Die Veldt

For this proposal I plan to explore the wide open space of the prairie. Having lived in Manitoba my entire life I’ve come to love the emptiness of the ordinary countryside. As an artist I have always been interested in nature as a subject matter. I would like to explore the flatness, the beauty of horizon and wide open sky. You need to look closer at the prairies to see the subtlety of this beauty, to study the intense colours in the nothingness of ordinary field after field.
My research and influence take me to the works of artist Bruce Head (1931 – 2009), born in St Boniface, graduated from the School of Art at the University of Manitoba in 1953. His works, described as “visual poetry” are juxtapositions of pure colour and expressive lyrical brushwork. The horizon and geometry of prairie fields were at the core of his work. He moulded and shaped his canvases. Stitched lines and protruding shapes allowed the reflection of light and gave a sense of movement.
The mechanics of my work will be oil paint/mixed media on canvas. Using photos of the countryside as reference I plan to express the essence of the prairie. The suggestion of patterns in country fields, strong colour and the flatness of my canvas to convey the veldt. In a painterly way, using texture and line to emphasize the space as organic and abstractive.

“That was my country. Terrible winds and wonderful emptiness”
-Georgia O’Keefe, Lovingly Georgia (ed. C.Giboire,1990) Simon and Schuster, New York, NY

Bruce Head, Buhler Gallery
(Untitled, n.d)