I've been doing some free association and research lately about Canada, the land and the Group of Seven. As I get my nose into a multitude of texts I'm finding myself mentally swimming in information. I'm certainly not drowning in it, but like the Canadian landscape, I recognize that it could at any moment take me to places that may not be safe to go alone.
It does seem that the land really does dominate in Canada. As much as the abstract painters of Montreal's 1950s are attractive and have new roots, when we think of Canada, we are branded with early images of French and English explorers. I guess that's because Canada at 143 years old, is a relatively new country compared to, say, France that has been around for over a thousand years -- or is it? Canada's official age is very Euro-centric that eclipses Canada's richer history. Often Canada is considered as bilingual, that is to say it is French and English, both European languages. Before that it was called KANATA by the natives, and how long were they here? Some say a staggering 40,000 years. Not that young. A horseshoe crab fossil was found in Manatoba two years ago that suggests shallow oceans about a half a billion years ago. So its a no-brainer on who came first here. The land rises victorious!
I think of Canada, and Cartier touching down in 1535 and dig further. Reading of Norsemen and early eskimo and Dorset culture and the nomadic behavior is where my eyebrow goes up. It's the land dictating to the people where and when to be. They are hunting and fishing and gathering seasonally and it's this same behavior that has dominated Canada from its pre-european settlers through to present day. One need not look any further than the ice-shack villages of rural Quebec to see how the land dictates where the people are and when and then what behavior and culture come from that. Again, the land dominates.
It gets me thinking about how the people in Canada have artistically interpreted the land and how it's interpretation has been ritualized. ....but that's for another day...
Monday, August 9, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Philadelphia
I've been working on a painting of Philadelphia for a couple weeks now. It's been a slow pace. I'm not sure if it's the size of the canvas vs. the level of detail or the all beige and grey tones, but I'll be glad to get the stage where I'm putting in whites and shipping it of to the client in... wait for it... Philadelphia.
Philadelphia map.
Here are the palettes:
Philadelphia 1.
Philadelphia 2.
I hope to be done this week but at this rate it'll like not get done until mid next week.
Philadelphia map.
Here are the palettes:
Philadelphia 1.
Philadelphia 2.
I hope to be done this week but at this rate it'll like not get done until mid next week.
Friday, September 18, 2009
ART OF THE DAY
IN PRAISE OF SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS 2009
36x 36 Acrylic on Canvas
These are always fun paintings to make. The title comes from my upbringing without strong religious ties. I got many of my values (don't lie, cheat, steal; sharing is good; be kind; don't make fun of people who are differnt) from Saturday morning cartoons. There are so many religious paintings that prasie some religious based figure head, I thought I'd make one of my own.
ART OF THE DAY
AUTUMN IN TORONTO 2009
24x24 Acrylic on canvas
I have come to accept that in painting, I go through stages. With each stage I have an emotional response to the work being made. There are days when I'd like to abort, run away and hide from it, ignore it and do the dishes or laundry or work on something else, but after a while I accept that this might be the worst thing I've ever made. It might be an ugly baby, but it's a baby and needs to be birthed eventually. So, on days like these, I give myself some space, push on and eventually something evolves from the clump. I take more joy in this stage now, and hear in my head, 'this too shall pass.'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)