Sylvia Tait facts for kids

Sylvia Tait, born on March 20, 1932, is a talented Canadian artist. She is known for her amazing abstract paintings and for making prints. Abstract art uses shapes, colors, and lines instead of showing things exactly as they look in real life. Printmaking is a way of creating art by transferring an image from one surface to another.

Sylvia Tait's Artistic Journey

Early Art Education

Sylvia Tait studied art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts School of Art and Design. She attended from 1949 to 1953. During her time there, she learned from many famous artists. Some of her teachers included Arthur Lismer, Marian Scott, and Eldon Grier. In 1953, she had her very first art show in Montreal. She showed paintings that were a mix of real-life pictures and abstract ideas.

Life and Art in Mexico

In 1954, Sylvia Tait married Eldon Grier, who was also an artist and a poet. Eldon had strong connections in Mexico, even knowing the famous artist Diego Rivera. Because of this, Sylvia and Eldon spent a lot of time in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in the late 1950s. While in Mexico, Sylvia showed her art in several group exhibitions. She also had two solo shows at the Instituto Allende in 1959 and 1960.

Moving to British Columbia

In 1968, Sylvia and Eldon moved to British Columbia, Canada. Sylvia set up her art studio in West Vancouver. She had many solo art shows in the 1970s and won several awards for her work.

Art for Stage and Public Spaces

In the 1980s, Sylvia Tait used her artistic skills for theater. She designed sets and costumes for operas, dance shows, and plays. Some of these included Amahl and the Night Visitors in 1980 and The Stand for the Anna Wyman Dance company in 1987. She also won art competitions in 2004 and 2005. These wins allowed her to create art for public places.

Art Collections and Memberships

Sylvia Tait's artwork is featured in many important public art galleries. These include the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. She was also a member of important art groups. These groups included the Canadian Society of Graphic Art (starting in 1963) and the Malaspina Printmakers in Vancouver (starting in 1978).

Exhibitions and Artistic Style

Where Sylvia Tait's Art Has Been Shown

Sylvia Tait has shown her art in many countries since the 1950s. Her exhibitions have been in Canada, Mexico, and Ecuador. Since 1977, the Bau-Xi Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia, has represented her art. One of her artworks, called Aquascapes, was put up at the West Vancouver Pool in 2004. It was fully repaired and looked new again in 2013.

Important Art Shows

• In 1974–1976, her show "The Graphic Art of Sylvia Tait: Part I, Drawings" traveled to many cities. It started at Simon Fraser University Gallery in Burnaby, British Columbia.
• In 1974, at the same time as Part I, "The Graphic Art of Sylvia Tait: Part II, Serigraphs" was shown. This exhibition was held at the Mido Gallery in Vancouver.
• In 1981, the "Canvas, Wood and Paper" exhibition was held at the Burnaby Art Gallery in British Columbia.
• In 2011, the West Vancouver Museum held a special show of her art. It was a mini-retrospective, which means it looked back at her art career. This show was a tribute to her amazing work.
• In 2014, Sylvia Tait's art was part of "The And of the Land" exhibition at the West Vancouver Museum. She showed her work alongside other famous British Columbia artists. These included Lawren Harris, Jack Shadbolt, and Takao Tanabe.
• In 2017, the Burnaby Art Gallery featured her art in an exhibition called "Sylvia Tait: Journey."

What Inspired Sylvia Tait's Art

Sylvia Tait's art has been inspired by several things. One major influence was the Abstract Expressionism art movement. This style of art focuses on expressing feelings and ideas through abstract forms. She was also inspired by classical music.

While her early paintings showed real-life objects, her later and current works are completely abstract. She uses many layers of bright, strong colors in her paintings on canvas and paper. People have described her paintings as "visual image-like poetry." This means her art tells a story or creates a feeling, using colors instead of words.

Awards and Recognition

Sylvia Tait has received many awards for her artistic talent:

• 1964: She won a prize at the 2nd Winnipeg Biennale in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
• 1965: She earned Second Prize for "Flowering Tangent" from the Canadian Group of Painters in Montreal, Quebec.
• 1975: She received an Award of Excellence from the Malaspina Printmakers Society in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• 1976: She won Third Prize at the Hadassah Nordau Exhibition in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• 1978: She received an Honourable Mention for "Savoy Cabbages" from the Malaspina Printmakers Society in Vancouver, British Columbia.