Think Global, Art Local

Sledding by Ted Harrison

Golden Spruce Three by Dana Irving

Howe Sound by Dana Irving

Hi friends. I hope you are all well:)

In my wanderings around the internet this past week I have found a few samples of artwork that I must share with you. Growing up in Labrador, I felt very isolated from the rest of the world. We had no internet, and books and tv (with only french and english CBC) were my main connection to the rest of the world. The world I witnessed through these mediums was mostly very unfamiliar to me; places and people that could easily have existed on another planet; certainly not places I could or would ever manage to reach; certainly not places or people I could really relate to. The first time I saw Ted Harrison's artwork I was mesmerized. Not only were his paintings full of beautiful colours that defied the 'rules of nature,' they were of images that I could recognize, relate to and understand. The first painting above, Sledding, reminds me of the endless days my friends and I spent sledding on Johnny Hill, a favourite spot not far from my childhood home.

The following paintings are Golden Spruce Three and Howe Sound, respectively, by Dana Irving. The beautiful colour schemes, use of light and shadow and stylized images make Irving's work dazzling to me. Having moved to the West Coast, these are now the images I can recognize, relate to and understand. I am amazed by this artist!

I have been working away on a painting over the last couple of weeks, finding an hour here and there, mostly after Rowan has gone to bed. It has been a lot of fun, but as things have progressed from my original idea it seems that this canvas and I have found ourselves in an unplanned place. This is certainly not the first time a painting has led me into the unexpected; in fact, I find myself in this situation fairly often. I have come to believe that, at least in my case, the more I try to control every aspect of a painting the more likely I am to find myself in the middle of a difficult and disappointing mess. Kind of like my relationship with my hair most of my life. I have arrived at the conclusion that my ideas are just seeds that require effort, imagination, experimentation and flexibility in order to become complete.

I was wondering about this approach and whether or not I have just found a way to excuse myself from being more disciplined. I don't know the answer. I have read that Ted Harrison works in much the same way, allowing his creations to unveil themselves as he goes along. In any case, I think that if I give myself the chance I could find countless ways to undermine my creativity... so I accept my approach and continue on.

I will post pics of the latest painting soon, when it is complete. In the meantime, if you want to check out the stunning works of these amazing Canadian artists please go to the following sites:

http://www.tedharrison.ca/

http://www.danairving.com/index.html

Take care. Talk to you again soon.