KATHRYN FRIIS
April 2 to May 8, 2016
A GORA GALLERY reopens for spring with a stunning exhibition of recent paintings by Stratford native, KATHRYN FRIIS. The exhibition consists of brilliantly coloured landscapes inspired by the woods in and around her former home in Caledon, Ontario and paintings of dying flowers – some bright, some dark – playing with the notion of still life/nature morte. Her work resonates with a clear joy of painting, as she delights in exploring surface texture and the interplay of light, colour and movement.
Biography
Raised in Stratford, Friis graduated from York University with a BFA Honors in Visual Arts in 1985. Along with painting and drawing, she has done extensive advertising, logo, architectural, textile and furniture design, as well as teaching both children and adults in ceramics, drawing, painting and drama. Although she has exhibited frequently over the last 30 years, this is her first solo exhibition.
Artist’s Statement
My paintings could be said to be both a little “impressionistic” and “expressionistic”, in that they are visual memories of places and moments, real or imagined, special to me, using colour, pattern and movement in an emotional response, rather than an attempt at realism.
Every painting is an experiment, an act of faith, a journey. Moments of joy.
