Thank you for joining me here for this quiet little conversation, taking a moment to be with these thoughts, words and images.

Artist Statement

juxtapositions surround us, everywhere we look we can see them: the place where the land meets the sea, the warmth of our homes a sanctuary from cold winter days, spring bulbs poking their bright green tips out of winter dark soil...

the paintings in this body of work explore the qualities of juxtapositions, what do they feel like at the edges, at those meeting points between different voices, at the conversation back and forth amongst them. how do the various textures and hues speak to each other, form contrasts with each other and yet retain the sovereignty of their own voices...in this there are lessons for living

'the words fell softly from the sky (juxtapositions #1)'  saturated pink marks float on the brilliance of the blues gathering up the sky

'from beyond the horizon there came a message (juxtapositions #2)' a horizon line marking the distinction between sea and sky between light and dark between what is known and what is unknowable

'wild things (juxtapositions #3)'  freedom…floating…where turquoise melts into grey black and grey black melts back to turquoise each their one wild self

'and the sky was soft like cloth (juxtapositions #4)'  stillness in the sweet softness of a pale mauve sky nestled up to saturated darkness releases into a wash of motion the threads their common bond

'untitled (juxtapositions #5)' a glimmer of light shining out, delicate white thread stitches traipsing unconcerned nestled along the edges of the blue grey stitches

you can find this new body of work here: juxtapositions gallery

And as always, I want to express my gratitude to be living and working on the ancestral & unceded territories of the hən̓̓qəmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples.I honour the incredible depths of grace, courage and perseverance of Indigenous Peoples, and look to them as an example as they find their voices amidst the noise and obfuscation of colonization.

until next time,

Mardell