I PAINTED IN FRANCE

A NEW LEARNING
Inexperienced as I am with plein air painting, I didn’t do much on the spot work while Christine and I were in France. I believe she expected me to paint more during our seven weeks. I took acrylic paints along, a small watercolour container, a sketchpad with heavy watercolour paper, brushes, one 11X14 inch frame on which to mount canvasses, and twelve 11X14 in. canvas sheets which I cut from a large sheet of primed canvas before the trip.

Here are pictures that I completed while I was in France and they are described on my website.






I think part of my reticence at plein air painting is not only inexperience but the need to be less exacting. I must reassure myself that it is okay to paint simply and without great detail and to do it quickly. Usually such paintings serve as resource for later more developed paintings, but most artists are willing to sell these uncomplicated works and I have them modestly priced on the website as well. Someone has already asked for one of these precisely because it is minimalist. I daily learn something new.

I think that I will try more outdoor painting now that I am home. Carrying the necessary equipment is easier here. Murray Phillips, one of my accomplished artist friends has made a practice of painting outdoors, often an overnight as frequently as once per week. His paintings give indication that he knows his subject matter, pristine BC woods, rivers and fields. Barbara Boldt, a Fort Langley artist has established a reputation based on her exploration of coastal island rock formations. Robert Genn is a prolific Crescent Beach based painter whose videos tell the idyllic story of a man and his paintbox sitting in a forest or on a seashore and bringing back beauties. Come to think of it, just about every local artist I know is better at it than I am; Darren Perkins, Jack Turpin and Perry Haddock.

BARBARA BOLDT - FORT LANGLEY ARTIST

A NEW LEARNING
I won’t be so presumptuous as to call her my friend but she is an acquaintance of mine. Perhaps our shared appreciation of the world through artists’ eyes suggests to me a connection stronger than is actual. Or perhaps her story resonates with me so that I wish her every success. Barbara is the featured artist in a one woman show that is open for viewing right now. The show is built around her story which is a phenomenal tribute.

Barbara is a Fort Langley artist whose work is on display in the first solo exhibit of a living artist in the history of the Langley Centennial Museum and Exhibition Centre. The show is entitled, ‘Barbara Boldt: The Journey,” and it is hanging in the museum gallery until March 26. It explores her life story through her art, poetry, and inspirations.

I am convinced that this exhibit will confirm Barbara as an artist to be cherished within our community. Having seen this myself I confess I was stirred and even overwhelmed by the effect of this collection and the narratives that explain the stages and experiences of her life out of which the paintings were born. Her body of work numbers over 1700 pieces. You see some of them here. In this show we are privileged to view various series of works, not untypical of artists. She has her recognized Earth Patterns, Cape Series, and North and South of the Fraser Landscapes. Her ancestry is displayed by paint. There is also a never before seen section called the Heart Series which is intimate and personal and therein lies the importance of this display to the public. It is truly a look inside the life of an artist and what makes the Barbara Boldt lens on the world so distinct and unique. This is aptly named her Journey.

Barbara spent the first twenty-two years of her life in Germany which became the war ravaged country from which her family moved to Canada in 1952. She married and had a family and had life. Around 1990 it came apart with a variety of wrenching experiences including the death of her son. Her art became a therapeutic release and this was captured in pieces of art which she painted for her eyes only but which she is now comfortable to disclose to us. This is the Heart Series. The exhibit has occurred because of the encouraging collaboration of Kobi Howard, the Collections Assistant for the museum.

She says on her website, “I am a realist in life and in my work, being guided by Henry David Thoreau's words in “Walden”: “The more the painter invents the further he takes us from the world which actually exists; and to that extent he may even encourage us in the alienation from the real.”

Continued Good Success Barbara!

Come and experience the definitive Barbara Boldt: The Journey at the Langley Centennial Museum and Exhibition Centre is at 9135 King St., Fort Langley. 604.888.3922 or email Kobi Howard.
*Museum website: http://www.langleymuseum.org

*Barbara’s website: http://www.barbaraboldt.com/

The images above are used with permission of Barbara Boldt and both painting images are copyright of the painter and not to be downloaded without permission of the artist.

* Photo of Barbara Boldt by Kathy Ward