For the PLaces I’ve Come From / Entre Chien Et Loup

‘For the Places I’ve Come From’ is a series of paintings that explores the complexities of mark making. In May of 2020, I was meant to travel to Camporsevoli, Italy for an artist residency. My intention for the residency was to create one continuous work on a length of canvas, and then upon my return to Canada I would cut the canvas and stitch it back together in different orientations in order to explore new ways of making meaning through mark making. Of course, this residency was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, I decided to pursue this method of stitching paintings together at home in my studio. These works combine canvas drop cloths, actively painted sections, and naturally dyed textiles. Colours, textures and hues are layered in a way that balances the surface of the work. In examining these works together, you can see the moments where one piece leads into the next.

‘Entre Chien Et Loup” is a series I made at the beginning of 2020, and was working on in tandem with “For the Places I’ve Come From.” It was sort of a transitionary period of making, where I was moving away from using acrylics towards natural dyes. Most of the works from this series use some kind of combination of textiles, acrylics, and natural pigments. The phrase “Entre Chien et Loup”, meaning “between a wolf and a dog” in English, refers to the transitionary period between dusk and night, when you might look at an animal and not know whether it’s a wolf or a dog. At the time, I didn’t feel these two series had much in common but looking back I see how they were entwined so I decided to display them together here.