For anyone who loves Mundy Park, a visit to Silk Gallery in Port Moody in the coming weeks will be like a walk in the Coquitlam park thanks to a new exhibit by artist Sue Cowan.
The Coquitlam artist will be revealing several new large oil canvasses depicting the towering cedars and firs of Mundy Park and anyone taking in Cowan’s perspective on the city’s natural treasure will no doubt come away restored and refreshed.
Called A Walk in the Forest, the exhibit should really be called The Secret Lives of Trees, as Cowan has imbued the trees with personality and a sense of community that she readily admits to being anthropomorphic.
“I like to think well, how do they relate to each other…. The branches and roots are intertwined. What relationship do they have with each other,” Cowan asks.
The exhibit got its start with a conversation with Zoe Royer, the gallery manager and owner during a visit to the artist’s home (Royer is also a Port Moody city councillor).
Cowan has had a long artistic career, teaches at Place des Arts and was awarded senior signature status by the Federation of Canadian Artists. She loves to immerse herself in nature and is a fixture at Mundy Park, but she had only a few small paintings of the local forest in her home.
“Zoe challenged me to paint larger,” Cowan said, and so began a winter and spring of capturing the life of Mundy Park on five foot canvasses stretched on wooden frames.
There were the usual challenges of dealing with the weather and a cold spring to sketch or paint smaller studies, but finding space in her home to paint such large canvasses was an unexpected challenge and had Cowan moving from small studio to front hallway and finally the garage.
Her husband’s response? “He was probably relieved to see me get out of the hallway.”
It was a pleasure to visit with Cowan for an early preview of the exhibit. Not only does Cowan have an obvious love for Mundy Park, but her meticulous efforts to capture the essence of the 400-acre nature preserve are a wonder to see.
She has a small book where she sketches out her vision in pencil and another where sketches are done in water colour. Her pochade box, used to carry supplies and doubles as an easel for outdoor painting, is stained with the richly-pigmented oils she uses.
But it’s the imposing canvasses themselves, 13 in all, that will inspire the viewer. A Walk in the Forest offers a unique way to view Mundy Park, explore nature while keeping one’s feet dry, while also reminding us about the interconnectedness of living things.
• The public can enjoy A Walk in the Forest to Oct. 25 at Silk Art Gallery (2419 Clarke St., Port Moody). There will be an opening reception Sept. 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Cowan will do a live painting demonstration Saturday, Sept. 30 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the gallery. Visit silkgallery.ca
