|
|
Arctic Quest
The northern Arctic has long attracted artists who wish to illustrate its beauty in their creations. In July of 2006 twenty-five artists marked the 100th anniversary of Amundsen’s 1906 navigation through the Northwest passage with a visit to remote Arctic communities. Upon returning home and completing their paintings and other artworks an exhibition was organized to showcase these wonderful works. Called Arctic Quest the exhibit will continue at several different venues throughout 2007. Among the Arctic Quest artists are John Stuart Pryce, Lynn Soehner, Bob Amirault and Paul Gauthier. John Stuart PryceJohn Stuart Pryce explains, "the quest for eloquence in my painting is ongoing." Adding, "Strong design elements, an appropriately chosen color palette, spontaneous brushwork and underlying luminosity are key elements that allow me to share with others what I see and feel." "A playwright once wrote: “Without doubt, beauty is to be found everywhere, but it takes an artist to see it and understand it.” The artist said his goal is “to share with others the beauty that my eyes see, my heart feels, and my soul yearns to understand.” John continues, "I feel privileged to have been part of this exciting and historic expedition with such a wonderful group of artists. My initial reaction to the Arctic was of it's pristine vastness. We were able to see it more intimately during out trips onshore, allowing us to see the subtle beauty of the North." Lynn Soehner
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Lynn Soehner is one of the twenty-five selected Canadian contemporary artists to form the group Arctic Quest During a twelve day voyage, Arctic Quest artists recorded their impressions on canvas, paper and film as they visited remote Arctic communities to paint and distribute art supplies. They are now participating in a program of exhibitions, film, workshops, lectures, student exchanges and historical projects, all planned to coincide with the International Polar Year celebration taking place 2007-9. Lynn is acting as exhibitions coordinator and she has currently organized Arctic Quest exhibitions throughout Canada and the US. The artist is primarily noted for her Hawaiian landscapes composed of rich, exotic colors, which at first appear to be in the spirit of the Fauvist movement, but are actually colors literally dominant in Hawaii. The Arctic landscape attracted Lynn Soehner because of this same color sensibility which she combines with a geometry to build her landscapes. By using geometric forms the compositional strategy might seem to be about structure and stability; instead the geometry offers rhythm, a kind of cadence which evokes the atmosphere of that place. Lynn said, "I was amazed at the similarities between the two landscapes and cultures. The vastness, simplicity and clarity of color convinced me that the Arctic is my next favorite place to paint." Bob Amirault
In the words of Bob Amirault, "going to the Arctic for me was an adventure full of mixed feelings. I had many visions of what I would see, based on past stories and studies of our Northern places. I assumed things would be gray, cold and rugged with very little or no beauty." He readily acknowledged, "was I in for a surprise." "On our first night sailing out of Frobisher Bay I witnessed one of the most spectacular sunsets I had ever seen, and it came complete with a double rainbow." Adding, "Waking up early Sunday morning and going to the upper deck, in the fog, I watched as the sun slowly changed the mist into a full palette of stunning color. After finishing painting a small color study of what I was seeing from the port side of the ship I turned and looked to starboard." "In a few seconds the fog lifted and the mountains along the bay were bathed with light, exposing an enormous stately iceberg all illuminated with the warm colors of the rising sun. Truly spectacular. An image that stayed with me for the entire trip and one I couldn't wait to put on canvas. "I feel I was able to capture those precious moments once in a lifetime in my painting, Early Morning on Frobisher Bay". Bob concluded, "every moment of the rest of our Arctic quest completely wiped out my misinformed view of Canada's glorious north. It was a truly an awesome adventure." Paul Gauthier
Paul Gauthier became involved thanks to a meeting with one of Arctic Quest's organizers. "I met Linda Mackey while visiting The McMichael Canadian Collection during her talk on the Arctic. We chatted about mutual experiences in our visit to Pangnirtung and her connection with Doris McCarthy. She explained her desire to travel with a group of artists on a voyage; as she described it , an emotional journey to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Northwest Passage transit by Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer. Subsequently, my spouse, RoseMarie Condon and I had further meetings with Linda and we, along with four other artists became the committee in charge of activating this adventure. We assisted in bringing a number of professional artists into the picture, in order to formulate the twenty five individuals who would comprise our Arctic Quest voyagers." This wasn't Paul's first trip to the remote north. "My connection to the Arctic was a direct result of my five previous expeditions, which included: Pangnirtung and Broughton Island; Dog sled excursion to Cumberland Sound; Polar Continental Shelf Project and Royal Canadian Geographic recipient in a grant to photograph and paint the High Arctic; six week Arctic journey with the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Henry Larsen; Artist-in-Residence aboard The Illyria vessel with Travel Dynamics, New York, to Greenland." The ExhibitIn mid-December Arctic Quest will be on view at the Vancouver Maritime Museum before traveling to several other locations in Canada and the USA.
Arctic Quest Exhibition Schedule |
|
