SHUBENACADIE: Artist Kelly Morehouse hopes she captured Shubenacadie’s Tracy Cameron’s flame within, with her recently finished portrait.

Morehouse, who calls Shubenacadie home, is a member of the Canadian Portrait Society, and recently completed a portrait of Cameron to be shown in a collection, Canadian Olympic Athletes: A Dialogue in Art, a show being held in Toronto at the John B. Aird Art Gallery.

Morehouse said picking Cameron was an easy choice.

“She’s from here, she’s a strong woman and I think she is so inspirational,” explained Morehouse of why she painted Cameron. “Coming from a little area and accomplishing so much is amazing.”

For Cameron, being chosen was something she describes as extremely special.

“There are so many extraordinary athletes and Olympians in Canada and I am extremely honoured that she chose me as her study,” she said.

To complete the portrait, Morehouse reached out to Cameron for guidance. She also did a lot of homework on the 2008 Beijing games lightweight rowing Bronze medallist.

“At the time when I started, I hadn’t met her,” said Morehouse. “She sent me some photos; the media people for Rowing Canada sent me a lot of photos and literally looked at hundreds of pictures to see who she was outside of an athlete. I just wanted to know what makes her who she is.”

She named the portrait after meeting Cameron in person after the Olympic Torch came through Shubenacadie. Attending the celebrations held at the Shubenacadie Community Centre on Nov. 18, and finally meeting the athlete she came to know through e-mails, she said the portrait named itself.

“‘An Lasair A-Staigh.’ That is the title of this portrait, meaning The Flame Within-it is this inner flame, this strength, strength of body, strength of mind, focus, spirit and grace, that I hope I have illuminated in this portrait of Tracy,” she said. “When I heard her speak about the flame within, I just thought, that’s it.”

Wanting to capture Cameron’s true passion for sport, Morehouse said she knew the painting had to have the same focus and energy as Cameron exudes in sport.

“The paper I chose has fibres that are visible, flowing, unhidden throughout the portrait, as a current, that I feel, portrays the flow of Tracy’s energy, of the water which she parts with her oars, the flow of her thoughtful, competitive nature, and of course, the flicker, the flame of the Olympic torch, The Flame Within, that draws together like-minded athletes from around the world,” she said

After she completed her finished project, Morehouse said she knew Cameron was the first one to see and was pleased with her reaction.

“She said she really liked it, actually, she said it was ‘stunning,’” Morehouse said. “And of all of the people to see it, I wanted those close to her to say it looked like her.”

Cameron says she more than likes the portrait.

“Kelly captured my spirit during a moment of perfect contentment; I was overlooking the lake at dusk, reflecting the work that we'd done that day, and feeling the pure peace and joy that rowing brings to my life,” she said. “Kelly is an amazing artist and person and I wish her success with this piece.”

Morehouse’s portrait as well as other portraits of Canadian Olympians can be seen on the Portrait Society’s website, at www.portraitsocietyofcanada.com. It is also on Morehouse’s personal website, along with examples of her other works at www.kellymorehouse.com

acameron@enfieldweeklypress.com