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ian tan gallery |
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erikaTOLIUSIS |
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Inner Light
Opening reception: Saturday, May 23rd; 2 - 4pm
Inner Light - Erika Toliusis - introduction by Sherri Kajiwara “ It was a lovely morning, full of enchantment and beauty, there were so many shadows and so many leaves trembling. There was perfume in the air and though it was an autumnal sun there was the breath of spring. “ J. Krishnamurti At first sight, your eyes are inexplicably magnetized to a view of the horizon line of an ocean, the power of clouds swirling overhead, or to the play of light upon a wave. There is a recognition of space and place that is simultaneously familiar and foreign. Upon closer inspection, you realize you are not looking out of a window or peering into a photograph, but rather, are in the presence of an Erika Toliusis painting. In seeking the familiar, one cannot fail to draw comparisons of Toliusis’ sweeping vistas to Turner, Homer or Bierstadt, but these are not the influences who have informed the artist’s work. All locations are real, primarily drawn from travels abroad. They are not, however intended to be a documentation of place. Locations are selected specifically for the sensory emotion they elicit. The real inspiration behind this artist, the energy that flows in and through her work, is most strongly identified by the artist’s favourite philosopher, J. Krishnamurti. Painting to Erika Toliusis, is a meditation and as the sage cogently states, “Meditation is the seeing of “what is” and going beyond it.” Her earliest experiments with paint quickly taught her that while she may be inspired by the traditional theme of landscape, her methods are not to be dictated by the brush. Rather, she discovered that the purity of colour in the mixing of pigment can only be achieved to her liking if done with the palette knife and applied with the same. Ms. Toliusis’ remarkable ability to realistically capture expressive landscapes in oils is executed entirely with the palette knife. Toliusis is consistent in her dramatic use of shade & shadow and invariably silent spaces. In this newest body of work, however, there is a movement away from the idyllic and peaceful landscapes that the artist is best known for, to a more transformative view of the world with stronger expressions of light. Oceans surge in multi-coloured waves in “Falling Up”, clouds whorl in deft movement in “Never stay forever” and sunlight dances enticingly in both “Connecting moments” and “Mirror of the Self”. Your senses are beckoned to come fully alive in the viewing. An awakening of sorts. Born in the capital of Uruguay and educated in both Montevideo and Massachusetts, Toliusis calls Vancouver, Canada her home. She has exhibited throughout Canada, the US, South America and Europe and is in numerous private and corporate collections.
prior work:
Please contact the gallery for more information and images.
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Copyright 2009. Ian Tan. |
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