Words Beyond the Canvas
Chapter 1: Compilation of
David Sorensen's Writing
Phase 1
Compiling of David Sorensen’s Writing
Since June 2024, I have set out to collect and compile my father’s letters and notes and sketches, in order to assort and catalog them, while also choosing what segments of writing could be the centre focus for 15 paintings. I originally dedicated 3 months to this portion of the project, but it has proven to be an ongoing part of the process and goes through continued development, as new components and new batches of letters get introduced into the picture.
I’m interesting in compiling diverse texts that conveyed and offer up a wide scope of insight into who he was. As I examine his writing, I have been searching and finding anecdotes and descriptions about his life in the Eastern Townships. This particular region, characterized by its unique landscapes, culture, and history, is where he settled in 1975 and also where I grew up. This area clearly played a significant role in shaping my father's artistic sensibilities and created a place of anchoring, where he could start a family.
For me, it has been especially poignant working on this project in the house that he built in the woods, between Ayer's Cliff and Coaticook, in the Eastern Townships.
By sorting through his letters, notes and sketchbooks I am able to learn more about who he was beyond a father, husband, painter, teacher, etc. He was an avid letter writer, and so I have reached out to some pen pals to see about acquiring copies of his letters that he had written. Thankfully, my father was in the habit of photocopying his writing before mailing them off, so I have a number of them already. And only a few months ago a huge box of letters that my father had written his life-long pen pal from Holland, arrived in the mail. So, the next round of reading, sorting, and archiving has begun.
Delving into my father's writings has been a deeply personal and introspective experience. I am grateful for having the opportunity to gain insight into his thoughts, emotions, and artistic vision and continue to discover the depths of his lite-up and inquisitive mind and heart.
Words Beyond the Canvas
Chapter 2: Creation of Paintings
Phase 2
Through Phase 2, I focused on interpreting my father's words and translating them into visual images, in hopes of expressing my own artistic voice and creativity, as well as paying homage to him.
I chose excerpts of my father's writing and attempted to translate them into visual images on my canvases. The words and floating thoughts from my father's letters, sketchbook and biography notes have served as a source of inspiration, that have guided my artistic interpretations and helped capture a quality of his essence in my paintings and beyond.
The style of the 15+ paintings that I have been work on are mostly abstract, with some figurative elements, generally reflective of some ephemeral realm.
The initial visual vocabulary in my paintings featured orb-like markings reminiscent of "thought bubbles," capturing the random, floating ideas expressed in my father's letters. I first took notice of these unique orbs in photos of my mom and me, while we were on an Italian journey to celebrate what would have been my mother and father's 50th anniversary. One striking image captures my mother, who was battling a deep lung cough at the time, with a cluster of orbs outlining her face as if she were connected to an oxygen tank. This unusual placement felt protective and inspired the idea that some form of healing was at play. Ultimately, these orb-filled photographs significantly influenced my subsequent paintings. In the studio, I focused on a soft color palette while exploring the interplay between hard-edged lines and expansive organic forms. This contrast aims to balance intuition with intellect, as well as the feminine with the masculine. Additionally, I have collaged my father's writing on the back of various canvases - an aspect of the series that I am still developing.
In Phase 2 , I also began to attempt to integrate technology into the creative process, in order to generating a different visual inspiration. The A.I. platform, Midjourney Alpha and Playform AI have offered some interesting amalgamated feedback, whereby text and visual depictions are blended together in a similarly playfulness and fluid fashion found in the writing of my father's. As this A.I. tool analyzes my father's writing, it determines what are the key themes, sentiments, and stylistic elements and provides an objective perspective. Below are a few examples of some of the A.I. results.
Words Beyond the Canvas
Chapter 3: Commemoration Crafting
Phase 3
In the 3rd phase of the project, I set out to writing a short intro on who my father was in order to honour his life and legacy. I was trying to highlight the connections between his writing and his visual art, demonstrating the interplay between these two creative facets of his life, while also giving precedence to the time he spent in the Eastern Townships. This smaller mission was the entry point towards a lengthier 180-page layout for a book, which I hope to print and publish in the near future.
In order to compile the writing, I experimented with different archiving methods. Initially, I tried a chronological timeline, but many letters lacked dates. I then organized them by the recipient. Each letter required time to read, photograph/photocopy, title, and categorize. I eventually sorted them into nine themes relevant to my father's time in the Eastern Townships:
1. Early Days
2. Country Living
3. Constructing a Home
4. Art
5. Spirit and the Dream-like Stream
6. Teaching (Bishop’s University)
7. Friends and Family
8. Travel
9. Life, Death, and Healing
The combination of my paintings and the biography, alongside his own writing, comes together in a multidimensional portrait of my father. His spirit was immersed in creativity and investigation, and writing helped facilitate and crystallize his living thoughts and notions onto paper, and was very much a part of his daily engagement, as was painting. Sharing his personal points of view, in his unique writing style, and preserving his memory for future generations to come is something I am proud and happy to be apart of.