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| Gordon Harrison Garden Exhibit in New Edinburgh |
What do we all associate with Canadian landscape painting? Yes, of course: Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, Emily Carr... Their paintings of the Canadian wilderness with a broad range of vigorous colours and confident brushstrokes shape our reception of the Canadian painting in the early 20th century. Gordon Harrison stands in this pictorial tradition – and a broad spectrum of his colourful paintings were displayed last weekend in a very unusual exhibition – outside, under the sunny sky, in a garden.
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| Gordon Harrison Garden Exhibit |
Located in New Edinburgh, Harrison showed his newest paintings in and around his studio an John Street. From June 3rd till 5th, dozens of his paintings were displayed on brick walls, on easels, and even on the garden fence!
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| Gordon Harrison: Georgian Pine Collection 9 |
Harrison's paintings with strong, thick strokes of oil paint seem to gleam from the inside. In particular the almost abstract paintings caught my attention – when the autumn foliage is just indicated with a few strong brush strokes of warm red oil paint. To obtain his subject matter, stunning beautiful Canadian landscapes, Harrison does not have to travel too far. Some were created from motives inside Gatineau Park (like the Champlain Lookout), and he found a lot of inspiration in the Laurentians – where he and his partner Phil Emond have a B&B. According to the website of the Gordon Harrison Gallery, Harrison is mainly self-taught, and studied at the Ottawa School of Art. He was highly influenced by the Quebec painter Jean-René Richard (1895-1982). As Harrison says: “I refer to my art as ‘Impressionism-Realism’: my brush strokes are broad, loose and intense, yet my subject matter remains clear.”
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| Gordon Harrison: Panorama de bouleaux Collection 1 (Gatineau Park) |
The exhibition was also combined – as every year - with Doors Open Ottawa; therefore a lot of people were attracted to see the artist's studio, listen to live music and spend some time relaxing in the shady garden. Also featured were glass artworks by Catherine Vamvakas-Lay. Her colourful glass vases, sculptures and paper weights were a meaningful addition to the exhibition; because they reflect, like Gordon Harrison's paintings, the thin boundary between abstract and figurative. Catherine holds a bachelor degree in Fine Arts and in Administrative Studies from York University, as well as a diploma in glass from Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.
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| This painting was inspired by the landscape in Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson (Laurentians). |
The show was a success: According to the volunteers of Doors Open, more than 450 visitors came on Saturday and Sunday (for each day). And 17 paintings were sold, together with a signed and framed T-Shirt of the artist – full of colourful paint that is Harrison's signature feature.
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| Gordon Harrison: Convergence |
Facts:
Gordon Harrison 9th Annual Garden Exhibit
June 3-5, 2011 (I assume, next year again on the first weekend of June)
Gordon Harrison Studio
81 John Street
Gordon Harrison and Catherine Vamvakas-Lay are represented by:
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