A joint exhibition of Canadian artists Margaux Smith and Heather Goodchild's paintings, curated by Liu Jian, is ready for viewing at AYE Gallery from September 10 to October 6, 2023. The duo explores the human psyche through universal imagery found in personal experience. Smith draws from dreams and myths, while Goodchild freezes ephemeral moments to reflect on time and memory. Both artists share a fascination with Jungian theory, archetypal images and narratives that bridge the conscious and subconscious. Through their distinct yet complementary approaches, Smith and Goodchild demonstrate the potential of art to connect themes and imagery that resonate across time and place. This exhibition is a must-see for art lovers and anyone interested in the exploration of the psyche through art.
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*The violet hour, that time of day roughly starting at 5pm when cocktail hour begins and we start the transition from day into evening, from work to home, from labor to (hopefully) relaxation.
Violet Hour presents the paintings of Margaux Smith and Heather Goodchild, who, despite their differing approaches, converge in their exploration of how everyday moments can be translated into tools for exploring the psyche. Smith and Goodchild’s work meet as the two pursue the potential of art to transcend the confines of individual experience, connecting themes and imagery that resonate across time and place.
Margaux Smith’s paintings draw from the realm of dreams, pulling symbols and narratives from her dream diary and integrating stories from Ovid’s Metamorphosis. She seeks to connect unexplained personal imagery with those found in ancient myth. Her fantastical landscapes are made using processes inspired by the Dadaists and Surrealists. She uses methods of automatism to stimulate unconscious processes, and introduces elements of chance, layering and uncovering in search of playful and elusive images.
Heather Goodchild seizes moments, freezing the ephemeral by painting from direct observation or personal documentation. Her work is informed by the Impressionist’s approach to capturing daily life and light and follows the Canadian tradition of painting in nature typified by the Group of Seven. Through her painting Goodchild reflects the evanescent nature of time and memory and decodes how personal emotion and experience translates into a visual language that can reveal latent personal narrative.
Smith and Goodchild’s approaches intertwine in Violet Hour as the two share a fascination with Jungian theory, archetypal images and narratives that bridge the conscious and subconscious. Anchoring their creative explorations in landscapes, their approaches diverge: Smith excavates her dreamscape to build her environments, integrating her local flora and fauna to breathe life into these worlds; while Goodchild seeks moments created by specific light, transmuting emotional instants from her immediate surroundings into her work. Following the tradition of landscape painters including Charles Burchfield, Emily Carr, Edward Hopper and Edouard Vuillard, they seek universal imagery found in personal experience.
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