Ruth Abernethy

Ruth was born, 1960 in Lindsay, Ontario Canada. Following education and employment in nearly every province, Ruth now lives in her self-designed home near Waterloo, ON with husband Mark and two sons.

Ruth's solo art career was launched following twenty years of professional prop management and building for theatre and film. Thorough grounding in all aspects of creation, fabrication and presentation was an invaluable apprenticeship. Deft competency with a variety of mediums allows Ruth immense sculptural freedom.

Given the impermanent nature of performance properties, stainless steel and bronze were the initial materials of choice. Well versed in figurative sculpture and detailed character observation, Ruth has enjoyed numerous portrait commissions, large and small, public and private. The success of these portraits is rooted in capturing individual animation, body language and facial expression. In short, creating a ‘moment’ as well as a likeness.?Ruth was the first Canadian exhibitor selected for inclusion by Sculpture-by-the-Sea 2005, in Sydney, Australia where she received a bursary from the Canadian Consulate. The Canadian Portrait collection acquired her bronze portrait bust of Al Waxman. Other pieces are in private collections in England, France, Italy and Australia. Ruth was the only Canadian short list finalist for the Olympic sculpture competition in Beijing 2008.

Beyond portraiture, Ruth's interests lie in public installation and creating art for personal landscapes on a large scale. In the public venue, Ruth explores the element of encounter, attempting to create works with broad appeal without sacrificing content. Her current studio work examines the 'emotional architecture' of human interaction, connection and intention.