Studio Visits: Reminiscent of a Place

In anticipation of their upcoming exhibition, 'Reminiscent of a Place' we visited the studios of Jamie Jardine and Carol Finkbeiner Thomas. The exhibition opens August 22nd 2017.

The first stop of the day was Jamie's, where he walks us through his new abstract collection. These works confidently embrace abstraction while still presenting the illusion, and in some cases symbolic reminders, of the landscape.

Of his career as a professional artist, Jamie says, "Art is something I've done all my life. Mostly drawing... cartoons. Ting was my first influence. Always knew I wanted to make art since I was about 8-9 years old. I got my first oil paint set in 1996 on my 21st birthday. There was never any question what I wanted to do to make a living."

We asked Jamie what inspired this exciting, abstracted new body of work. He told us, "the paintings in this show reflect an honest urge to use my materials of choice... colours... and textures. After years of painting landscapes I discover moments of what appears to be rebellion. Upon further analysis, I realize I am just following my instinct."

---

Next we visited Carol at her home and studio, also here in London ON.

Carol's collection of friendly, colourful paintings are spread throughout her home. To the right we see a mix of finished and unfinished work, all destined for the gallery walls.

Her work reflects a given landscape without dwelling on details or exactness. "Fields, forests and lakes were the places I felt the most connected as a child," says Carol. "This still holds true today."

"I am often more interested in the marks on the canvas than I am in accurate reflection of a scene, and landscapes have proven to be a perfectly forgiving subject suitable for that kind of exploration. I enjoy using non-traditional tools when painting. I like the change in mark making that occurs when I use a roller, cloth or old bit of plastic to apply or remove the paint. Making sgraffito marks with a sharp tool, applying the paint with the hands or any other random tools provide a variety of effects that can convey a sense of interest, something unexpected or something that reads true.”

Reminiscent of a Place opens August 22nd and continues until September 9th 2017. A reception will be held Thursday August 24th, and an Artist Talk on Wednesday August 30th, both at 7pm.