CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – DISHES

Dishes
© 2022 Leslie Hossack

“Many of my early colour memories revolve around food and related items. In the 1950s, we had a set of dishes that I absolutely loved. Habitant Studio Ware was a hand-painted pattern manufactured in England by J&G Meakin. I clearly recall the cereal bowls and the bread and butter plates. To me, they looked like plaid dishes. In a set of eight, two plates had intersecting red stripes, two had green stripes, two had yellow stripes and two had grey stripes. These dishes seemed to have been designed by a rambunctious child rather than by a rule-bound grownup. When the table was set, it looked comical and playful and very colourful. This image, Dishes, combines the four Habitant colours into one recollection.”

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
30 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – KITCHEN

Kitchen
© 2022 Leslie Hossack

“Our small rented mid century bungalow did not have a dining room; perhaps that’s why the kitchen features in several of my early colour memories. I vividly recall a set of striped glasses; the smaller ones were used for juice and the larger ones for milk. I loved them even though the stripes were earthy shades of yellow, orange, green and red, not the clear saturated colours often associated with early childhood. In the 1950s, many gas stations gave away dishes and glasses to attract and retain customers. Once the attendant had filled up the car (there was no self-service) and the bill had been paid in cash (there were no credit cards), a “free” plate or glass was handed to the motorist. I do not know if the glasses that inspired this image were from a gas station or not. However, I do remember my mother telling my father to get another glass or plate the next time he took the car to be filled up.”

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
30 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – CRINOLINE

Crinoline
© 2022 Leslie Hossack

“This image was inspired by my first party dress. In the 1950s, children’s birthday parties were very exciting, but quite low key compared to today. Four or five neighbourhood friends would be invited. There were balloons, and games such as musical chairs and pin the tail on the donkey. The food consisted of sandwiches cut in the shape of triangles with the crusts removed, celery sticks and carrot sticks, birthday cake and ice cream. Everyone wore their very best clothes. For me, that meant shiny black patent shoes and bright white ankle socks. But most of all, it meant I got to wear my party dress. It was pink, with a full skirt, puff sleeves and a Peter Pan collar. I was only six years old, but I clearly remember the feel of the soft furry black velvet ribbon that tied around the waist and the prickly scratchy net crinoline that was attached underneath.”

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
36 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – LIFE SAVERS

Life Savers
© 2022 Leslie Hossack

“When I was growing up, candies such as jelly beans and Life Savers were a colourful treat. A roll of Life Savers could often be found tucked away in Grandma’s purse or hidden inside a Christmas stocking. In the 1950s, Life Savers came in five flavours: lemon, pineapple, orange, lime and cherry. The image here, Life Savers, is inspired by memories of the paper wrapper that surrounded the tin foil cylinder of candies – the only candies with the hole in the middle.”

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
30 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – CATALOGUE

Catalogue
© 2022 Leslie Hossack

“One of my core recollections involves lying on the living room rug, night after night, pouring over the latest mail order catalogues. From them I learned about the link between colour and language. As a young girl growing up in the 1950s, I was thrilled to discover that twin sweater sets could be ordered in cherry red or peacock blue. Peacock blue – such an exotic name, such an electric colour! I informed my mother that I would simply die if I could not have a peacock blue sweater. I still clearly remember the page in the catalogue that featured the exquisite colours of cherry red and peacock blue. This was the inspiration for the image shown above, Catalogue.”

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
36 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – THE WEDDING

The Wedding
© 2022 Leslie Hossack

“When I was six years old, my aunt announced her engagement. The wedding was to take place a week after my seventh birthday, and I was to be the flower girl. I was thrilled. This was my first close encounter with love & marriage. During all the excitement of the months of planning, I felt like I was living in a fairy tale. One of the highlights was the fact that I was to wear a floor length dress just like my mother who was the matron of honour and the two bridesmaids. I loved my flower girl dress, although I was a little disappointed with the colour. It was a pale orange, just like the bridesmaids’ dresses. Matters were only made worse when I was told that the colour was not orange but shrimp! Perhaps that colour was fashionable in the 1950s, but I was not amused. To this day, I clearly remember that shade of orange, and I still do not like it. We are shaped by the colours that surrounded us in our formative years, both positively and negatively. The colour shrimp is as much a part of me as my physical DNA.”

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
30 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – TELEPHONE

Telephone
© 2022 Leslie Hossack

“This image was inspired by the first telephone I remember as a young child. There was only one phone in the house and it was a landline. It was also a party line, meaning that two households shared the same line. Each house had a different ring tone, so you knew who the incoming call was intended for. However, if you picked up the phone to call out and the other party was already on the line, you could hear their conversation. In the 1950s, telephones were black, with a heavy handset and a slow rotary dial. Long distance calls were very expensive so they were rare and kept as short as possible. Residential phones were used for significant communications and treated with reverence.”

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
36 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – JELL-O

This body of work, CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION, is an abstract autobiography inspired by childhood memories of colour. It explores the premise that we are all shaped by the colours that surrounded us in our formative years.

“Jell-o was inspired by early memories of my favourite everyday dessert. In the 1950s, it was available in six flavours: cherry, strawberry, raspberry, lemon, orange and lime. No matter the flavour, the fruity taste was refreshing. And the colour! In a glass bowl, the translucent look of the saturated colour of jell-o was magical, and the smooth texture was so satisfying. That is unless it was ruined by the addition of sliced bananas or a tin full of drained Fruit Cocktail. The only thing worse was a “jell-o salad” containing slices of celery, cucumber and stuffed olives. As a child, the sole welcome addition to this wobbly delight of a dessert was a dollop of whipped cream on top.”

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
30 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – REGALIA

Regalia was inspired by Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 coronation.

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
36 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION – WINTER

This new body of work, CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION, is an abstract autobiography inspired by childhood memories of colour.

ABOVE: “Winter was inspired by early memories of a striped wool blanket. Here in Canada, the hot summers and cold winters make seasonal changes of clothing and bedding an annual ritual. Every autumn when I was very small, my mother replaced the light summer covers on my bed with a heavy wool blanket. During the long nights and bright days of winter, the colours of that blanket entered my soul where they remain to this day.”

PRINTS
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum composite panel
30 x 24 in.

CONSTRUCTED RECOLLECTION: An Abstract Autobiography – Childhood Colour Coded.

Selected images from Constructed Recollection featured in solo exhibition at
StudioSixtySix.ca 18 August – 24 September, 2023.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack