"June in a Coastal Climate: A Forest for Jill"
Laureen Marchand, "June in a Coastal Climate: A Forest for Jill," 2003, oil on board, 16" x 12".
LAUREEN MARCHAND
By Colleen MacPherson
Moving from figurative work to painting intimate garden views is a natural new direction for Saskatoon artist Laureen Marchand. In painting floral close-ups as opposed to distant garden landscapes, Marchand has discovered that a flower provides the same "presentational quality" as her human portraits did.
Another departure for Marchand is in her materials. While still committed to oils, her most recent works are rendered, for the first time, on smooth hardboard. On an extended painting sojourn in Ireland earlier this year, Marchand found the hardboard panels were simply the easiest to pack. Her overseas experience is also influencing her next project, a series of works involving an artificial rose and many rocky landscapes in Ireland. Marchand's work, with that of Catherine Macaulay, can be seen in the two-person show "Friendship's Gardens" October 23 to November 15, 2003, at the McIntyre Gallery in Regina. Other works are on view in Bequest, a touring exhibition that will be in Grande Prairie September 13 to October 19, 2003, at The Prairie Art Gallery.