G.E. (Buck) Newsome

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artist statement

Although I work at times in a large variety of media, most of my creative time is spent doing stipple drawings. This is an old technique often used in the past by illustrators and was particularly employed by biologists to illustrate their discoveries published in scientific journals and in their books. It was favoured because the drawings were easily printed and gave high resolution.

My subjects range broadly, generally animals, particularly birds. I have used the medium to produce political cartoons, a number having been published in the StFX University student newspaper. Besides suffering from depression, now under control through medications, I also suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The best treatment for this affliction is, during the winter months, to sit under a strong light (10K lux) first thing in the morning for a period greater than 40 min. This sets my biological clock for the day. It’s during this treatment each morning that I attend to my creative work, particularly drawing, since I can’t move around.

This collection of my drawings reflects my interests in the natural and specifically the human world. My works may be based on modifications of photographs, etc., directly from nature or even collages melded from both.

selected biography

I was born and lived in Hamilton, Ontario until age six when my father died of a cerebral hemorrhage and my mother took me and my brother to live with her sister and husband in Montreal.  I received my BSc and MSc from Sir George Williams University in Montreal which is now part of Concordia University. There I met and subsequentially married Austina Kennedy and we moved to Winnipeg where I studied for my PhD (1975) at the University of Manitoba. In 1974 I took a position of Assistant Professor at St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS where I taught for 27 years until a minor stroke terminated my academic career and I went on Disability Leave. I retired officially in June 2006 and I am enjoying the Fine Arts disciplines and many hobbies and, along with my wife, care-giving for a number of people less fortunate than ourselves.