PURSUIT OF ART
Putting her love for the Maritimes on display made this
artist’s first solo exhibition all the more special
by Rhonda MacLellan, Beaver Brook, N.S.
I
t seems that for most of my life I have
been involved with music, art and the
love of all things “Maritime-ish.” I have
always loved art; I’ve taught it and I con-
tinue to pursue it. I first learned about art
from my maternal, Russian-born grandfa-
ther, George Sawatsky, who was a proficient
pianist and gifted artist. While my father’s
family, the MacLellans, seem to have music
in their veins, it took me years to realize that
not everyone can do what we can do with
music and art. With that realization, I came
to understand that the “gift of talent” was
intended to bring joy to others, not to amass
personal accolades.
I was born in British Columbia and
raised my family there, but all my life the
province of Nova Scotia seemed to beck-
on me. My father, William Leo MacLellan,
was born in Deepdale, N.S., on Cape Bret-
SHOWCASE
Above: Rhonda
working at home
on her art piece,
“Cumberland
Anchor.”
PH
OT
O:^
TIF
FA
NY
BA
RT
LE
TT
28 More of Our Canada SEPTEMBER 2019