CHRISTOPHER FRIESEN

This exhibition is about personal reflections when in nature, a contemplative space where your thoughts are elevated. These paintings are at the core fundamental challenges in my own practice both technically, as in the formal arrangements of elements and application, and buildup of marks, as well as the contemplative space that creating and looking at a painting allows to happen. In this painting exhibition, I am exploring the idea of the sublime landscape. The landscape is a subject that continues to evolve for me as it can be a conduit for multiple purposes and meanings. Landscape is a subject that I can explore with painting as well as a subject that can transcend its material construction to give us a glimpse into our position in the world.

I seek these natural spaces out when travelling and going on hikes or outings. I know that somehow, I need these moments in my life, that these reflections are intrinsic to what it means for me to be human. I see this kind of searching in others that gravitate towards a vantage point or trying to get a better look at a moment that is truly in the here and now. These sublime experiences in nature are important. In this fast-paced and ever-changing world this reminds me to slow down and take it in, to reflect on our place in the world. For me that is one thing that painting continues to offer us. Paintings are complete and complex. Paintings are stable and continue to reassure us that the world still holds mystery and moments worth exploring. We can stand where others have stood but the journey to get there is uniquely our own.

Christopher Friesen