Search, 18" x 14"

Oil on Canvas.

"An intricate web of roots finds water in the most unlikely of places, a tenacious search for what it needs is carried out on a rocky edge. Purposefully a tree finds its way and thrives in perhaps not the most likely of places. This tenacious beauty was found clinging to rocks of Mayne Island which is a small island in the Salish Sea and part of the southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia.

Renewal is a process of restoring, making new or of regrowth. Often our souls can be moved by the act of just being in the forest. The process of renewal and new life that takes place at the base of giants is a metropolis, with a constant cycle of life, death and life again, not unlike our own human lives. A network of roots, moss, fungi and insects communicate and entangle themselves in the magic of each other's webs of restoration and regrowth. A series of paintings have emerged from the observation of the shapes, colours and silences of Canada's boreal forests and the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, honouring the ancients and the not so ancients. These messages for the environment are particularly intense in this seemingly time of loss for our wildest and most treasured places."

Born in Eastern Canada, Barbara Chapman is informed by the natural world, rocky edges, the sky and ever-changing atmosphere. A love of the environment, growing things, the earth and its impact on our lives provides a richness of inspiration and a deeper meaning to her work. Coastlines, cliffs, water and forests emerge as a common element as does the beauty and fragility of everyday growth in fleeting light. A selective palette, expressive brush and knife strokes capture the subtle light and colour of moments. While formally educated in Math and Science, she continued mid-career with Art and Art History she has furthered her education with private studies and research.