Slocan Valley journalist and artist John Boivin brings his vibrant landscapes to the Arrow Lakes audience with his show of new works, Descent, at the Studio Connexions Gallery in Nakusp.
“I think ‘Descent’ is a word that captures a deeper thread that runs through this collection: from the descent of water tumbling down a mountain stream to its destination, to the cold light of January falling on a forest,” says Boivin. “Descent is a series of moments in time, captured in detail before they descend into random fragments of memory.”
John is best known in the Nakusp area as a reporter who worked at the Arrow Lakes News in the fall of 2017 and winter 2018. During that time he covered many important events in the Nakusp area, met members of Nakusp’s wonderful and creative arts community, and fell in love with the often-hidden natural beauty of the land and water of Upper Arrow Lake. Several of the pieces in this exhibition are based on scenes found in the Nakusp area.
Known for his ability to faithfully capture a natural scene, Boivin’s acrylic work ranges from almost photographic reproduction, to a more whimsical illustrative style. Boivin often works en plein air, or live on location, to capture the proper feel and proportion of the scene that has caught his eye. He rarely, if ever, works from photographic reference. Boivin’s work will make you feel like you have been at that location, at that time.
That’s not to say he is slavishly beholding to what is before him: after capturing the essence of a landscape in the field, he’ll often return to the studio, and work up the final composition there, playing with light and shadow, form and style until he reaches his desired result.
Boivin is new the Kootenays, but not to painting. He had worked in watercolour and acrylic for decades, and has held numerous shows in the Yukon, his previous home, and here in the Kootenays. He is a member of the Slocan Valley Arts Council, a past member of the Kootenay branch of the Canadian Federation of Artists, a former board member of the Yukon Artists @ Work Co-op and a member of the Yukon Arts Council. He represented Yukon in the national Art Battle speed painting competition in 2014, and has sold his work across Canada.
“I am most honoured that Anne at Studio Connexion Gallery has chosen me to be one of her feature artists this season. She has collected an incredible stable of talented artists that she features,” Boivin said. “The gallery is a real gem for Nakusp, and an important venue for artists in the Slocan and Arrow Lakes valleys. I’d like to thank Ms. Beliveau for her support for my work.”
Descent runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 15 at 203-5th Avenue in Nakusp. Boivin will attend a show opening at the gallery on Aug. 31 from 5 to 8 p.m., and do a live demonstration of his plein-air work at the Farmer’s Market in Nakusp on Saturday, Sept. 1.