Madeleine Wood: Wild Things

April 15 - 29
Opening Reception: April 15, 1-3 PM
Artist in Attendance

Madrona Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of 16 paintings by Madeleine Wood.

Focusing on closeups of nature, Wood's masterful use of rich, vibrant colours, creates warm and intimate canvases that invite the viewer directly into the intimacy of nature. She captures sharp, exquisite, and dramatic details and patterns often overlooked, with underlying themes of renewal and growth.

Born in BC, Madeleine Wood studied Fine Arts at Emily Carr Institute of Art and earned a Masters in Fine Arts from Concordia University in 1996. Her work has been collected extensively in Canada, the United States, Hong Kong and Europe. This will be her fourth solo exhibition with Madrona Gallery.

Essay by Kate Cino

In 2010, Madeleine Wood and her partner moved from the bustle of Vancouver to the wilds of Fanny Bay. Their new home is near Ships Point Park, an ocean front area with a public beach. Wood wanders often in the park land, appreciating the towering Douglas fir, Sitka spruce and Garry Oak. The dense understory has Oceanspray, Nootka Rose, Black Hawthorn and Red alder. Dune grass grows along the shoreline, completing the picture-perfect scene.

The 16 original paintings in Wild Things celebrate Wood’s connection to the natural world and its visual enchantments. “I can’t believe the richness of my chosen profession,” she says. “I am always learning and growing.” Her career as a professional artist spans nearly three decades and includes numerous group and solo shows.

Wood has delighted audiences over the years with her close-up abstractions of everyday encounters. Rumpled bed linens, resplendent tropical foliage, repeated patterns and luxurious textures, invite the viewer into a sensual world. The everyday can be exceptional, believes the artist, who takes inspiration from other female contemporary artists like Mary Pratt and Joan Semmell. “I am an observer,” she says, “which gives me a rich inner life.” These inward emotions can bubbleover, pouring erotic energy into visual forms. Look for skin-soft Arbutus bark, the textural twitching of lichen and the lusty curves of Swamp Lantern. On a more ethereal level, dogwood flowers take flight - becoming angelic wings that brush aside mortal cares and woes.

Wild Things features some gorgeous close-ups of a native species in the Pacific Northwest called Swamp Lantern. The artist presents three views of this wetlands wonder, also called Skunk Cabbage. Other paintings, like Rosey Beach Walk, show Nootka roses in the foreground with an ocean panorama receding in the distance. In Nootka Rose High the rosy blooms are placed against a darker background, focusing our attention on the lively pinks and greens. “I invite the viewer to come closer,” she says, “and share in some mystery I have discovered.”

On her walks, camera in hand, the quality of light plays an important role in capturing an enticing image. In Dance of the Rosehips 1, a moment of golden light illuminates the background. The small orbs of crimson fruit appear to jiggle and dance in the radiant glow. In Dance of the Rosehips 2, the rosehip branches are set against a dusky blue background making the fruit appear plump and succulent. Using her designer’s eye attuned to balance and symmetry, Wood arranges the compositions as energetic spaces that keep our eyes in motion. Harry Stanbridge and Linda Stanbridge are both represented by Madrona Gallery.

Harry Stanbridge observed Wood’s artistic gifts when she was his student at Spectrum High School. Stanbridge recalls one assignment, in which Wood enlarged a running shoe using a grid pattern. “Madeleine showed a remarkable ability to accurately render details using the medium of paint,” he says. Stanbridge is proud of his former student and applauds her success with patrons. He hopes that collectors can look deeper than her lush, illuminated surfaces. “I’d like people to appreciate the professional skills and hard work that produces these amazingly detailed canvases,” he says.

In Maple Dressing, we view a maple tree festooned with lichen and moss, showing a complex eco-system. “I researched these plants,” she says, “something I don’t usually do, and was intrigued by the complexity of their symbiotic relationships and evolutionary tactics.

Wood now appreciates the importance of sustainable management of wilderness areas, and is moving towards a stewardship role. “I see how much we owe to trees and plants and am grateful,” she says. Wood believes her interests are deepening as she continues to grow as a human being in our changing world. Much like the plants and wild things that have evolved through time to find their places, she too is intent on arriving and spreading out roots.

Kate Cino

Kate Cino

Cino is an arts writer who has published with Focus on Victoria, Yam, and Boulevard. She operates Art Openings, an online arts site which launched in 2009, and holds a History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from the University of Victoria.