Their World: Moments in Childhood
Announcing my solo show opening soon at the McMillan Arts Centre in Parksville. The show runs from May 31 to July 3, 2016, with an opening reception on Saturday, June 4 from 1pm to 4pm. The McMillan Arts Centre is at 133 McMillan Street in Parksville.
I have been working on this series of childhood paintings for a number of years, but the bulk of the work has been completed since the fall of 2014, when I moved into my lovely studio space at Art Alchemy. This work is very close to my heart, and not simply because most of the models for my artwork are my own grandchildren. Childhood is such a wonderful stage of life, where the world is opening up and discoveries are made. Everything is new, bright and exciting, and children soak it all up like little sponges. Their personalities and interests emerge as they interact with all around them, and it is a fascinating process to observe and document. Not all is fun and excitement either, there are moments of contemplation, frustration, and sorrow that are an integral part of the growing process.
I take zillions of pictures of kids just doing what they do, spontaneous and unposed, and then find the vignettes that speak to me the most. These I interpret on my canvases, using line, form, and colour to convey the essence of the moment. In my latest work I have been striving to be looser and more interpretive, and have begun working with palette knives, using my oil paints mixed with a cold wax medium. I love the layers and textures that develop in this work.
At the time of writing this newsletter, all my work is prepared and ready to be transported to Parksville, except for the last 3 paintings which are out on the studio roof, drying in the sun. Next Monday, May30, I hang the show in the Concert Gallery at the McMillan Art Centre. The art centre is in a heritage building and this gallery is a spacious room with a wall of windows. It needs to be spacious because I have 50 paintings to hang. I am excited about seeing all the work hanging in one place, no longer individual paintings but part of a whole – a vibrant kaleidoscope of life.
A visit from Louie
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