Four different styles and four different points of view, together in one show. Fields of Light: 4 Painters of the Parkland brings together four area artists – James Clow, Kristen Doyle, Laura Gendall and Glenn Romasanta – into one show, currently running at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery. Between the four, they reflect different aspects of the province, whether rural or urban, above ground or under it.
This was the first time the artists have seen each other’s work together, and Clow admits that when he walked in the door he didn’t know what it was going to look like. The artists were contacted by Don Stein, executive director of the Godfrey Dean, who thought their work would compliment each other, though for the artists themselves they didn’t know each other beforehand.
Clow’s work involves the use of potash, something he was inspired to do so at work in a potash mine, with the rotor grooves in the mine inspiring the work. He saw the mine as a kind of sculpture, something he admits made people think he was insane.
“I would go along after lunch with a Ziploc bag and scoop up potash off the floor, and coworkers would say “what are you doing?” I would tell them I was taking it home to make some art, and I won’t tell you exactly what their terminology was but they thought I was nuts. This is to get them to shut up.”
This is a return to art for Clow, who has been away from fine art for a while, spending time working on traditional animation before moving back home again. He says he has more shows coming, though he admits he doesn’t know where he’ll find the time to put them together.
“This forced me to push my work, being offered the chance to be in this exhibition. I wasn’t sure I could do it, someone gave me the motivation to push and keep experimenting.”
Doyle uses found objects in her work, including things like buttons and yarn. She says that after moving many times she has collected a large number of bits and pieces which she has collected, and feels that adding them to the work is a way to add something which wouldn’t be there otherwise.
“If I feel it adds to the piece, I will add it just for added texture and a memory too.”
Being part of the show is an honor for Doyle, who says that being asked to be part of the show and be next to the other artists has been a pleasure.
“I think all of us make art because we need to, and we make art in a bubble, and we make it because we have to make it... It’s really neat to take a step back out of your bubble and see what someone else would do with the same subject matter.”
An art teacher in Kamsack, she says that this will inspire her class, as she learns from the other artists and brings what she learns to her students.
The Saskatchewan landscape is reflected in Romasanta’s paintings, which are often built around a strong horizon line. He says it’s a way to express his emotions in the work.
“It’s just explaining and trying to create conversation visually, and expressing emotion. That being so chaotic at times, you just need something to ground it, and that’s why I incorporate the horizon or a heavy foundation.”
A growing family means Romasanta has not had time for painting recently, so the show represents the last one for a while as he focuses on fatherhood. He says it’s a way to share different times in his life with everyone, and share with everyone what it means to create art, and reflect on his art before taking a break for family.
Gendall is unique among the four because she’s depicting an urban landscape, built around buildings, which she says have been a fascination for her.
“I almost feel like the paintings, with the light and all the different textures and rhythms, to be like dancing buildings. When light hits them in different ways throughout the day it’s almost like they move, even though they’re buildings and they’re stationary.”
She says it’s inspiring to see the other artists, and how they are working from the same starting point to create something completely different, yet still complimentary. Her future will involve bringing Yorkton into her paintings, Gendall explains and reflect the region in her work.
The show runs until April 18 at the Godfrey Dean.
