The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

30 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday August 4, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com Artscene Oakville Beaver · FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2006 Mother's grief becomes Light of Hope By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Light of Hope is a chronicle of the most difficult time in Barbara Eglinton's life. Ten years ago, her 30-year-old son, Ken, died of AIDS. A paint brush and canvas became Eglinton's means of expressing feelings she couldn't describe verbally. "When you lose someone so close to you, it just leaves you so empty and so devastated, and you don't think you'll ever survive," she said, quietly. "The paintings show my personal struggle as an artist and a mother to live with the loss." Light of Hope opens Aug. 10 at the Oakville Municipal Building, and features watercolour, acrylic and mixed media documentation of the "rough and erratic" journey Eglinton's been on for the past 10 years. But when she was painting, the Sheridan fine arts grad didn't realize her works reflected her feelings. "I was never really aware of what I was expressing," she said. "Now when I look back, I can see that it's a record." Among the 35 works in the show is a series called Seeing Red, which features dark colours with a small touch of red. "I always used to say, `I'm not angry. Why would I be angry?' When I did these paintings, I thought it was all about fun and drama," she said. "Now that I look at them, I realize maybe there was some anger. Not at my son, but at the fact that I have to live without him." Ken was diagnosed HIV positive just months after he began working as Director for AIDS Community Care in Montreal. Near the end of his life, he was given an award called Light and Hope for his contributions to the betterment of the AIDS community. "Even though he knew he was dying, he still said he had so much work to do and so much hope for the people who were ill," said Eglinton. "The show is named for him, because that's what he provided to everyone that knew him." The paintings are being hung on Aug. 4, BARRIE ERSKINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER LIVING WITH LOSS: Barbara Eglinton is having an art show at the Municipal Building next month. It's a solo show and a representation of her 10-year journey as a mother and an artist following the death of her son in 1996. The show is called Light of Hope. Here Eglinton is reflected in her piece titled Growth. a date Eglinton was randomly given by the show's organizers. It also happens to be Ken's 41st birthday. "There's so much significance to that date," she said. "This show has such a strong connection to my son." While some of the works in Light of Hope were created just after Ken's death, there was a long period of time when Eglinton didn't do any painting at all. "I really let the art scene go," she said. "For a long time, I just couldn't. Painting is a very isolated thing, and I just couldn't face the isolation." Eglinton spent a lot of time with family, including her husband, Kirk and two kids, Nancy and Bill, and also sought counselling with Bereaved Families of Ontario. "When you're processing grief, you struggle through hours that seem like days and you feel like you'll never get through it," she said, adding her family and friends have been extremely supportive. "It's life-altering. You feel like you need to start again, find a new existence." Though she didn't know it at the time, her painting was an attempt to work through and express the pain. While Eglinton's earlier works are dark and have names like Teardrop Falls and Faultline, her recent works are bright and colourful. "The last year, I've been using much stronger, much brighter colours," she said. "That's not a conscious thing, though. I'm a very intuitive painter, I'm just working." Titles like Hope and Rebirth, Growth and Grounded were all completed in recent years. "Everything's going upwards, so I think that's hopeful," she said of Grounded. "The roots look more grounded, more secure." Works completed just months ago feature oranges, yellows and reds, like one of her most recent paintings, Tango. "It's pretty lively," said Eglinton, smiling. "It feels good to know that I'm painting livelier now." Light of Hope, an exhibition presented by Art Works, runs from Aug. 8 ­ Sept. 8 at the Oakville Municipal Building, 1225 Trafalgar Rd. The opening reception is Thursday, Aug. 10 from 7 ­ 9 p.m. Krissie Rutherford can be reached at krutherford@oakvillebeaver.com. WHILE STOCK LASTS Paleo Modular Pavers BB Brown $ Sale Reg. 3.69/sqft SPECIAL PURCHASE 3 19 /sqft Save 50 ¢ 2082 QUEENSWAY DRIVE, East of Brant, South off Plains Rd. /sqft BB Brown (905) 634-7707 MON - FRI 7AM-6PM SAT 8AM-5PM 7,000 square feet of outdoor display www.capbrick.com "Your Landscape Superstore"