Terraforms
Terraforms are more sculptural, focusing on the forest floor. These massive assemblages combine manufactured materials such as acrylic paint, metal mesh and fiberglass castings with collaged material from the site. They echo ancient geological forces while connecting to the present world through their materiality. Terraforms toured Ontario public galleries as a solo exhibition with a catalogue essay written by curator Ihor Holubizky.
Forest Floor 1983 acrylic, metal, branches, fabric, carpet, sawdust, mulberry paper on plywood 84”x144” Private collection
Forest Floor work in progress: preparing the under-structure. Caledon Ontario, 1983
Landscape 1990 acrylic, plexiglass, branches, metal, fabric, mulberry paper on plywood 57”x101” collection of University of Waterloo, Waterloo ON
Landscape 1991 acrylic, metal mesh, gravel, glass shards, lichen, sawdust, cast fiberglass on plywood 96”x192” collection of Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton ON
Landscape work in progress: concrete molds. Torrance Barrens, Muskoka Ontario, 1991
Landscape work in progress: building the under-structure. Torrance Barrens, Muskoka Ontario, 1991
Landscape 1991 acrylic & collage on plywood 86”x142” collection of MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie ON
Landscape 1992 acrylic, metal mesh, sawdust, lichen, cast fiberglass on plywood 72”x120” collection of Peel Art Gallery, Brampton ON
Ancient Silence 1993 acrylic, plexiglass, cast fiberglass & collage on plywood 96”x192” $45,000
During the working of Ancient Silence, multiple plywood panels were transported to a work-site in the Niagara Escarpment forest. The process of building up layers of acrylic paint, fiberglass casts, metal mesh, fragments of fabric, cement and material from the site is a metaphor for natural processes and a tactile equivalent of the site. Casts of hoof prints and other traces give glimpses into the lives of beings inhabiting the site. The work tries to re-establish a connection between our own and the natural world, while the clumsiness of the methods undermines our conceit.
1995 exhibition: Terraforms at Hamilton Artist’s Inc, Hamilton ON
Shoreline 1996 acrylic, polyester resin, branches, sawdust, fabric on plywood 72”x108” collection of MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie ON
Primordial Shell 1995 acrylic, lichen, sawdust, gravel on moulded fiberglass 84”x144” collection of Art Gallery of Peterborough, Peterborough ON
Radiant Earth 1995 acrylic & collage on moulded fiberglass 109”x192” $45,000
Radiant Earth began with a large fiberglass shell molded over the ground of the site. This surface then became an arena on which to re-enact natural processes. Layers of paint-saturated fabric fragments, tissue paper, wire, carpet, and fiberglass casts were built up and scraped down, paralleling the accumulation and reabsorption of organic material. Fabric “sprouts” pierced up through the surface, and fiberglass “burrows” penetrated below it, to imply a concealed subterranean world. The contours of the site directed the progress of the work, determining where pools of liquid paint would form, and where scraping away would be most pronounced.
Radiant Earth work in progress: building the under-structure on a fiberglass shell. Caledon Ontario, 1995
Bones of the Earth 1998 acrylic & collage on moulded fiberglass 84”x 168” $40,000
Bones of the Earth (1998) and Primordial Shell (1995) are both fiberglass surfaces molded over the granite of the Canadian Shield. Contours of rock fissures and glacial gougings are revealed. Splats and drips of texture-laden acrylic paint were built up and scraped away glacier-fashion by dragging a flat rock across the painted surface. Pools of salt and gravel-saturated paint were allowed to dry in the hollows of the fiberglass, just as minerals eroded from the rock are re-deposited. The paintings revel in the unfathomable mystery of these ancient formations
Frozen Ground 1998 acrylic, cast fiberglass, metal mesh, polyester resin on plywood 72”x144” $40,000
Frozen Ground combines transparent casting resin, aluminum leaf, metal mesh and salt crystals in a kind of chemical stew which parallels the interplay of condensing moisture and ice crystals.