Nicholas Metivier Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new works by artist Ric Evans. The exhibition will open on Thursday, May 24 and will be on view through June 16 with a reception for the artist on Thursday, May 24 from 6– 8 PM. This will be Evans’ third solo exhibition at the gallery.
A nationally acclaimed painter, Evans has spent roughly 40 years working in the style of geometric abstraction. For the upcoming exhibition, Evans introduces free-form elements to his traditionally hard edge paintings. Curvilinear shapes are drawn from contours of clouds and distant mountain ranges, with lines that reference both topography and music. Association with the outside world is nothing new for Evans, he has always believed that his work translates his surroundings into a series of relationships between form, line and colour.
In addition to the canvases are Evans’ recent Construction works. These are a series of identically shaped birch panels that activate the surrounding space as the wall becomes the canvas. Evans sees his Constructions as a marriage between painting and sculpture. His brushwork responds to the form and material of the panels, often revealing the natural grain of the wood. In some instances, Evans escalates the sculptural relationship by carving into the surface of the panels.
Evans studied at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto from 1967-69. His works are represented in many public collections, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane. Renowned curator Roald Nasgaard writes about Evans’ contribution to the genre in his seminal book, “Abstract Painting in Canada”.
