The Prints of Betty Goodwin

M. Wayne Cunningham is a past executive director of the Saskatchewan
Arts Board and the former director of Academic and Career Programs at
East Kootenay Community College.

In her informative introduction, Rosemarie Tovell notes that “Betty
Goodwin has become an icon in contemporary Canadian art.” Having
mastered the rudiments of traditional printmaking under the tutelage of
Yves Gaucher at Concordia, Goodwin cleverly adapted the art form to her
own style and unique devices. Montreal Star art critic Arthur Bado
discerned in her first exhibition of soft ground etchings of clothing
“some of the most original thinking seen around town this season.”
From her early prints of vests, Goodwin progressed to an exploration of
themes of distress (the consequence of a personal loss in her life).
After 1975, she concentrated on drawing, sculpture, and installations.

Goodwin’s 50 years of achievement are recorded in Tovell’s
extensive catalogue, which comprises perceptive essays, well-chosen
illustrations (both color and black and white), an extensive
bibliography, and lists of prints and exhibitions. Anne Maheux’s
excellent essay on Goodwin’s printmaking process and materials
complements Tovell’s discourse, amplifying the breadth and depth of
Goodwin’s creativity in the areas of etching, serigraphy, and
lithography.

The Prints of Betty Goodwin will be an invaluable resource for art
historians, curators, students, teachers, and followers of pop culture.