Floral

Golden surfaces, bright colours, patterns, and negative spaces - my early memories are filled with images of Ukrainian Byzantine paintings. Growing up ‘transculturally’ in an immigrant Ukrainian family meant being surrounded by gold-leafed church interiors and traditionally decorated homes. A properly raised Ukrainian Catholic girl was steeped in vishivanya (embroideries), colourful pysanky (dyed Easter eggs) and gilded icons, and it was these elements that inspired a love of visual art in adulthood.

The connection between my childhood and an inclination  toward patterns, bright colours, negative space and the use of gilding would became clear in the mid 90’s. This was the beginning of the Gold Series - a continuing body of work in which I am exploring these repetitive themes.

Historically, the use of gold leaf (gilding) in religious iconographic painting, Byzantine or otherwise, was intended to symbolize purity, spirituality, and clarity of light. Gold leaf applied to a flat surface may appear alternatively as very shallow or very deep, depending on the direction and source of illumination. Even a sliver of indirect light will illuminate gilding so that it appears to actually embody light itself. For this reason, gold leaf is most often seen as the embellishment of halos in religious art. It is perhaps this embodiment of light that assigns gold its material value, as in the “gold standard”, and also its sentimental value, as when the bond between lovers is symbolized by a band of gold.

The commissioned icon painter of the past worked within stringent guidelines dictated by church doctrine to relay certain religious beliefs or truths to the masses. The icon was and is valuable, both in monetary and spiritual terms, as a sacred object.

The use of gold in contemporary painting can signify a reference to the sacred - to certain truths and beliefs. In the Digital Icon series, this reference is juxtaposed with electronically altered, or digitized, images, which are, in effect, products of imagination and manipulation. This uniting of opposites may be seen to bridge the gap between old and new, past and present, reality and fantasy. It is left to the viewer to decide whether the gilding functions simply as a decorative element, or if its use imbues the final image with more meaningful connotations.          

In 1993, I received my Fine Art diploma (with Distinction) from Grant MacEwan College.  My paintings, including a commissioned portrait of Dr. MacEwan, are held in private and public collections across Alberta. An acrylic painter primarily, I experiment with and teach various approaches to artmaking through community and gallery programs, such as drawing, sculpture, collage, printmaking, and digital art.

Like most artists, I have been painting and making art all my life.  From my precious stash of used, white paper and crayons at 4, to multiple media and products at present; the love of marking up pristine surfaces has never left me.  Growing up in northern BC was a blessing, beautiful landscapes and images, and not a lot of planned activities in the sparsely populated areas around Smithers.  My formative years were spent amusing myself, drawing on trees, drawing trees, ripping birch bark off trees and drawing on that, playing with the pure clay that came up by the shovel-full, and numerous other artistic ways to keep me stimulated.

I have been fortunate to study with artists and be with artists groups in BC, Ontario and Alberta.  I am finding at this point in my life, art is now dominating me and I need to be fully immersed.  I think my real journey is about to take place.

                                                     
          I was born in Montreal, Que. in 1958 and spent most of my youth enjoying its diversity, rich history and culture.  As a young girl I was moved by the joy in my father’s eyes as he drew portraits of family members. He inspired me to put pencil to paper. 

          In 1980 after earning a BSc degree from Concordia University in Montreal I moved to Jasper, Ab.  My intention was to stay for the summer but discovered a wonderful contrast in scenery as well as lifestyle from the city life I had known.   I then spent over two decades of my life experiencing much of what the mountain culture had to offer.  Married to a railroader and raising children in what at times could be an isolated environment nudged me into exploring my creative side.  It is at this point that I reintroduced myself to drawing. Courses in watercolour with local artists Phyllis Jeffreys and Barb Brooks lead to a desire to record in watercolour the magnificent and rugged beauty of the area.

           I have now been a resident of St. Albert, Ab. for a decade and am moved by the opportunities to paint the wide open prairie landscapes as well as the more urban and architectural scenes surrounding me. I have always had a keen interest in portraits and am increasingly drawn to exploring the contemporary still life genre.
                                              
                                                              Artist Statement
 
 When I put paint to paper it’s like the start of an adventure, a road trip.  I enjoy the anticipation of hitting the wide open paper, I pack my imagination and grab my vision and start the creative journey. The watercolour painting process, like an excursion, can sometimes take me down some unexpected routes, at times bringing to light some wonderful sights and other times forcing me to ask for directions.  The mystery of the journey is what keeps me hooked.  Like a vacation I begin by thoroughly planning my paintings almost rehearsing in my mind the route I will take.  This allows me to be very expressive in my paint application, enjoying the spontaneous nature of water media.  Learning to go with the flow, finding joy in the twists and turns of the trip and even getting lost all provide me with a thrill!  If I reach the destination in my art work that’s great but the important thing is to enjoy the ride!
 

                                                             Select Exhibitions

2011          The 32nd Banff Centre Midsummer Ball Exhibit and Auction, Banff Centre.

2011           Live, Work and Play-Articulture-Governor Generals Awards Exhibit, St. Albert, AB.

2010           Oil & Water- Monk & Way-VASA Studio Gallery, St. Albert, AB

2010           Landmarks of St. Albert-VASA Group Show-Studio Gallery, St. Albert, AB.

2009           Open Water- CSPWC-Juried Show, Leighton Centre, Calgary, and AB.  

2009           Edmonton’s Capital Ex-Northwest Originals Gallery

2008           New Works- Solo Show- Mountain Galleries at Fairmont JPL, Jasper, AB.

2008           Tuktu prayers- Group Show-Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, AB.

2005           Here and There- Solo Show- Studio Gallery, St. Albert, AB.

2001           Tis the Season- Solo Show- Mountain Foods/Artists Own, Jasper, AB

1997           Jasper Memories-Solo Show- Artists Own Gallery, Jasper, AB

1996           Jasper Collection-Group Show-Ortona Gallery, Edmonton, AB

Narrative Statement regarding my abstract painting practice

I live in an age where compelling information is ingrained in life and has become part of my observation where circumstances demand a response.  These opportunities, whether physical or mental, influence and modify my view on reality. 

I assimilate the idea of abstraction from an intellectual place.  The simplification and the complexity is not about the subject  it’s about the whole range of history of emotions that come from such places that are raw, intense and open, and still emergent the subject matter registered in my core and resonated so much it had to be expressed on canvas. 

“Art is a matter strictly of experience, not of principles, and what counts first and last in art is quality; all other things are secondary”.  Art and Culture Clement Greenberg

I am a multi-media visual artist, born in northern rural England, who now resides in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.  

Pat Wagensveld   BFA

CV is available upon request