Diana Corvelle, "Besotted"
gouache and watercolor on paper, 11" x 17" 2013
The paintings, prints, and mixed media of Jenny Brown, Diana Corvelle, Jacquie Green, Lisa Lebofsky, Kerry R. Thompson, and Annie Wildey are as varied an interpretation of the sea as the sea itself: at times calming and reflective, at others turbulent and powerful, but always deeply evocative and strikingly profound.
Diana Corvelle says of her piece "Besotted," pictured above:
"Engaging with the traditions of folklore and allegorical narrative, my work reimagines personal experience as myth. Using mythological and iconic imagery to depict real-life issues establishes a protected space in which to examine the emotional content of each experience. Innumerable layers of delicately cross-hatched color give a solid presence to each portrait. Like remembered experiences, each component is both elusive and concrete."
Annie Wildey, "Untitled"
oil on canvas, 10" x 20"
Annie Wildey finds that "...the rhythm of the waves marks time, like the breath. Moment to moment, its intensity fluctuates like emotion. Thoughts linger and pass, like a veil of fog.
At the shore I am remeinded to be present. it provides a place for contemplation and reflection. I identify with the strength and vulnerability of the ocean when a storm is brewing or passing, when the surf is up, when flurries form, when the fog looms or is lifting, when the horizon is obscurred, or the sky begins to clear, I find beauty and a sense of connection in these moments of transition.
"I bring this experience into the studio as I interpret the smells, sounds, feelings, and energy of water and the elements. The process is fluid, moving between freedom and control, accident and intention, as I push and pull the paint to translate my visual and emotional experiences of a subject in motion."
Jenny Brown, "Homesick for the Starfish,"
"Homesick for the Cobweb Jellyfish," "Homesick for the Mirabelle Jellyfish,"
pen & collage on antique photo, 4" x 6.5", 2016
Jenny Brown's whimsical collage "brings to life a mythical world of sea and forest creatures, realized through her love of paper ephemera. Her recent collage works focus on a dream of representing harmony amongst different elements of the natural world (from flora, to fauna, to the celestial, to the oceanic). An abundance of florals in the work represent the hearts and souls of these fantastic creatures...branches and tentacles represent their yearning to be connected...corals and sea plants reconnect these creatures to the most basic elements of life which created them...water and mineral."
Lisa Lebofsky, "Long Island Waves"
oil on aluminum, 2.5" x 7.75", 2015
Lisa Lebofsky's paintigns present viewers with awareness and sympathy for the plight for the plight of landscapes facing extinction as a result of human impact. She finds inspiration and collects source material by traveling extensively, often to remote parts of the world, in order to immerse herself in different environments and cultures. She seeks out areas around the globe that are particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, and meets with local residents to discuss how their community is impacted. To a great extent, these personal interactions inform what areas and what subject matter is ultimately painted. She paints on-site or takes digital photos to cultivate a library of images for later studio work. Recent regions visited include Antarctica, Newfoundland and Labrador, Greenland, and The Maldives.
Jacquie Green, "Above It All"
mixed media on panel, 24" x 36", 2016
Jacquie Green is a multi-talented Toronto-based artist who uses drawing and painting (and often a combination of the two), as a form of first-hand study. "It provides an immediate connection to the world that fascinates me because it is outside the realm of language. When you draw or paint something, you know it in a different, intimate way."
In her work, Green utilizes a variety of media to portray a familiar yet potentially surreal everyday sight, the city's dog-walkers. Here, elements of painting, drawing, and collage combine, a textural surface revealing its multimedia components only upon close inspection.
Kerry R. Thompson, "Shell 1"
oil on canvas, 24" x 30", 2016
Kerry R. Thompson’s work is both a celebratory and critical exploration of the delicate and highly complex natural biological systems of the world and the artificial human relationship to those systems. The work not only investigates the intricate interrelatedness of the inhabitants of these various world-wide biomes, as well as the formation of these systems through the naturally selective forces of evolution, but also the human role as an orchestral force acting on these systems from the outside, not within.