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 Landscapes 1 |
 Surrealism |
 Ink + Pencil Crayon |
 Quebec 2001 |
About Landscape Paintings...
The Canadian Shield features some of the most rugged and wild landscapes in the world. A strong desire to evoke the sensations experienced in these raw places drives my work. I cannot help but be moved by the sheer power of Lake Superior's waves as they crash into the coast and the awesome strength of the rocks as they withstand the force. Yet even in their defiance, the rocks show the marks and curves carved into them by the water over thousands of years. Interaction with the land is a major contributing factor to the nature of Canadian culture.
My paintings portray the raw, natural beauty and purity of Lake Superior. The organic shapes provide endless interpretive possibilites. I imagine my brush flowing and swelling over the rock, lapping at the shore, being the light. I depict water in many forms, from spray and mist crashing into rock, and the white crests of powerful waves, to the gentle, glistening surfaces of its rolling masses. Captured on the surface of wet rocks, sunlight sparkles and shines, challenging me to express this dance in paint. I strive for a sense of space and texture in my work using light and shadow to portray ancient shores. These paintings are a celebration of colour and movement.
These paintings provide an account of a particular moment, for the scene looks different not only from season to season but hour to hour. All of my paintings are done on location or from photographs that I have taken during an experience in a setting. My paintings are possible because of frequent immersion in these wild places. Being familiar with the landscape, I am able to recognize many of its visual aspects, things that have been noticed over time. I go into the bush whenever I can and study it, looking at what colours meet and in what shapes. I consider how the light dances on the water, how the distant shore fades and how the clouds recede into the distance. I study the shape and character of tree trunks and branches, the colour of the bark, how the shadows fall across all the surfaces and contours. I look at how the leaves disburse against the blue, grey or pink sky. I study the motion of water, how the girth of a wave builds its momentum as its volume is compressed by the upward slope of the shore and how it ploughs into the ancient rock, reshaping itself as its energy refracts and scatters.
To understand the complex world created by humans, I often look to nature for metaphors to gain an understanding of the pain of war, the awe of technology, healing and culture. There is something mesmerizing about the way water ebbs and flows. there is comfort in the cycle of the seasons: the golden richness of Fall, the time of harvest, Winter, long, cold and beautiful, and Spring, life bursting forth towards summer, thick and hot.
When viewed, these paintings are intended to bring us to the depicted location and provide us with an impression of what we might feel in actually being there. As our urban landscape develops, industry continues to consume these precious ecosystems. The environment is becoming an increasingly important issue and so is the need to stay connected to the natural world. Although we may not be able to visit these setings as often as we may like, these paintings provide an opportunity to celebrate their existence and maintain a connection.
About Surrealism Paintings...
These paintings are an experimentation with what I believe to be a universal ‘artistic state’. Stream of consciousness methods are used to develop colourful compositions containing both representational and non-representational forms. Images are guided by an internal vision which itself is created by life’s experiences. The artist is a vessel in which the world is absorbed, processed and synthesized.
I am exploring how the imagination releases images for the mind’s eye to follow. These paintings are not planned. They may begin with an idea for a backdrop or, simply a colour. In the beginning stages as much of an attempt as possible is made to paint in an automatic mind set, like the surrealists. As the paintings develop, I begin to look more critically for imagery and mood. I sometimes spend days and weeks looking at a painting periodically, heavily scrutinizing any ideas about how to proceed next or what to add. As imagery begins to surface, it is treated with a more academic approach. Often, assumed imagery is ‘brought out’ with formal techniques.
The imagery itself can come from anywhere. In fact, there is a constant effort to draw imagery from a diverse field of human experience. Often personal ideas and feelings are intertwined with public, historical and pop culture ideas. I find the human face an infinitely valuable tool for communicating human emotion and it finds its way into my paintings in many manifestations. I am very interested in semiotics and the idea that different people read signs or symbols in different ways. By juxtaposing different images and different styles, new meanings can be derived. I am also interested in double and triple images and the idea that parts make up the whole.
The influence of music on these paintings is very strong. By combining representational and non-representational forms on the same canvas, an effect, like that of music combining instruments with lyrics, can be achieved. Ideas and feelings are united to create unique compositions.