ArtWORK > SOUVENIRS

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Cancer & Canada are the initial impetus behind the Souvenir series. During an artist residency on the Toronto Islands I wanted to reconnect to the country where I grew up, through working from the landscape. Meanwhile -on the mainland- my best friend was lying in a hospital fighting the battle of his life.

Looking at fallen trees and tree stumps, I began each painting in a formal way and then created a landscape within these formations from the woods. Some are quite abstract or take on bodily, organ-like shapes. Others seem to form a shelter, in an attempt to keep it -the landscape- together.

Sometimes a palm replaces a pine, as if referencing a memorable vacation spot, maybe the only way I now connect with Canada - a souvenir of the past. These landscapes could be anywhere, and are perhaps more about heartache and the loss of looking forward.