ART SCENE I see pictures everywhere I go

Canadian artist Dana Cowie has an English heritage which naturally influences her paintings. If you were to cut her, no doubt paint would flow. Art is her language and love, she says, “I need to paint. It’s an extension of who I am, how I see the world and how I declare my faith. Sometimes, I cannot fi nd the words, yet I can communicate well using pictures.”

Living in a stunning part of Canada, she doesn’t take her environment for granted. Taking walks to absorb the energy and imagery, she collects them in photographs and takes them back to her studio to document in paint.

Her faith is central to her; she takes time to pause, reflect and connect with spirit before each painting session. Her paintings are semi-abstract and pulsate with colour and texture. The palette varies according to the picture. She mixes the colours as she develops each piece, adjusting the values, tones and temperature as the images emerge.

The countryside, as a theme, is transformed into cubist shapes of colour and tone. Using classic impasto oils and her Grandmother’s 1940s palette knives, she works to create abstract landscapes that are fractured and highly textural. Dana’s loose and painterly approach distorts her picture plane and reduces the elements to a patchwork of geometric shapes. Expressionist marks are layered until the surface takes on it’s own relief pattern, and the image and atmosphere surface.

Dana fi nds strength in her motherhood and attributes her love of creating to her mother. As a child, her mother encouraged her to craft and make things. Her work ethic was instilled by witnessing her single mother raise her while working and studying. Dana balances her time between bringing up her daughters and painting. Both give her tremendous joy.

Dana Cowie’s paintings are internationally collected. New works can be seen at Kellie Miller Arts, 20 Market Street Brighton. www.kelliemillerarts.com

Kellie Miller is an artist, curator, critic and gallery owner.