Close to Home and Heart
by Jane Robertson

February 19th to March 22nd

Artist's Statement: I barely remember a time that my eyes didn't follow the ragged edge of an old pine against the sky, a reflected image in a puddle or an early morning mist rising from a lake.

Over the years, I've turned my hand to several different subjects, but it's the landscape that is a constant source of visual interest. My aim is to convey the beauty I find, often in the ordinary, and elevate it to something extraordinary.

Nature doesn't need much help - nudge up the intensity of colour here, deepen a shade there and suddenly late afternoon shadows sweeping across a cornfield become something magical.

I don't think in terms of an agenda or message for my viewers. It's the process of creating art that is the purpose for me. But in our ever-more digital existence, if my work causes the viewer to reconsider their relationship with the natural world, or re-establish some other spiritual connection, then that is the highest possible compliment.

Some Background:  I trained as a graphic artist, after which I worked as an illustrator for several years using watercolour and pastels as my main media. In time, I tired of the unpredictable income and sometimes poor art direction, and now paint only for myself. I’ve been working in oils for about 10 years, and I'm enjoying the flexibility of this medium and the freedom of artistic choice.

When I'm not working in the great outdoors, I work from my studio near Rice Lake in Gores Landing, Ontario. My greatest source of inspiration is right outside my door, hence the name “Close to Home and Heart”.