Steve Driscoll: Points of Passage

In this new body of work, Steve Driscoll constructs a vivid painted narrative featuring sights that one might encounter during a journey through the Canadian wilderness. By boat or by foot, Driscoll’s point of view emerges through his use of the horizon line to place himself, and as a result viewers, in these paintings. For Points of Passage, Driscoll scoured his extensive archive of photographs taken on trips through Algonquin, Killarney, and Temagami in search of images of more quiet, intimate moments along the way. To Driscoll, the occasional cottage, storage depot or farm spotting are all part of the story, acting as visual markers on his journey.

Over two decades ago, Driscoll invented his now iconic medium of oil paint mixed with urethane. The mixture has a similar consistency to watercolour but with a heightened saturation of colour and a sleek surface quality that reflects light. While it is evident that Driscoll is able to translate the sublime beauty of the Canadian landscape in an uncanny and visceral way, it is his passion for immersing himself in nature while camping and canoeing that fuels his artistic practice.