Brent Laycock /// Rhapsodies: Themes & Variations Exhibition 2018

Brent LAYCOCK RHAPSODIES: THEMES & VARIATIONS

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Image (front cover, detail): Brent LAYCOCK, “Prairie Paradise”, 48” x 72”, acrylic on canvas

14 APRIL - 2 MAY, 2018 OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2018 artist talk & discussion SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2018 at 3PM

Brent Laycock was born in Lethbridge, ALberta in 1947.

He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy

about the exhibition RHAPSODIES: THEMES & VARIATIONS “When I am at my easel, the creative process involves balancing emotion and reason. The emotional part comes from being inspired by the things I love.

And what I love to paint usually involves subject matter taken from the landscape of my home territory – Alberta. Once the subject has been determined, the next step is to dive into the canvas with a sense of enthusiastic abandon, laying down carefree, bold strokes in strong colours with little concern for detail or nuances of composition. This is the realm of free and passionate expression - a burst of flame with the hope that something glorious will appear.

This opening élan is soon replaced by the realization that the real work is only beginning. Without destroying some of the rhapsodic initial strokes, the subsequent task involves the careful and methodical work of resolution and refinement. Part of that process involves strengthening the main themes or elements that tell the story in some unique way.

Repetition is a valuable tool for the artist, but it needs to be kept alive through variation. Painting familiar motifs is justified when they are treated with well-considered changes that make each one a fresh idea. Hopefully, the new attempts relate to past work without falling into a rut.

Repetitions and variations can often be found within a single painting. Any element that is repeated can be made unique by altering the size, shape, colour and texture. I believe the painter has the duty to engage the viewer by making the work interesting to explore both on representational and abstract levels. And when the composition comes together successfully, the viewer might just catch the same passionate feelings that the artist intended to project.� - Brent Laycock

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, ”January Shadows”, 24” x 24”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Bertha Falls Minor”, 12” x 16”, acrylic on board

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Waterton, Middle Lake”, 10” x 14”, watercolour

Image (left): Brent LAYCOCK, “Blackiston Valley Sunset”, 24” x 48”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Prairie Illumination”, 10” x 14”, watercolour

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Misty Light”, 10” x 14”, watercolour

“My interest in art, landscape, flowers, and music all stem from my childhood on the farm in southern Alberta where the expansive prairie, sky, and distant Rockies captured my imagination.

In almost all of my landscape work, I become very intrigued with the interplay of the dramatic natural forces that act upon the landscape. These forces translate into the push and pull of the visual elements in the composition.�

-Brent Laycock

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK “Mojave, Red Rock”, 12” x 16”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Late Sunlight on the Narrows”, 24” x 48”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Autumn, Poplar Grove”, 18” x 24”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Nightfall”, 36” x 36”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Cool Rococo”, 18” x 24”, acrylic on canvas Image (below): Brent LAYCOCK, “Baroque Flourish”, 18” x 24”, acrylic on canvas

Image (left): Brent LAYCOCK, “Marble Canyon”, 60” x 40”, acrylic on canvas

Image (right): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Winter Sanctuary”, 24” x 24”, acrylic on canvas

Image (left): Brent LAYCOCK, “Prairie Paradise”, 48” x 72”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “September Chinook”, 36” x 48”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Tropical Morning”, 12” x 16”, acrylic on board

Image (right): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Creek Bend Autumn”, 18” x 24”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Sibbald Overlook”, 12” x 16”, acrylic on board

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Party Under the Aspens”, 12” x 16”, acrylic on board

Image (left, above): Brent LAYCOCK, “The Emerald Kingdom”, 9” x 12”, watercolour Image (left, bottom): Brent LAYCOCK, “There is Sunshine”, 9” x 12”, watercolour Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Tranquil Moment”, 18” x 24”, acrylic on canvas

Image (left): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Winter on the East Slopes”, 18” x 24”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Ti Pinwheel”, 12” x 16”, acrylic on board

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, ”Water Rhythm”, 14” x 22”, watercolour

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Summertime in the Rockies, 9” x 12”, watercolour

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Springtime, Rockies”, 36” x 48”, acrylic on canvas

Image (left): Brent LAYCOCK, “Creekside Guardian”, 48” x 48”, acrylic on canvas

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Upward Gaze”, 12” x 16”, acrylic on board

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Warm Winter Vista”, 12” x 16”, acrylic on canvas

Image (left): Brent LAYCOCK, “Up and Beyond”, 18” x 24”, acrylic on board

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Waterton, River Aspen”, 10” x 14”, watercolour

Image (above): Brent LAYCOCK, “Western October”, 14” x 22”, watercolour

C

2018 the contributors & Wallace Galleries ltd.

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