Sense of Place, Arbutus Gallery,
CVAC, Duncan, B.C.
April 2nd-28th
For the last thirty I have not ventured far from the estuary of the Cowichan Valley where my wife and I spend our fall, winter and spring and at Pasley Island in Howe Sound where we spend our summers. The natural beauty and seasonal moods in both places are varied and inspiring, providing fresh subject matter for our drawings and paintings.
Drawing and painting from nature fosters an exchange between what lies inside my mind, heart and body and what lies outside in the natural world. The exchange involves call and response. The hard angles of stone, the arabesque of a branch and the shape of a wave breaking on the shore are alive and specific in their character and call forth different qualities of line or brushwork. Orchestrating and arranging these qualities into a work of art is an act of joy. My aim is to get that joy into the picture. Furthermore, participating in the natural world over and over in this way erases some of the separation I experience in nature and draws me closer to its living presence. Through the level of attention that making a picture requires, the unfamiliar becomes more known and intimate. Repeating this process of drawing and painting in the same locations over many years has deepened my sense of place.
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Winter Light, Khenipsen Estuary, oil painting, 30”x30”
Winter Light, Khenipsen Estuary, oil painting, 30”x30”
Autumn Parade, oil painting, 24”x36”
Autumn Parade, oil painting, 24”x36”
Cowichan Bay Farm, plein-air oil study,12”x24”
Between the Trees 30×40
Between the Trees 30×40
Looking West – 40×30
Looking West from Arbutus Point, Pasley Is. 40×30
Looking Out
Looking Out – 36×36
The Autumn Trees Along the River 30×30
The Autumn Trees Along the River 30×30
Storm Clouds Over Mt. Tzouhalem 36×24-sharp-Softness
Storm Clouds Over Mt. Tzouhalem, oil painting, 24″x36″
Fall Reflections Khenipsen Rd 30×30
Fall Reflections with Mt. Prevost, oil, 30”x30”, available
Mount Tzouhalem with Fall Foliage 34×29.875
Mt. Tzouhalem with Fall Foliage,oil, 30”x36”; available
The Old Stone Church from the Khenipsen Estuary 48×36
The Old Stone Church from Khenipsen Rd., oil, 36”x48””, available
Where the River Meets the Sea 36×24
Where the River Meets the Sea, oil, 24”x36”, available
Looking West from Arbutus Point, Pasley Island, coloured graphite on toned paper, 18”x 24,” custom framed with double mat
Leaning Arbutus Trees, Study, black and white graphite on toned paper, 22”x14, custom framed and double matted
Grand Arbutus, Stoney Hill Park, pastel pencil on toned paper, 16” x 20,” custom framed and double matted
Between the Trees, coloured graphite on toned paper, matted and framed
