing in unknown.
And yet « Alphabet Tree » a series of paintings on egg tempura on somerset is a revelation, a different approach of the subject pending between the traditional (Romanian, Canadian, who know?) view of nature and the border line symbolical even abstract interpretation of it.
A chromatic palette moves leaves from green of summer to golden touch of fall charging a sentimental mood or may be a joyful way of looking around.
A new alphabet emerges from Ortansa’s paintings, an alphabet of nature, trees could offer a hint and we can begin to follow them and uncover many other signs of it.
A large exhibit is a privilege, we can judge artistic work piece by piece or we can dare to take under our scrutiny everything we see. One way or another we can be deeply touch or we can walk away, but always we’ll be followed by uncommon questions.
I have no idea if the questions I’ve left with will be ever answered, but I certain had fillings of fulfilment and happiness and also I can say that I left her Open House exhibit with a certain impression that she’ll have a bright future and her art will enlighten many lives.
She offers « pure joy! »
Maria Cecilia Nicu,
Toronto, March 2011
__________________________________
ORTANSA MORARU, MFA, B. Ed.
Born in Romania, maiden name: Ortansa Ilie
Lives and works in Toronto, Canada since 2002
Education:
2010 PhD Candidate, Western University of Timisoara, Romania
Fine Arts and Design Department
Thesis Supervisor: Prof. PhD. Suzana Fantanariu
http://www.geocentral.net/suzana
www.arte.uvt.ro
http://www.arte.uvt.ro/index1.php?sect=studii&page=doct#suzana
1991-1997 MFA, Faculty of Fine Arts, Western University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania
Printmaking, Prof. PhD. Constantin Catargiu
http://www.cjtimis.ro/uapt/membri/ccatargiu/ccatargiu.htm
1985-1988 Cornetti School of Fine Arts, Craiova, Romania. Prof.Victor Parlac
1985-1987 “Marin Sorescu” High School of Arts, Craiova, Romania
Prof. Suzana Fantanariu
Continuing Education:
2008 Lithography, Open Studio, Toronto. Instructor, Shawn Reynar
2007 Printmaking for Educators, Open Studio, Toronto.
Instructor, Jillian Booth, Print Media Technologist, Sheridan College
Scholarships:
1998 Dante Alighieri Cultural Society, Rome, Italy
▪ Italian Language and Culture Study.
With the support of The Dragan European Foundation, Rome, Italy
1996 Dante Alighieri Cultural Society, Rome, Italy
▪ Italian Language and Culture Study.
With the support of The Rotary Club, Craiova branch, Romania
1993 The 4-th Biennial of Fine Arts Academies, Maastricht, Holland
▪ Master class section – Prof. Luciano Fabro (1936-2007), Milano
With the support of The Open Society Institute, Soros Foundation, Timisoara
Awards:
2009 Arts / Social Justice Award of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada presented by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
2009 Third Prize, Abstract, The 41st Open National Juried exhibition, Papermill Gallery, Toronto
2009 Nica Petre Prize, The Observatorul Magazine, Toronto, Canada
2009 Honorary Diploma, the Eight Edition of the “Iosif Iser” International Contemporary
Printmaking Biennial Exhibition, Romania
2007 Juror’s Award, Glenhyrst Art Gallery, Juried Drawing Exhibition, Brantford, Canada
2006 Third Prize Award, IV International Biennial of Graphic Arts, Francavilla al Mare, Italy
2006 Honorary Diploma, the Sixth Edition of the “Iosif Iser” International Contemporary
Printmaking Biennial Exhibition, Romania
1996 The Youth Prize Award – The Fine Arts Museum, Craiova, Romania
1992 “Dante Alighieri” Award, “Dante Alighieri” Cultural Society, Timisoara, Romania
Member of:
2011 Aripa Art Gallery of Mariana Papara, Turin, Italy www.aripa.eu
2010 Inducted as an honourary member of the Drawing Society of Canada, www.drawingsociety.com
2008(to date) The “Xylography – Stylistic Matrix” Group,
Curator Prof. PhD. Suzana Fantanariu
2007 (to date) Ontario College of Teachers, Canada
2007 -2009 Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists
2003 (to date) Society of Canadian Artists, Toronto, Canada
1997–2001 Romanian Artists Society, Craiova, Romania
1992–1997 Dante Alighieri Cultural Society, Comitato di Timisoara, Romania
1990–2001 Romanian Ex Libris Association, Oradea, Romania, Founding Member
Solo Exhibitions(selection):
2011 Homer Watson Home and Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Ortansa Moraru, Robert Achtemichuk, Isabella Stefanescu
Curator, Sandu Sindile
2009 Romanian General Consulate, Toronto, Canada
2004 Ontario Club, Toronto, Canada
Curator, Claudiu Murgan
2003 Time Just Passing By – Out/Aut Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Curator, Ranko Pavic
1999 “Arta” Gallery, Craiova, Romania
Curator, Catalin Davidescu
1998 “Arta” Gallery, Craiova, Romania
Curator, Catalin Davidescu
Professional Involvement:
March 2011(to date)
Art Gallery of Ontario,
Marvin and Gelber Prints and Drawings Center, Volunteer
January 2011(to date)
Associate Director, Aripa Art Gallery, Turin, Italy
Sep.2009 -(to date)
Art Gallery of Ontario, Gallery Guide –School Program
June 2009
Open Studio, Toronto
Scholarship Jury Member
March 2009 (to date)
Project Assistant for Diaspora,
The “Xylography – Stylistic Matrix” Group,
Curator Prof. PhD. Suzana Fantanariu, Timisoara, Romania
2008 -(to date)
Freelance writer ( volunteer ) for the Romanian Magazine “Observatorul”
November 2008
Society of Canadian Artists
National Jury Member for Elected Membership
May-Dec.2008
Master Printer, Ink Bonds, Rich Fog Publishing House, Toronto
Participating artists: EriK Jerezano, Srdjan Segan, Robin Tewes, Mahmood Meraji, Ashley Johnson, Scott McEwan, Ortansa Moraru, Aleks Bartosik, Harold Klunder
December 2001
Romanian Artists Society
National Jury Member for Elected Membership, Bucharest, Romania
1998-2001
Romanian Artists Society
Curator, “Studio 35”, Craiova Branch
Group Exhibitions (selection):
2011 Apocalipse-Aripa Art Gallery, Turin, Italy. Curator Mariana Papara and Silvana Nota
2011 Artists of the Gallery 2011, 5th Annual AGO Staff Show, Hang Man Gallery, Toronto
2010 The “Xylography-Stylistic Matrix IV” Durango, Mexico. Curator Cristina Sandor
2010 Open Studio 100 Prints, Toronto
2010 Fourth International Printmaking Juried Exhibit
Prints for Peace 2011 Monterrey, NL México
2010 ARTISTS of the GALLERY 2010, 4th Annual AGO Staff Show, Hang Man Gallery
2010 Pulled (A Print Show) Headbones Gallery, Toronto, Curator, Julie Oakes
2009 Whodunit , Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto
2009 Paper Salon, Headbones Gallery Toronto.Curator, Julie Oakes
2009 DIN A4, Sala del Archivo Municipal, Malaga, Spain.Curator Ernst Kraft
2009 Back to the Garden, Headbones Gallery Toronto.Curator, Julie Oakes
2009 Toronto International Art Fair, Headbones Gallery Toronto.Curator, Julie Oakes
2009 The 41st Open National Juried exhibition, Papermill Gallery, Toronto
2009 Open Studio 100 Prints, Toronto
2009 The “Xylography-Stylistic Matrix” Group, Pod Gallery
Curator Prof.PhD. Suzana Fantanariu, Timisoara, Romania
2009 The Sixth Edition of the “Iosif Iser” International Contemporary Printmaking
Biennial Exhibition, Romania
2008 Aligning with Beauty, Varley Art Gallery of Markham. Curator, Julie Oakes
2008 V International Biennial of Graphic Arts, Francavilla al Mare, Italy, China (Peking) and
Spain (Sant Carles de la Ràpita).
2008 The 1st International Printmaking Biennial, Ankara, Turkey
2008 Artist Proof and Sale Group Exhibition, Open Studio, Toronto.
2008 International Group Exhibition, Engrame, Quebec, Canada
2008 Xylography – Stylistic Matrix II, Timisoara, Romania.Curator, SuzanaFantanariu
2008 Second International Mini Print Exhibition-Ottawa School of Art, Ontario, Canada
2008 Naestved International Exhibition of Contemporary Mini Square Prints, Denmark
2008 The Americas Biennial Exhibition
2007 Juried Drawing Exhibition, Glenhyrst Art Gallery, Brantford
2007 Headbones Gallery, Abstract (B&W), Toronto
2007 5th Kiwa Exhibition – The Kyoto International Woodprint Association, Japan
2007 Home/Acasa Project with the support of the Art Council of England and the
Romanian Cultural Institute, London. Curator Gabriela Boiangiu
2007 5th International Small Engraving Biennial, Cremona, Italy
2007 Internationale d’art miniature, Ville de Levis, Quebec
2007 SCA, 50th Anniversary-Joseph D.Carrier Art Gallery, Columbus Centre, Toronto
2007 Acqui Biennale Internationale dell Incisione, Acqui Terme, Italy
2006 International Triennial of Graphic Art, Bitola, Macedonia
2006 5th Egyptian International Print Triennial, Egypt
2006 IV International Biennial of Graphic Arts, Francavilla al Mare, Italy
2006 "Romanian Modern Artist’s Exhibition", Koga City Museum, Japan
2006 First International Miniature Print Competition, Ottawa School of Art, Canada
2006 Elected Member’s Spring Exhibition, Art Gallery of Northumberland, Cobourg, Canada
Her work can be seen at :
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