landscape

I have always felt a special awe regarding the landscape in its various modes throughout the seasons and hope that by expressing this in painting, others will relate its character to their own interpretations. No political agenda is expounded, but there is always the underlying thought that humans need the natural environment for psychological well-being and that it should be preserved. My landscapes are mostly local, near where I live: viewers might recognize the Rideau Canal, the Rideau River, the Experimental Farm, the wetlands around Mer Bleue, the Gatineau Hills, Pinhey’s Point, the gardens around churches, and display gardens of commercial nurseries.

My paintings are are freely interpreted versions using texture and slashing, blurred brushstrokes to emphasize the effects of atmosphere, especially wind movement and sunlight reflections. The mood and spirit of nature are given more importance than a realistic, traditional depiction. This approach is contemporary, however, it also stems from a long tradition of romantic landscape; an expressed reverence for the mystery of nature. Texture and brushstrokes and mixing wet paint on canvas become prominant.

I like to bring back the recognizable subject as a structure for painterly experimentation, I try to give the subject, the mood and atmosphere, and the paint application and texture all equal importance.

still-life

There are moments when an artist is deeply moved by the appearance of objects transformed by rare lighting which may be available only a few times a year. This sense of discovery inspires a desire to share it with others.

This is why I began to paint still-life when this special, bright winter light was coming in my kitchen window hitting a glass compote and a few pieces of fruit, casting shadows of lace curtainsfalling on the existing pattern of tiles and fruit and their shadows, in turn, altogether a quite complicated combination of fascinating elements.

These factors made beautiful still-life material as they were but I wanted to make some more transformations to enhance the effectiveness of my paintings even more, so I then experimented with moving the pieces of fruit around in different combinations and locations creating different patterns of light and shadows. Then a third stage of transormation came about during the actual act of painting when the colours were pushed a bit here and there to emphasize the emotion connected with the composition, both as an abstract element and the essential curvacious juciness contained in fruit. A free expression of nature.