April 2022 - Spring Haiku /Newest Paintings at the Big-O / CBC Radio Interview
sunshine ignites life
yellow green leaves stretching
a gessoed canvas
With a coffee in hand and the glorious sun warming my face, I feel like life’s soundtrack has just changed. There is a lightness in the air and a feeling of hope for better days up ahead. We were in the season of winter, for what felt like a very very long time, and now...we are elsewhere.
Speaking of fresh beginnings and gessoed canvases, in the studio the wheels continue to turn and churn, and the series Black Tourmaline has been growing and taking form.
A studio peek into what happens when an abundant stash of raw canvas is found,
somewhere you forgot you had put it.
And here is a little backstory on how the Black Tourmaline paintings came to be….
Last summer, I had a dream that I was painting 2 gigantic canvases black. I woke up knowing I needed to paint them. The next day, by chance, I met an amazing Mohawk shaman woman, who shared in conversation that a semi-precious stone, Black Tourmaline, had the ability to heal and clear negativity. Because of its dark coloration, this stone supposedly has the ability to absorb negative energy without compromising itself.
These 2 experiences left a mark on me. I connected the dream and the conversation, and from that meeting point emerged the idea of creating paintings that were infused with the intention of both potentially healing and protecting people and their environments. This, as well as mark making, have been the main focuses of exploration in these recent paintings.
Black Tourmaline, 60” X 48”, acrylic on canvas, 2022
Diving Hummingbirds, 66” X 66”, acrylic on canvas, 2022
Black and Rose Tourmaline, 77” X 65”, acrylic on canvas, 2022
THE OLYMPIC STADIUM EXPO
Below is an image of the painting, ‘Diving Hummingbirds’ next to ‘Dreaming in Confinement’, which was on display at the Olympic Stadium last week, alongside some of my more colourful smaller sized works, which are also found below. It was the first time any of these paintings left the studio and it was wonderful to have them hang in such a fabulous venue, and be apart of the Expo de l’Habitation.
For more info on the below paintings, click on the images of interest:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR THE HOMELESS
I would also like to mention that the next Food for Thought for the Homeless distribution outing will be taking place this coming June 2022. So, if you would like to donate or contribute, do reach out to us.
Here is a short CBC Radio-One interview, that gives a more detailed idea what’s up ahead with the Food for Thought for the Homeless project. My segment is approximately 6 minutes long (14:40min to 21:30min), but the full series of interviews, dedicated solely to the issue of homelessness in Montreal, is very informative and well worth a listen in its entirety.
Keep connected, creative and compassionate out there!
And enjoy this new season of Spring!
Verona xxx