submitted by the North Dundas Arts Council (NDAC)
Ingrid Black is one of those quiet, unassuming treasures local residents need to know about. She is renowned, incredibly gifted, and she cares deeply about her newly-adopted community, as readers will soon learn.
Ingrid has been developing her art for over 40 years. In the eighties, she dabbled in cityscapes and was a member of the Lakeshore Association of Artists in Pointe Claire, Quebec for 13 years. She is an active, elected member of The Society of Canadian Artists, the West Carleton Arts Society, and the Manotick Artists Association. Eight of Ingrid’s portraits are currently on display at the Life of Pie café in Ottawa, and she is a commissioned artist.
After retiring from her real estate career in 2008, the self-taught Winchester artist devoted herself to her passion. Participating in numerous solo and group exhibitions, Ingrid soon earned attention and rave reviews. Venturing into abstracts, her love of experimenting with texture, color, contrast and light showed: in 2021, she won First Place Overall for Abstracts in an exhibition of LightSpaceTime, an online art gallery!
Ever the consummate artist, Ingrid next set her hand to portraiture. She created a stunning series of portraits of performing artists, capturing their energy on stage in surrealistic style. Her portrait of Bob Marley went viral on the Bob Marley website. In 2020, well-known website editor and publisher David Stark purchased the right to use Ingrid’s psychedelic painting of the Beatles, ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, for the cover of his new book, ‘It’s All Too Much’.
Ingrid also enjoys painting birds and other animals. Her playful depictions, in settings normally associated with human beings, tell stories with often humorous undertones. A selection of her cat portraits, along with other eclectic Ingrid Black pieces, will be on display at the Winchester Library’s ‘Art in the Branches’ exhibit this March.
Ingrid also wants people to know about a local child named Ben, who holds a special place in her heart. Readers are likely familiar with Ben Brown’s story, which has gained much attention in recent months. Born prematurely at 25 weeks, the little warrior survived two brain bleeds on each side of his brain that left him with hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy. In the first year of his life, Ben endured 11 brain surgeries and fought meningitis after the second surgery. Doctors said he likely would never walk or speak; but physiotherapists at Toronto’s Smile Therapy for Kids say he can. He just needs that extra help to get there.
Ben’s family and friends have set a goal to raise $13,000 for his upcoming intensive physiotherapy trip to Toronto in April, and Ingrid Black will be donating 40 percent of all sales of her works at the Winchester Library’s ‘Art in the Branches’ exhibit during the month of March to young Ben’s fundraiser. To learn more about Ingrid’s art, visit www.ingridblack.com . Let’s all show our support for this truly wonderful and generous hearted artist living right here in our community!
