Maple Leaves and Marigolds, Chinese and Japanese Vases, Jay Feather, Rowan Berries and Obed Rock on Mat

These paintings are an affirmation of her continued delight and enthusiasm for the challenge offered in painting still life; combining man-made objects with rocks , shells, flowers, and fruit; exploring the beauty of their shapes and colour; positioning them in an intimate arrangement to exploit the tensions and rhythms suggested in their relations to each other and to the boundaries of each composition.

These four still life paintings are painted to scale making them relatively small in size. They call for close observation, so the viewer can experience them on an intimate level, akin to the focus and attention the artist has paid to each grouping. Each painting is composed of natural and manmade objects viewed from overhead. The influence of living amidst asian culture can be perceived in the artist’s work, as seen in the types of objects and their carefully considered arangement. The paintings are an ordered blend of rocks, shells, familiar childhood flowers and fruit native to the artist’s home on Salt Spring Island, and objects like Chinese cups, Japanese vases, rice paper boxes and chopsticks. The study of meticulously placed objects in a collection gives heightened importance to each item and its relationship to the others, “exploit[ing] the tensions and rhythms suggested in their relations to each other and to the boundaries of each composition”, according to the artist.