197 Main Street

About the Exhibition

A studio plays an important role in an artist’s creative process. It is a space where artworks are created, but it is also an area for research, experimentation and contemplation. A studio can be an entire room, a single wall or even the corner of a kitchen table. Over time, the studio becomes a reflection of the artist and the place itself can influence the work produced within. During his career, F. H. Varley worked in over fifteen different studios. A few of these featured prominently in his life, including his last one at 197 Main Street Unionville, now called the McKay Art Centre.

In this exhibition, F. H. Varley’s basement studio is revisited through artworks, tools and objects from the period 1957–1969 when the artist lived in Unionville. Inspired by photographs of the McKay Art Centre from that time, the gallery is divided into two separate areas. As you enter, furniture, original to 197 Main Street, suggests a domestic interior. Here, works by F.H. Varley are grouped according to the studios in which they were created. Behind this space, you will find a deconstructed studio with the artist’s easel, paint palette and various works in progress on display. By evoking these settings, we can better understand F.H. Varley’s works and the role of the studio in his creative production.

Image credits
1: The McKay house, April 5, 1969. Digital print from original photograph. Photographer unknown.
2–4, 6–9: Installation images of 197 Main Street, Varley Art Gallery of Markham, 2019 Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid
5: F. H, Varley, Studio Entrance, c. 1952, coloured chalks with graphite on paper, 34.2 cm x 24.5 cm. Collection of the Varley Art Gallery of Markham. Gift of the Estate of Kathleen Gormley McKay, 1996.1.79
10: F. H. Varley, Outside my Studio Window, c. 1963, oil with graphite on canvas, 51.0 x 61.1 cm. Collection of the Varley Art Gallery of Markham. Gift of the Estate of Kathleen Gormley McKay, 1996.1.80