My work ‘Swan’ is currently on display in the Granville Island gallery space of the Federation of Canadian Artists, as part of the Active Members Exhibition which runs until January 19. For those of us who don’t live in Vancouver, the Federation also makes each of its exhibits available online through its website .
The painting ‘Swan’ started with photos I was granted permission to take of two models as part of an impromtu drawing session last summer. This was in conjunction with a Robert Liberace drawing and painting workshop hosted in Bruges, Belgium. I cannot speak highly enough of Liberace, both as an artist and as an instructor, and I feel that I’m only just beginning to tap into the depth of guidance he imparted in those two weeks.
As always, my bank of photographs is a rich source of inspiration for years to come, and I often browse through it either in search of something specific I remember or just open to the tug of inspiration. This young woman’s name is Celia, and I love the way she holds the entire space of the canvas and beyond. In Bruges I also photographed many swans. At one stage I thought I might include that imagery in this work, but as it turns out the swans remain only as a trace in the posture of the young woman herself, and in the title of the painting. ‘Swan’ is painted in oil on gallery-wrapped canvas, 16 x 20 inches, and is available for sale through the Federation.
