Carol Loeb "Cityscapes" Solo Show, May 17 - May 23, 2022

In a country as broad and vast as Canada, one cannot help but be aware of and be affected by the landscape. The urban landscape contrasts with the vast open spaces that every Canadian has as part of our identity and cultural awareness. As an artist and educator, I have traveled around the world, living in five different countries and four provinces within Canada. This exposure to other cultures and art traditions had a deep influence not only on my approach to art making, but on my outlook on life as a whole.

Although landscapes, both urban and rural, are the subject of my paintings, my work is about contrast. Collectively, my work is a contrast of the engineered or built environment to the vast wilderness of my country. Individually, I use the
formal elements of art, mainly value and colour, to create emphasis and contrast within a composition.

I work mainly in acrylics, usually blocking in the dark and mid-tone areas first and then adding thin layers of colour to create luminosity and depth. I also tend to focus in on a particular element of a scene to make an emotional statement or create dramatic tension through contrasts in value. Dramatic shadows highlight and focus the viewer’s attention on the main subject and help create the desired expression or atmospheric tension.