Vernon Public Art Gallery May 25 - July 15, 2017
laura ashton impermanence
Introduction - laura ashton: Impermanence
Laura Ashton’s lifelong involvement with nature and advocacy for the safe stewardship of the environment and the preservation of natural ecosystems has allowed her to be in constant and intimate contact with her subjects which include various habitats throughout the coastal and northern British Columbia regions. Her research often takes her to remote sites where she records and documents the subjects of her exploration in her sketch book or photographic and video records. Currently, Ashton focuses her research on various sites in the Okanagan Valley, including a grassland ecosystem near Vernon, British Columbia, which has become the subject of her exhibition Impermanence. The Okanagan valley has been experiencing a population growth and an influx of people from other parts of the province and the rest of Canada. The demand for housing and amenities for people has been steadily increasing and the new development of massive subdivisions is increasingly encroaching on the grassland habitat around the valley. Ashton’s exhibition Impermanence was produced within the context of urban development and the endangerment of the grassland ecosystem. The main frame of the exhibition is a video compiled from recordings taken during Ashton’s regular walks in the selected study area over a period of one year. The video footage is complemented and punctuated by images of Ashton’s drawings in her sketchbook, complete botanical drawings and animal paintings finished in her studio, and stock images from the Internet of birds and plants. The video takes the viewer through all the yearly seasons – spring to winter – showing the flora and the fauna of the area and their seasonal changes. In many ways the video may appear as a nature documentary, but the images and footage of serene natural habitat are interspersed with video clips of a bulldozer scalping the grassland’s top layer of soil down to the barren mineral layer. Here the sounds of a functioning habitat are replaced by a droning sound of the powerful bulldozer engine. The video image of a bulldozer serves as a powerful metaphor for transforming once a functioning habitat into the site for a development of an infrastructure. In addition to the video compilation playing on a loop, four original watercolour paintings are displayed on the adjacent walls showing ‘portraits’ of animals and plants. Each image of an animal is paired with a plant portrayed in their seasonal appearance. An additional painting depicting the position of star constellations during the summer solstice – an important marker of the Earth’s yearly travel around the sun - is hung just below the ceiling in order to symbolically mark a start of the shortening of days in the upcoming seasons. Ashton’s exhibition is a result of a multidisciplinary approach to the research, creation and final display of works of art based on her inquiry of the grassland and its natural habitat. In addition to the artistic interpretation of the subject matter, Impermanence also acknowledges the latent potential of a functioning natural habitat colliding with the advancement of modern development. Lubos Culen Curator, Vernon Public Art Gallery 2
Mule Deer Doe with Prickly Pear Cactus, 2017, watercolour on paper, 24 x 22 in
Mule Deer Buck with Rosehips and Snow Berries, 2017, watecolour on canvas, 24 x 22 in
Artist Statement
The exhibition Impermanence is based upon observations of a grassland study area over a twelve-month period of time. Throughout one full year I visited this study area monthly and took notes and made sketchbook studies on the changes and natural cycles that I observed in the area. Using a combination of watercolour illustration and video footage, I highlighted plants and animals found in the grassland and demonstrated how the changing seasons affect them. The lifecycles of plants and animals in this area are a continuous cycle but also fragile. The title Impermanence can be interpreted in different ways depending on the viewer. The life of an animal, the state of a plant and the position of the stars are all impermanent, but may not be seen negatively since these are all perpetual cycles of movement, life, birth and death. However, ‘impermanence’ could also be interpreted negatively when it is related to the human encroachment on nature and this grassland study area in particular. It is up to the viewer to decide what ‘impermanence’ means to them, and determine how they relate it to their own lives and surroundings. As animals ourselves, we all age and eventually return to the earth. We can never go back, we can only do our best to recreate. Laura Ashton
Originally from Victoria BC, Laura Ashton now lives in the North Okanagan. In 2013, she was awarded a Diploma with distinction from the London Art College in Botanical Illustration. Ashton also completed the U.K. Society of Botanical Artists (SBA) Distance Learning Course in Botanical Illustration, when after two and a half years of study, she was awarded a Diploma with credit. In 2015, Ashton was accepted into the Botanical Artists of Canada. Her artistic practice focuses on inspiring people about nature and raising awareness about wildlife and land conservation.
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Botanical Grassland Sketchbook Studies, 2016, 8.5 x 12 in
Short-Eared Owl and Snow Buckwheat, 2017, watercolour on paper, 24 x 22 in
Great Blue Heron with Drummonds Rush, 2017, watercolour, 24 x 22 in
Laura Ashton
curriculum vitae
lashtonart@gmail.com www.lauraashtonartist.com Education 2014 Botanical Painting Diploma with Credit, Society of Botanical Artists, London, U.K. 2013 Botanical Painting Diploma with Distinction, London Art College, London, U.K. Selected Honors, Grants, and Awards 2014 Winner of the Jantien Burggraaff Memorial Award, Society of Botanical Artists, London, U.K. Selected Exhibitions 2017 Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts Auction Preview, Group Exhibition, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC Impermanence, Solo Exhibition, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC (catalogue) 2016
Exposed, Group Exhibition, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts Auction Preview, Group Exhibition, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC
2015
Flora and Fauna, Solo Exhibition, Ratio Coffee & Pastry, Vernon, BC From Nature to Abstraction, Group Exhibition, North Okanagan Federation of Canadian Artists, Vernon, BC Exposed, Group Exhibition, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC Botanical Treasures at the Woodland Edge, Juried Exhibition, Botanical Artists of Canada, Papermill Gallery, Toronto, ON Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts Auction Preview, Group Exhibition, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC
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SELECTED EXHIBITIONS CONTINUED 2014 Exposed, Group Exhibition, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC
Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts Auction Preview, Group Exhibition, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC
2011
Botanical Beginnings, Solo Exhibition, Mackenzie Community Arts Centre, Mackenzie, BC
Selected Professional Experience
2014 - present Marketing and Programming Coordinator, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC 2015 - present Logo and packaging illustration commissions for companies in Canada, U.S.A and Australia Selected Articles, Reviews, & Media
2016
Learn to Paint a Bird’s Nest, The Morning Star, March 23, 2016
Get a Taste of Flora and Fauna, The Morning Star, June 19, 2016 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/life/get-a-taste-for-flora-and-fauna-at-ratioin-vernon/
Collections
Private Collections in Canada, U.S.A., and Australia
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This publication was produced in conjunction with the exhibition: Laura Ashton: Impermanence Vernon Public Art Gallery, May 25 - July 15, 2017 Production: Vernon Public Art Gallery Cover Image: Laura Ashton sketching in Wells Grey Park Photography: Laura Ashton Printing: Get Smarter Copies, Vernon BC, Canada ISBN 978-1-927407-36-3
copyright Š 2017, Vernon Public Art Gallery All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the Vernon Public Art Gallery. Requests for permission to use these images should be addressed in writing to the Vernon Public Art Gallery, 3228 31st Avenue, Vernon BC, V1T 2H3, Canada. Telephone: 250.545.3173 - fax: 250.545.9096 - website: www.vernonpublicartgallery.com The Vernon Public Art Gallery is a registered not-for-profit society. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee/RDNO, the Province of BC’s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, British Columbia Arts Council, the Government of Canada, corporate donors, sponsors, general donations and memberships. Charitable Organization # 108113358RR
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