Statement

My work is about the space in which a story takes place. Sometimes these spaces are inhabited by figures, but more often there are just remnants left behind; a campfire, a book or an empty can. The re-telling of these stories is a meditative process and end up being cobbled together from real events, hazy memories, emotions, photos and imagined spaces.

In my work I use colour schemes from social media and fashion trends to reference pop culture and the way we filter our public personas. Within my work I explore the duality of paint, using it to convey a representational idea while exploring it as a painterly medium.

C.V.

Education

BFA    2009    Ontario College of Art and Design

Grants and Awards

2016   King Family Bursary, Georgian Bay Land Trust

Solo Exhibitions

2022 A Fairytale for the End of the World, Bau-Xi Gallery (Vancouver, ON)

2021 Campfire Stories, Bau-Xi Gallery (Toronto, ON)

2018   Short Stories, Bau-Xi Gallery (Toronto, ON)

Girls Gone Wild, Bau-Xi Gallery (Vancouver, BC)

2016   Background Check, Capacity 3 Gallery (Guelph, ON)

Selected Group Exhibitions

2019 Art With Heart Auction, Casey House, (Toronto, Ontario)

Art for Life Auction, (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Art Gems Auction (Live), Berkeley Church (Toronto, Ontario)

Mixed Media, Bau-Xi Gallery (Toronto, Ontario)

2018 Holiday Show, Bau-Xi Gallery (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Art With Heart Auction (Live), Casey House (Toronto, Ontario)

Art Toronto, Bau-Xi Gallery (Toronto, Ontario)

Method, Bau-Xi Gallery (Toronto, Ontario)

Deeper Shade of Blue, Bau-Xi Gallery (Vancouver, British Columbia)

2017    Group Show, Bau-Xi Gallery (Toronto, Ontario)

            Art Toronto, Bau-Xi (Toronto, Ontario)

            The Artist Project, Direct Energy Center (Toronto, Ontario)

            Art Gems Auction, Berkeley Church (Toronto, Ontario)

2016   WTFDYP 2016, The Gladstone (Toronto, Ontario)

           Between Land and Sky, Olga Korper Gallery (Toronto, Ontario)

2014   Art With Heart Auction, Casey House (Toronto, Ontario)

Spring Show, AGH Design Annex (Hamilton, Ontario)

2013   iSeamonster Female Collaborative, Hashtag Gallery (Toronto, Ontario)

           Toronto “Rouge” Timeraiser, Fifth Social Club (Toronto, Ontario)

2012   iSeamonster Female Collaborative, Gladstone Hotel (Toronto, Ontario)

            The Canadian Landscape, Gallery 1313 (Toronto, Ontario)

2009   Discover OCAD+ Grad Exhibition, OCAD (Toronto, Ontario)

            Gems, OCAD (Toronto, Ontario)

            WhoDunnit, OCAD (Toronto, Ontario)

Publications

2023 Create! Magazine, Issue #38

2019 Art Gems, Creative Works Studio

2018 Essential Vancouver, Where Vancouver Magazine

Art With Heart, Casey House

2017 Art Gems, Creative Works Studio

2016 WTFDYP: Go Figure, The Gladstone

2013 Burlington Art Auction, Art Gallery of Burlington

Related Press

2018 Galleries West. “Mel Gausden: Girls Gone Wild”, www.gallerieswest.ca, January 2018

Creators Vancouver. “People: Mel Gausden”, www.creatorsvancouver.com, January 2018

2016 Guelph Today Staff. “Nothing is Passive”, GuelphToday.com, July