RUBEENA RATCLIFFE New Abstract Paintings JUNE 4 - 25, 2022 Rubeena Ratcliffe's new abstract paintings follow a similar approach: a refined use of colour and spiritual aspects, both philosophical and pictorial. The titles are taken from children’s books and the collection is titled ‘Blub Bluuub Bluuuuuuub’. RUBEENA RATCLIFFE ALL FOR ONE HOUSE ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 72" [...]
Why does someone become an artist? It's a big question that can yield seemingly inconsequential answers. Sometimes, it all comes down to a childhood chance encounter — stumbling across a comic strip, attending an art exhibition for the first time or an emergency trip to the hospital. I asked Rubeena Ratcliffe to tell me about the early art memories that inspired her desire to create and set her on her career path. [...]
MARA KORKOLA: SMALL PAINTINGS MARCH 24 - APRIL 16, 2022 Mara Korkola's captivating works compress worlds of information into small intimate oil paintings. The featured sunset paintings are based on photographs taken from hiking trips along the west coast of British Columbia. The intimate night paintings are based on photographs taken from evening walks through tree-lined streets of Vancouver neighbourhoods. [...]
Our interview with Toronto-based painter Mara Korkola took place by telephone and email over the course of two months. Mara Korkola's captivating works compress worlds of information into small intimate oil paintings. The sunset paintings featured here are based on photographs taken from hiking trips along the west coast of British Columbia. Late evening is Korkola's signature time of day. This is when she prefers to paint as [...]
Jeroen Witvliet spoke to me about his path to contemporary art making and the curiosity that continues to drive his work. Witvliet's art practice is a response to contemporary times; to be aware and to find a sense of the poetic while questioning current events, historical accuracy and memory. Tell us a bit about yourself. My country of birth [...]
Kyle Scheurmann spoke to me about his path to contemporary art making and the curiosity that continues to drive his work. Scheurmann’s art practice is contingent upon extensive travel, relying on experiential research of the earth’s diverse ecosystems. "I hope my most recent paintings are seen as a practice in documenting the ever-changing state of the earth...." Can you [...]
Randall Steeves' paintings celebrate the complexity of the natural world. The paintings are made from encaustic, a beeswax based paint that is heated and brushed onto the canvas where it hardens immediately. The process results in a complex surface that can be read as a chronology of the painting’s construction and a record the painter’s physical presence and actions. Viewing this work, one is reminded of John Cage’s famous dictum that [...]
BIOGRAPHY Late evening is Mara Korkola’s signature time of day. This is when she prefers to paint as it allows for uninterrupted sessions and working wet on wet, a technique that gives her paintings their lush and fluid surfaces. It is also her favourite time to photograph cities, when streets are devoid of human traffic and the lights emanating from buildings, headlights and street lamps appear jewel-like against the [...]
