Author Ann Towell says her six grandchildren are the inspiration behind the art in her first photography exhibition.
“Down the Rabbit Hole,” a collection of 20 layered photographs that opened Saturday until May 7 at Gallery in the Grove, features the youngsters at her family farm near Shetland, in Lambton County.
Her art is about the layers, magic and imagination of childhood, she said.
“Once you get down the rabbit hole you experience a whole new world.”
Towell, who’s written two books, including the award-winning and critically acclaimed novel Grease Town, and whose husband Larry is a photojournalist, said she was working with Larry on scans and in the dark room when she started thinking about her skills and decided to turn her attention to making collages.
“And of course I’ve been taking pictures here with the grandchildren,” she said. “Like what grandma doesn’t?
“And I thought ‘I’m really interested in making collages.
Starting with printed photos and a precision knife, she then turned to Photoshop to hone her technique, she said.
The earliest photos in the collection date back to around 2017, she said. Others are more recent.
“There are three that I made in January of this year,” she said.
Artist friends she asked for feedback encouraged her before she decided on the exhibition, she said.
“Because I’m not just going to sit and do this just for fun, even though I’m enjoying it,” she said.
Her grandchildren range in age from eight months to 13 years, she said.
Towell’s work is showing alongside another gallery exhibition called “All About Silk,” featuring London artist Arale Vallely’s silk paintings.
The Hong Kong-born artist said she’s inspired by the colors and lights of nature.
“I enjoy painting almost every type of flower,” she said in a news release.
“And I love to control as much as I can with the uncontrollable dye to paint the details of the subject on silk.”
The pairing was decided last year, said Gallery in the Grove exhibition planning co-chair Sylvia Foreman, in the release.
“We felt their work was strong enough to support a joint exhibition as the artwork is completely different, but at the same time quite joyful and fun.”