Artpoint, October 1-30, 2010

Red Gallery 1139 11 Street SE, Calgary 403-265-6867

Opening Reception October 15, 5-9 pm Artist in attendance

Much anticipated new work! Inspired, as usual, by the great outdoors…only this time, instead of exploring the wilderness, I’m adventuring in our local parks with my toddler. Fields and trees are pretty amazing when you’re small! The images are derived from my experience of these cultivated environments — parks are essentially gardens — while my attention is both distracted by supervising the boy and directed by his whim. I’m mapping the paths; I’m aware of the trees above me and the colours in the distance; I’m pushing the swing; I’m inspecting up close; I’m answering a million versions of “what’s that?”….

As usual, memory plays a huge role in these compositions. I’m an explorer: this is the first time since my own childhood that I have spent hours and hours, over and over, in the same limited and controlled landscape. I find I’m developing a visual shorthand for the shapes and colours that don’t change with the passing weeks, so that some elements repeat from painting to painting. The colour palette has brightened considerably from earlier work, as well. Some of this is relatively local colour (blooming trees, for example) and some, I’m convinced, is influenced by the brightly coloured children’s toys that have taken over my home. These are pretty happy paintings, for the most part. Enjoy the show.

See my artist’s statement here.

Click on the map to enlarge: