North: Kim Harrison

How far north have you ventured? A new exhibition by Kim Harrison explores what we imagine the Canadian North to be like, even if we have never visited. Harrison’s solo exhibition, titled simply “North”, is an abstracted representation of Canadian forests and of our far north. The exhibition opens October 15th.
 
Kim, who has often been inspired by literature, is exhibiting a collection of work created after reading The Hidden Mountain by Gabrielle Roy. In the novel, a self-taught painter sets out on an often-lonely journey of artistic discovery. Driven by some inner force, the protagonist moves slowly north capturing the land and its people in his art. Roy’s vivid descriptions of grand vistas in Canada’s far north have lingered in Kim’s mind and on his canvases.
 
“It’s only cultural familiarity I have with our far North,” the artist says. “Most people have perhaps and affinity – or several – for another place or time, some inner nationality.”

Having never been as far north as The Hidden Mountain described, Kim leans into his imagination to explore the epic skies and vast tundra we find in these paintings. Harrison uses spontaneous miniature sketches as a starting composition and colour palette for large scale works. Favouring vivid colour and mark-making over fine detail, Harrison captures his imagined experience of the far north. “Where the rain and the air is bracing,” Kim muses.

​Harrison enjoys working in multitude, exploring an idea in new variations of colour, scale and composition. His second series depicts dense Ontario forests with rows and rows of trees painted in bright and unexpected colours. As with his Canadian north series, the forests are not a specific location. They began in 2016 from photographs and lived experience and have continued to evolve,.
 
Kim Harrison grew up in the country, near Norwich Ontario. He is a Beal Art graduate who went on to graduate from the fine arts program at the University of Windsor. He taught at Fanshawe College and has held classes and workshops across Southwestern Ontario. 
 
The exhibition runs from October 15th – November 2nd with an opening reception Friday October 18th from 7 - 9 pm and an Artist Talk on Wednesday October 23rd at 7 pm.