#strachco

[artistvisual]

Dreaming in the Colours of ‘eh’ – from 2014 As 2013 ended with a solo exhibition titled, #ICONICCANUCK, I returned home from Alberta with thoughts about where I had been with these ‘Canadianisms’ and where I was heading. I began the year with incorporating collage, deepening the connections. There's no place like Canada, a place where I feel I can follow my dreams down a yellow brick road of Autumn gold maple leaves, under a rainbow, and through poppy covered fields. 37 paintings, from the past five years, will now be exhibited in one celebratory solo show, ‘Canadianisms’ opening January 6th at Strathcona County Art Gallery@501 – Sherwood Park Alberta. #canadianart #arthistory #symbolism #realisticpainting #canada150 #canada2017 #artexhibit #artopening #yegarts #shpk #strachco #artopening #iconiccanuck #canadianisms #corporateartcollection

[artistvisual]

While creating these ‘Canadianisms’ on canvas over the past five years I found myself moving from compositions inspired by historical art and into compositions using the Canadian flag as a foundation. Poppies For Louise, painted in 2013 is one of these compositions, the maple leaf centre stage on the horizon. My paintings often begin with a narrative in mind, but rely on intuition. I use a vivid palette and symbolism to communicate the story. I begin with a central image or focal point in mind, and sketch this idea onto the canvas. About two-thirds of the way into a painting, I abandon the original sketch and let the visual story unfold as intuition takes over. My goal is not to capture a landscape as it exists, nothing compares to the real thing, rather I endeavor to tell the story of the landscape. 37 paintings, from the past five years, will now be exhibited in one celebratory solo show, ‘Canadianisms’ opening January 6th at Strathcona County Art Gallery@501 – Sherwood Park Alberta. #canadianart #arthistory #symbolism #realisticpainting #canada150 #canada2017 #artexhibit #artopening #yegarts #shpk #strachco #artopening #iconiccanuck #canadianisms #corporateartcollection

[artistvisual]

It all began with this painting in 2011. Just one year before the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games brought an energy and enthusiasm, in a way the west coast of Canada has never seen. As a visual artist living and working on Vancouver Island, I exist in a unique biosphere influenced by the ocean, native culture, the great outdoors, and enjoyed year-round thanks to the mild climate. There is a disconnect from the rest of the country and I am certainly a long way from the capital city of Ottawa, or the mecca of Toronto. The Games stirred up something inside of me, something that I had forgotten or never explored before, something about my Canadian spirit, and a need to understand my country on a deeper level. I began with painting this goalie mask on the Canadian flag, the composition influenced by a Georgia O’Keeffe painting. The mask reminded me so much of the skulls painted by O’Keeffe. The skulls were remnants of the land that surrounded the artist in her Sante Fe studio. She used the weathered cow’s skull to represent the enduring spirit of America. I saw a direct correlation between the meaning of the skull to America as the hockey mask is to Canada and my childhood growing up watching Hockey Night in Canada, perched safely on my father’s lap. 37 paintings, from the past five years, will now be exhibited in one celebratory solo show, ‘Canadianisms’ opening January 6th at Strathcona County Art Gallery@501 – Sherwood Park Alberta. #canadianart #arthistory #symbolism #realisticpainting #canada150 #canada2017 #artexhibit #artopening #yegarts #shpk #strachco #artopening #iconiccanuck #canadianisms #corporateartcollection