GRANVILLE ISLAND SERIES
Often the scenes we just happen upon, have the most lasting impact. I saw the inspiration for this series as I was disembarking from a small ferry onto Granville Island in Vancouver. There beneath the piers, was an enticing world of mystic, decay, light and darkness.
I approached my portrayal of the image in two ways. In my first series, I created three black and white drawings in charcoal. In these, I wanted to explore the play I had seen between light and shadows. In the second series, I began to explore the deterioration of materials. This series is created on large sheets of steel. The surfaces have been covered in vinegar and allowed to patina for a number of days.
HADRIAN’S VILLA SERIES
This series explores a visit I made to Hadrian’s Villa, in Tivoli, Italy. It is a place I have visited twice, and on each occasion, was mesmerized by its stature, and aging patina. I am not alone in my admiration for this ruin. Giovanni Piranesi, created a number or etchings, most famous, his Carceri d’Invenzione series.
I chose to explore the villa in two ways:
Four large drawings depicting elements of the ruin in white chalk on black paper.
A large scale mirror piece, in which I stripped off the protective coating and antiqued the silvering layer beneath.
These pieces were shown as part of an exhibition, The Three Definitions of the Sublime.
LANDSFORMED SERIES
On the odd occasion and usually when we least expect it, we happen upon something that captures our interest and ignites our imagination. The Cromeleque of the Almendres did exactly this for me. Located in Guadalupe, two hours from Lisbon, Portugal, and twelve kilometers west of Evora, the Cromeleque of the Almendres, is one of the largest groups of menhirs to have been erected on the Iberia Peninsula. The site consists of ninety-two menhirs, all of varying shapes and sizes. Some of the stones bear evidence of ancient carvings. Others are marked by time alone. It is thought that the Cromeleque of the Almendres was created in different phases throughout the Neolithic period (the 5th to the 4th millennia BC) and used for religious functions as well as acting as a primitive astronomical observatory. The stones are arranged as two enclosures, erected in different, distinct epochs and aligned to accord with the equinoxes. A tall, singular menhir stands a distance apart. Allowed to wander freely, I was captivated by this site. Places, like the Cromeleque of the Almendres, remind us how small a part we play as individuals in the overall scale of history. Paradoxically they reaffirm that no matter how small the part we play, the marks we make will often linger. The menhirs of the Almendres are a land formed by time and people.