Quest Art is pleased to present Peripheral, a spirited exhibition of paintings, field sketches and objects that archive all that it means to live, work and play on Georgian Bay. Simultaneously celebratory and nostalgic, Rod Prouse considers this his most important exhibition in the last ten years as it brings together years of embodied knowledge and mark making to arrive at a new level of sophistication within his approach to visual communication.
Now a permanent resident of Wahnekewaning Beach, Prouse has been inspired by the area since cottaging on Deanlea Beach as a child. Representing two years of rigorous recording, the beaches of Georgian Bay offered the artist fertile ground for rich narratives about human behavior and our residual traces. Crossing senses and media, auditory memories of crashing waves, summer aromas and glimpses of forgotten paraphernalia through unexpected portals all find their way into Prouse’s pictorial vocabulary.
Integrating printmaking and sculptural processes into his painting practice, Prouse’s dynamic application of media and layering of organic and architectural imagery captures the new realities of our rapidly changing environment. Once pristine, discarded matter encountered along the shores of the bay becomes alive due to their ongoing material transformation, vulnerable to the very same climatic events, light and other elements that once only weathered the pink rocks and white pines so signature to the area.
Both in ending and as a starting point, Peripheral is an exemplary body of work that utilizes both humour and speculation to imagine untold narratives from both a human and non-human perspective. Whimsical and imbued with energy, Prouse’s rhythmic and dynamic approach to storytelling still leaves room for audiences to imagine stories of their own amidst the visual chaos from which the artist draws inspiration.
To gain more insight into how Rod Prouse pulls from his environment and everyday experiences with material and immaterial things to inform his practice, join the artist for an inspired Artist Talk & Lunch on Saturday November 4, 11 am—1 pm. Prior to a delicious lunch catered by Café Roxy, curator Jill Price will facilitate a discussion with the artist to help reveal Prouse’s evolution as an artist and how it led to the development of his new body of work. The fee of $60 includes a delicious lunch catered by Café Roxy and plenty of time to talk with Rod about his show.
Rod Prouse, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, is an award winning artist whose multi-disciplinary investigations of landscape includes painting, printmaking, photography and video art. A son of an artist and graphic artist who immigrated to Canada post WWII, Prouse maintains his professional practice from the wooded lots of Tiny Township, continually inspired by the wind, rocks and water of Georgian Bay. To date, Prouse’s professional career includes over 34 solo exhibitions, including exhibits held at the McMichael Canadian Collection and at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Minden. Prouse has also exhibited in many group exhibitions across Canada, the U.S.A., England and Germany. A recipient of many project grants from both provincial and national institutions, Prouse is also recognized for his outstanding contributions as an educator. Currently represented by Petroff Gallery (Toronto), The Ethel Curry Gallery (Haliburton) and the Mountain Galleries ( Jasper, Banff and Whistler), Prouse’s works exist in private collections in Europe, Asia and North America.
Rod Prouse would like to acknowledge the Ontario Art Council for exhibition support.