Napanee Guide/Creations - by Jane Brunton November 24, 2006
"I love learning, I love teaching and I love creating," says Camden East painter Maya Jagger. "I'm very happy in my life right now."
Like many of the artists I have interviewed for this column Maya has multiple interests and skills. She writes, she works in oil pastels and watercolors, and does a little landscaping on the side. As if that weren't enough she raised her daughter Sarah, worked as a chef at Harrowsmith Magazine, operated a bed and breakfast in Camden East (called Oats and Honey) and attended Queen's University.
With all that activity going on it is no wonder it took her more than 20 years to earn a degree at Queen's by taking courses part time. Maya chose religious studies because of a life-long interest in "how people make sense of the world - I like learning about ideas and values that are common across many cultures."
"My daughter attended Newburgh Public School and later graduated from Loyalist College. We graduated in 2001 within a month of each other. We attended each other's graduation." In 2002 Maya gained a diploma at the Faculty of Education at Queen's and presently teaches Grade One at Deseronto Public School.
She is pleased that the new focus in elementary education promotes creative thinking and skills development instead of rote learning. "I use art in many aspects of teaching. The kids learn how to write and illustrate their own books in language arts class. Teaching gives me the satisfaction of sharing what I know and guiding small children to be the best they can be."
When Maya is not teaching she creates with words, paint brushes, pastels and flowers. Her garden borders the Napanee River. Maya's creative style has changed dramatically over the years. Older watercolors are muted and soft and represent landscapes based on personal photos.
In sharp contrast are her recent oil pastels. These are influenced by the time she spent in Medellin, Colombia teaching English as a second language to kindergarten students. "It was a total immersion for all of us since I spoke no Spanish and the children spoke no English," Maya says. Vibrant colors and splotches of gold, inspired by native art and myth, permeate these works and seem to shout "O Colombia" (the title of one of them).
Instead of photos, Maya works from memories of those experiences in the mountains, valleys and the rain forests of Colombia.
"I did a little painting in Colombia but it wasn't until last summer, after being back in Canada for two years, that I started producing work based on my time there. I think I needed a germination time. There were terrifying experiences, like being robbed at knife point. But I am a naturally optimistic person so the beauty and romance of the place rose to the forefront of my memories. That is what I try to recreate," said Maya.
Maya's statement that her "experience in Colombia was life changing," is borne out in the evocative images of her prose poem, "Flying into Mountains". In part, it says:
Midlife, I packed up and moved to Colombia.
Bone chilling.
Life affirming. Fat melting. Home missing.
Eye opening. Heart stopping.
Spirit soaring.
A born flatlander, I went to live among the clouds.
Eight thousand feet above the sea,
I learned to play surrounded by mountains.
Tripping down the Amazon, I slept under southern stars.
I felt the sting of fire ants, held a twelve foot anaconda on my shoulders,
And listened to the screech of howler monkeys.
Maya's poetry has been featured in the Amethyst Review published in Nova Scotia. She has shown her paintings at the Toronto Outdoor Art Show, the Kingston Women's Art Festival and Art Among the Ruins in Newburgh.
In case you didn't get to any of these events you can see Maya's work in watercolor, oil, oil pastel and vegetative matter on the website she shares with digital artist and web designer Chris Melcher. He has produced digital images of Maya's work in the form of cards and prints.
Visit www.sunstonegardens.ca and check out their gallery. Maya can be reached at 613 378 0174.