As many artists do, I work under solitary conditions in my studio so am quite accustomed to being alone most days, but the pandemic has certainly intensified the alone time. I have been able to use the additional isolation to work hard and be creative, and I feel super fortunate for that.
The travel restrictions were certainly disappointing (and certainly necessary,) but we took the opportunity to spend more time in solitude in the back country of the Canadian Rockies, including two 2 extended backpacking trips and several ski/iceclimb trips.
The landscape is a salve for the awfulness and daily tragedy of the pandemic, as we have seen in the incredible number of people spending time in the wilderness this past year. It is for me also an opportunity to gather reference material for the next couple of years of landscape paintings. “East Ridge, Mt. Temple” is the first of many. Getting lost in the rendering of detail and the sculptural quality of couloirs and ridges is a meditative, restorative process. (charcoal, available at Canada House Gallery.)
On another note, last May I became 2nd Vice President of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC) as well as chair for the Open Water Committee, the society’s flagship international exhibition. It has been a challenging learning curve but the other board and committee members have helped me along the way for which I’m grateful. Submissions for the Open Water exhibition will open on June 1, and the exhibition will be held online from October 15 to January 15, 2022. If you are a watercolourist from anywhere on the planet, you are welcome to apply.
I will have more exhibition news in the coming weeks and hope to embrace these (hopefully) final few months of heightened creative isolation to create new work. Meanwhile, enjoy the spring weather, and let’s hope that the marathon is coming to an end. The finish line is nigh!
