Portraits of Measha
Published Wednesday May 12th, 2010
Art: Paintings by Moncton artist Ann Balch feature famed New Brunswick soprano
The first time Moncton-based painter Ann Balch met Measha Brueggergosman was backstage at the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in 2007. As usual, Brueggergosman showed up fashionably late for her fitting, striding in and removing her clothes with a practised ease down to the bear necessities.
"The emotional stuff hit me first," says Balch. "She's got, of course, quite a presence, and she's very genuine."
Balch found herself backstage not because she was a fan of the Fredericton-born soprano, but because she had asked Brueggergosman if she would let her paint her. Much to her surprise, the international opera star agreed and invited her to Halifax.
Three years and a handful more intimate meetings later, Balch is preparing to show her collected portraits Measha: A Personal Symphony this week at Gallery 78 in Fredericton. It will be the first painting exhibition with Brueggergosman as the subject.
Rather than the professional grace Balch experienced in Halifax, something she says only compares to the time she met Prince Charles, her finished paintings capture a more intimate side of Brueggergosman.
"She's very genuine, interested and really sparkles and performs when she's around people. I was more interested in what she was like when she was by herself or just with friends.
"I didn't really want to see her in the public sphere as I did behind the scenes."
Balch didn't have such ambitious goals when she first contacted Brueggergosman's PR manager. She had simply been struck by photos of Brueggergosman that appeared in Chatelaine. It was a shot in the dark when she contacted the singer and definitely out of the ordinary for Balch.
"I hadn't followed her career. I knew there was this woman in the province with this humongous name. But, other than that, I really didn't know too much about her."
Yet, given Balch's practice over the past decade, her attraction to Brueggergosman isn't surprising. Black women dominate Balch's work.
A natural blonde hair with blue eyes herself, Balch is attracted to how black skin reflects light. It was something she first noticed as a teenager sketching with pencils.
"Personally I come across as a quiet, reserved-type person, but I really do like the drama of dark and light. It fits my personality that way."
And while Brueggergosman is drama incarnate singing opera arias on stage in front of thousands, Balch's work captures a more personal drama. Her first breakthrough painting came from a sitting while Brueggergosman was cottaging in Duncan's Cove, N.S.
"She was just relaxing, and I really enjoyed seeing that part of her, because I could study her physicality more and not be distracted by the flashing smile and all the rest of it. I just kind of observed her.
"She's got a beautiful shaped head. It sounds funny, but it's perfectly formed."
Brueggergosman and Balch would organize sittings whenever the singer's schedule brought her back to the Maritimes - meeting at a café in Fredericton, backstage at the Capitol Theatre or even spending a night with friends and family in Prince Edward Island.
The final 14 works are in watercolour or oil, and are not traditional portraits. They're often tightly cropped and Brueggergosman even has her back turned in some of the pieces.
"If somebody said would you like to do a portrait they're not thinking of this ... they're what I want to paint. They're not necessarily a reflection of the person or a historical record."
As of last Friday, Balch was putting the final touches on the final work on the series, appropriately titled Curtain Call. Balch is finished with the series for now, but hopes to stay in touch with Brueggergosman and perhaps paint her again when she's a bit older.
Brueggergosman won't be on hand at the opening this Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. in Fredericton, as she's on a yoga training retreat in Las Vegas. But that's OK. Brueggergosman's already chosen the painting she wants for her collection.
Mike Landry is arts and culture editor at the Telegraph-Journal. He can be reached at landry.michael@telegraphjournal.com
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