Public Art

It is always a profound honour to have a project selected, then installed into a public space.  It allows those who may not have access to art or may not be comfortable attending an art gallery or museum, to personally experience art.  Public art adds visual, intellectual, and sometimes spiritual richness to a community.  It can speak of a multitude of subjects while addressing the past, present, or the future. Art can take on any form or subject; real or imaginative.  Public art can be informed by community identity while adding to public and self realization.

Shadows of the Past

The painting “Shadows of the Past” presents an opportunity for people to gain a greater understanding of the events that happened in Canada during the First World War. Through this piece, people will have the opportunity to experience and learn about the issues and events of Canada’s First World War Internment Camps. I wished to depict and express the internees’ strength in dealing with the physical, emotional, and spiritual hardships of life in an internment camp. 

Art speaks to the viewer on a profound level in a manner that cannot be achieved by the written word alone.  Art can elicit emotional responses including compassion and empathy as well as knowledge and comprehension. I hoped that this piece would add to visual richness of Prince George and the College of New Caledonia, while revealing important information about Canada’s past.