Nicholas Metivier Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new works by artist Charles Meanwell. The exhibition will open on June 21 and will be on view through July 14 with a reception for the artist on Thursday, June 21 from 6– 8 PM. This will be Meanwell’s fourth exhibition at the gallery.
Born in Windsor, Ontario, self-taught artist Charles Meanwell has been painting for most of his life. An encounter in the 1970s with the work of Barker Fairley, who also had little formal training, convinced him to pursue a career as an artist. Often working en plein air, Meanwell paints with confidence and intuition, creating poetry in a landscape that would otherwise seem mundane.
Meanwell has a talent for creating a deep sense of space with a few simple elements. Every line and shape has a purpose and is essential to the overall success of the work. He uses paint sparingly, scumbling across large areas, leaving dark ground to articulate the composition. His innate connection to nature has drawn comparisons to the late Canadian painter David Milne.
In preparation for this show, Meanwell returned to Georgian Bay, a place he visited frequently during the summers of his childhood. He spent six days painting in an area between Parry Sound and Britt. The resulting works are powerful yet intimate and express a particular reverence for the terrain.
Meanwell’s work is in several museum collections across Ontario including MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie; Tom Thomson Art Gallery, Owen Sound; Thames Art Gallery, Chatham and Art Gallery of Windsor. Exhibitions include Windsor Art Gallery, 2008 and Thames Art Gallery, 2010.
