Artist Statement
While studying the history and symbolism of toile,
I couldn’t help but note the traditionally two-dimensional and minimal quality of the marks used in these fabric and wallpaper patterns. The palette employed was noticeably economical as well, often monotonal. While the content in the series of drawings I have produced are informed by the original toile patterns, the resulting drawings speak more of my own sensibilities.
I enjoy the voluptuousness of mark making....the sensuous nature of undulating forms appeal to me and it shows in this work. The marks are not minimal either.
I enjoy building texture through the layering of marks. This approach illustrates a personal pattern of observation and investigation - a way of seeing.
My palette, though occasionally economical, usually leans toward a more vivid and contrasting expression than the toile tradition dictates.
These patterns, when viewed quite closely, begin to lose their identifiability and predictability. When a small segment is isolated, the pattern is obfuscated and moves toward chaos and the surreal. I see this work edging inexorably toward jarring contrasts and unlikely pairings. For now, it is about the inherent beauty in things - a celebration of colour and the allure of
mark making. |
Biography
I am an artist and an arts advocate. I am passionate about and dedicated to the future of the arts in my community. In 1994, I graduated from Okanagan University College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree granted from the University of Victoria. Since then I have been a practising artist working mainly in mixed media with frequent excursions into the seductive world of oil on canvas. I have exhibited my work in galleries throughout the Okanagan for the past 15 years and currently I have work at Headbones Gallery in Toronto. Ideas are really the focus of my practise and so writing and keeping journals is an integral part of my process. I look at my life and my art as one and the same thing. I am a work in progress. |
