Paterson Ewen @ Art Gallery of Hamilton

Paterson Ewen Red Sea, 1989; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2015

The late Canadian mixed media artist Paterson Ewen (1925-2002) has long been an artist that I admire. Red Sea was one of the highlights of a recent visit to the Art Gallery of Hamilton. My last visit to the AGH was about four years ago and I was pleased to see that they amended their photo policy (photos are allowed, except in ticketed shows) since then. Red Sea is monumental. No size was listed, so I guess that the mixed media on plywood artwork would be about 12 feet wide by about 8 feet high.

Paterson Ewen Red Sea detail, 1989; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2015

Ewen gouged out lines with a router and then painted the raw plywood, knots and all. The cloud is likely made of aluminum and appears to be hammered out so that it bubbles out slightly from the background plane.