Widening Circles

I began the series Widening Circles in the Newfoundland winter while looking east from my studio over the North Atlantic. While the string alludes to a web or net prevalent in the textile and fishing cultures of Newfoundland, I also use string to delineate the "widening circles" of the landscape with its expansive horizon line, a landscape that reminds us of our ever-expanding universe, a universe to which our bodies belong. And, like the poet Rilke, "I give myself to it."

Widening Circles V, 2023 Gouache, acrylic, chalk pastel and string on wood panel 36 x 36	Widening Circles VI, 2023 Gouache, acrylic, chalk pastel and string on wood panel 36 x 36	Widening Circles XII, 2023 Oil, acrylic and string on wood panel 24 x 12
Widening Circles XIII, 2024 Oil and string on wood panel 12 x 12	Widening Circles XV, 2024 Oil and string on wood panel 20 x 16	Widening Circles III, 2022 Gouache, acrylic, chalk pastel and string on wood panel 36 x 36
Widening Circles XVII, 2024 Oil and string on wood panel 16 x 20

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Surge

This series was inspired by the Newfoundland spring, a world full of movement and force as nature wakes up, unfolds or unpacks itself, circling back to life.

I see the surge in movement and colour of the constantly changing skies, the sunrises and sunsets, the wind and the rain, the yellow, pinks and purples of the wildflowers, and the waves that crash into impenetrable cliffs that are guardians of the shore.

The works in the Surge series attempt to reflect this vitality and vibrancy, the feeling of being alive.

After Ending, Begins (Surge Series), 2024 Acrylic, gouache charcoal and chalk pastel on paper 13.5 x 13.5 (Framed: 17.25 x 17.25 x 1)	After the Fog (Surge Series), 2023 Acrylic, chalk pastel and collage on paper 10 x 10 (Framed: 13.75 x 13.75 x 1)	Bloom (Surge Series), 2023 Acrylic, soft pastel and collage on paper 14 x 10 (Framed: 17.75 x 13.75 x 1)
Disappearing, 2024 Oil on Mylar 8 x 11 (Framed: 12 x 14.75 x 1)	Newfoundland Spring (Surge Series), 2023 Acrylic, chalk pastel and collage on paper 9 x 12.75 (Framed: 12.5 x 16.5 x 1)	Requiem (Surge Series), 2023 Oil and oil stick on mylar 19 x 25 (Framed: 22.75 x 28.75 x 1)
Rosa (Surge Series), 2023 Acrylic, chalk pastel, oil stick and collage on paper 13 x 19.75 (Framed: 16.75 x 23.5 x 1)

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Flatrock Tapestries

Flatrock Tapestries were inspired by the area and community around my home in Flatrock, Newfoundland with its powerful and vast surroundings where the horizon line is dominant. The seemingly endless division between ocean and sky is now part of my consciousness and, as a result, a motif in these artworks.

Some of these works also contain fishing boats which are such an integral part of the culture and landscape of Newfoundland. Fishing boats are not only beautiful and romantic symbols of sustenance and survival but also, as most families have a connection to someone who perished while fishing or at sea, a constant reminder of mortality. For me personally, boats also remind me of the human body: they are fragile and yet strong, designed to triumph over harsh conditions.

Flatrock Tapestry VII, 2022 Acrylic, watercolour, conté and collage on paper 23.5 x 9 (Framed: 26.75 x 12.25 x 1)	Flatrock Tapestry VIII, 2022 Acrylic, watercolour, conté and collage on paper 23.5 x 9 (Framed: 26.75 x 12.25 x 1)	Flatrock Tapestry II, 2021 Chalk pastel, gouache, acrylic and collage on paper 28.5 x 9.5
Flatrock Tapestry XI, 2024 Charcoal, gouache, acrylic and collage on paper 27 x 9.5 (Framed: 30 x 12.5 x 1)