Water's Edge at A.Y. Jackson Lake

24"x24"x2.75" oil on canvas
*Note that this canvas is an extra - deep canvas
From memories of Kilarney, Ontario this parinting is part of a continuous body of work depicing images from the Niagara Region and Northern Ontario, primarily made with oil paint on large and over-sized canvas sharing a memory of nature in a dreamy and nostalgic way. My subjects range from iconic landscape views which include wildflowers, foliage or lakes and rivers of protected lands and species. I work to capture this vista in atmospheric light and movement while representing these subjects as a supersized postcard from the past. Nature is ancient and has suffered years of misuse and deterioration. My paintings are a screen; beyond a vague and tattered view of the past. I want to recall untouched nature as it was with a beautiful and poignant imagery that seems weathered over timeMy inspiration comes from memories of Niagara and other utopian places: family road trips of my childhood and the snapshot of the iconic lookout point. I’m in awe of Algonquin Park, superlative trees, the abundance of wildflowers in a field and majestic waterways. I am especially inspired by landscapes that are sensitive or damaged and deemed “Areas of Concern” in our environment. I am drawn to the dichotomy of their beauty and underlying and often unseen fragility.With color choices of neutral tones with light pinks, blues and greens, I use a palette knife and diluted oil paints. I smear and drip paint, carve out scratches and create imperfect and blurred shapes to suggest a memorandum scuffed with time. . I would like my large canvases to make you stop and think, take a walk into nature as it was. Sandra Iafrate