Writing

 

General

Early in life I had an epiphany about my love of beauty in nature and in art: it gives. Beauty is generous, allowing the viewer to bask in its glory.

However, in my artwork I have evolved to want more than beauty alone. The focus of my work has always been informed by my fascination with people – how we look and how we move in space. We all have the same general structures, but each of us looks unique. Geographical groups can have similarities, and yet each person is completely unique. But how we look is not enough.

We are born into, and are influenced by, a culture. In a multicultural place like Toronto, ours can mix and change with exposure to other cultures. This is fascinating to me, and a bottomless source of inspiration. But even this is still not enough.

Through my art, I want my viewers to get involved with the people and their story and the complex cultural issues I portray. People are still individuals, but in a context. Consequently, my work is detailed – but always in the service of the greater vision. There are also mixed materials to further enhance the meaning.

There is a lot to look at. You won’t notice everything on the first viewing, or even the second or third. Sometimes there is language to give you a clue, sometimes not. But there is always a narrative to engage you.

 

West-Meets-East Series

Back in the early 80s I visited China, and had a chance to see the iconic karst mountains of Guilin. I had previously thought these to be the imaginative fabrications of Chinese landscape artists, but discovered that they are in fact, real. Years later I took some Chinese brush painting courses, and was inspired to paint these fantastical mountains, but combined with the western Pop and Realism styles.

The series features work on 2 or 3 panels, referring to the Chinese scroll form, but the panels are attached to allow the scene to flow from one to the next.

In these paintings, while I strive for beauty and the seamless integration of disparate elements, I also have something to say. They all tell a story of an individual or group. They have a social conscience.

Recognizing that stories need many elements, including people, places, and events, these paintings are detailed. There is a lot to look at! Your eyes will move from place to place as you put it all together, which I intend to be fun, even a little challenging, as well as illuminating.

These are works to engage you, to capture your attention, and keep your eyes roaming the surface as you connect more pieces of the story.

 

Consider A Moment Series

All around the world, life for most of us is lived in a rush. We forget to take the time to notice all the little things – a smile, a bird’s song, a beautiful shadow on the sidewalk – whatever makes us happy in our hearts. They may seem trivial individually, but put a bunch of them in your day, and life becomes more positive and joyful. So I say, “Consider a moment.”

 

Commuting Life - Reliefs

If you’ve ever ridden the subways of Toronto – and I imagine those of other multicultural cities like London and New York, you know what a mixed bag of individuals you will encounter. Not just old/middle aged/young, but people from all over the world, and people whose parents came from all over the world and married someone from somewhere else. The variety and mixtures of people and features are both endless and fascinating. And not only are there racial contrasts and combinations and different ages, but also many emotional auras, postures and styles of dress.

I surreptitiously examine people I find particularly interesting, get off the train, and sketch them from memory. I then use these to compose my small Commuting Life - Reliefs clay sculptures. Generally, I include contrasts – perhaps age, cultural background or emotion – or any combination. All are detailed and recognizable.

The terra-cotta colour of the clay is allowed to be itself, as these are sculptures. However, most also include some other materials such as painted paper or balsa wood.

They are little, familiar slices of life beneath the streets of Toronto.

 

Portraits

We are all more than how we look, so when I paint a portrait, I am interested in including images and materials that describe and express more about the person’s life. This could include their cultural background, interests and people important to them. Generally, these are interwoven into layers of borders surrounding their portrait, and include a wide variety of materials appropriate to the individual. The results are complex, and often include many mini-paintings within the larger work.