~RENO / BARBARA REID . . MERCER UNION, TORONTO
she came to us – in 1970s Montreal, from Vancouver by way of Southern California / with the nickname: RENO, and that’s what we always called her.
you can also place her, in that un-wieldly, & very unfriendly file:
‘Culture Against Us’, because she too has none of her work displayed on the Mercer Union archive, though she was most certainly included in the ’54/84′ – ‘HOMMAGE a GUIDO MOLINARI’, group exhibit of 1984, & which was in fact curated,
by her old friend, from B.C. / British Columbia . . artist/curator, & early Mercer Union member: ANNA-MARIE COBBOLD.
that’s some archive . . Mercer Union, lol !!
the ghosts – coming back to bite ya !!!!!!!
Karma – ain’t she a bitch.
IMAGE: archival card, ‘BARBARA REID – WATERCOLORS’, MERCER UNION / JULY 12 -25, 1980
but, as you can see from this delightful archival post from 1980, that does survive on their website, the invite from a one-person show Anna-Marie Cobbold also arranged for her, Reno was as magical, and talented as you get / just born that way.
I mean, who ? was doing seascapes, let alone . . watercolors, in 1970, let alone 1980 ???
she was, & continues to be a great inspiration for me, though she’s pretty much given up on the recognition ‘game’.
art world Canada – your loss, and your shame.
here’s a few images of artwork Reno, sent me a few years back:
RENO / BARBARA REID, metallic & colored pencil on card stock, 4 x 6 in. / Oct 2015.
RENO / BARBARA REID, metallic & colored pencil on card stock, 4 x 6 in. / Oct 2015.
now she mostly sends me, these very intense, color-saturated digital photos, usually of her backyard garden harvest.
she sent me these, this week.
DIGITAL PHOTO BY: RENO / BARBARA REID, ‘Been gathering hazelnuts by the fistful and yes, that’s one yellow spongy ball visiting the herd !! Probably brought in by squirrels.’ / Aug, 2018.
DIGITAL PHOTO BY: RENO / BARBARA REID, ‘Today’s story is all about Italian plums. It’s only 15 lb., (pounds !!), but I have to stew them up and either can or freeze them.’ / Aug 2018