Moose in Water
24"x24"x2.75" oil on canvas
Note this canvas is an extra deep canvas
This painting by Sandra Iafrate, Moose in Water, 24 x 24 x 2.75 in, oil on canvas. Line drawing and underpainting in Raw umber with thicker oil paint applied with palette knife, followed by oil and odourless mineral spirits applied to areas, scraping and scratching with palette knife and subtractive method using small pieces of tape and stamping with absorbent paper and rag.
As part of a continuous body of work of landscape painting this work shows 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 time
My 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