Katherine Surridge
City Trees, Other Voices
Katherine Surridge
Jul 22, 2008 – Aug 09, 2008
In Tandem
72 in x 60 in
oil & graphite on canvas
I see city trees as markers of how time passes; many were here before I was born and some will be here when I'm gone. They are like protectors; they provide shelter, oxygen, a stable ecological environment, and a sense of peace. Historically they have impacted art and spiritual ideologies.
The trees in my paintings symbolize the spirit and are metaphors for the people in my life. The words layered over the trees are from poems I have written, about the people in my immediate circle and people I know in the city. I'm interested in exploring the dynamics of space and energy created when the words are combined with the tree shape. Mark-making or the written word reveals unexpected symbols and shapes. This approach is not unlike automatic writing, done by Paul Klee and Mark Tobey, or Wassily Kandinsky's approach in his study of the spirit in art. Medieval artist Simone Martini used flat space in painting his immediate environment; these four artists have been an inspiration to me for over thirty years.
'City Trees, Other Voices', represents icons and totems. Coniferous trees were totems to Emily Carr; my west coast trees are deciduous, bare of leaves, their branches reaching out, passing over space and time.
Across the Earth
36 in x 30 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$2250 CDN
As It Seems
20 in x 16 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$1200 CDN
Before You Arrived
72 in x 60 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$7600 CDN
Beyond Boundaries
72 in x 60 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$7600 CDN
Down the Block
36 in x 36 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$2600 CDN
Ever Be
10 in x 10 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$650 CDN
Far Before
72 in x 60 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$7600 CDN
For Even More
20 in x 16 in
oil on canvas
$1200 CDN
From Here
28 in x 22 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$1400 CDN
Get The Story
72 in x 60 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$7600 CDN
Here We Are
20 in x 16 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$1200 CDN
Into History
12 in x 12 in
oil on canvas
$800 CDN
Listening
36 in x 36 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$2600 CDN
Much More
12 in x 12 in
oil & graphite on canvas
Part Fore
40 in x 30 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$2400 CDN
Rooted In
12 in x 12 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$800 CDN
Running Through Water
24 in x 20 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$1250 CDN
Sewn Up Inside
24 in x 20 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$1250 CDN
Smoothing Out
12 in x 12 in
oil & acrylic on canvas
$800 CDN
Straight Ahead
12 in x 12 in
oil & graphite on canvas
Streaming Down
40 in x 30 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$2400 CDN
To Far Away
12 in x 12 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$800 CDN
To There
28 in x 22 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$1400 CDN
Your Way
20 in x 16 in
oil & graphite on canvas
$1200 CDN