LACHINE SHOW
In 2005, I bought a hundred year old house in Lachine (Montreal). I then proceeded to totally renovate it, creating the kind of space that would allow me both to live and produce my own art. After living in the area for two years, I realized I wanted to celebrate the beauty I found in the area by planning an exhibition of paintings centered on Lachine. Like most people who visit this place, I found myself particularly drawn to the water. I am a member of the Lachine rowing club, and have my own single scull. I spend many happy hours out on the canals of this area. Many of the works have water as a theme.
Since I produced a large solo show of paintings in 2007 (the ?Becoming? exhibition at the M.A.A. on Peel St, downtown), I thought it might be interesting to do this show with another artist. I suggested the idea to Stewart Fletcher, who has been a close friend and colleague for many years. He accepted, and so this exhibition also celebrates our friendship. Although our work is quite different, he too was fascinated by the views from the shores of Lake St. Louis.
Although most works in this show are landscapes, the exhibition has many things in common with the ?Becoming? show. Those paintings centered on my experiences with meditation. Nature, animals, air, and flowers were the main focus. The energy I felt around my subjects was an important part of what I was attempting to communicate. Now, once again, the energy and light that I feel in these spaces have dominated these images. Places are always different to how they seem at first. Hidden qualities emerge. I have tried to communicate these qualities in the works.
The series of small drawings were based on photographs I took while riding my bicycle along the bike paths. I noticed that everybody walks along the shore with their heads turned toward the water. It is a place to dream, to think, to plan, and to drift. People sit, walk, or play with each other, or spend time alone lost in thought. I decided to render these images in graphite (pencil) to keep them spontaneous and intimate.