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KIRSTEN ROBERTSON is from Vancouver BC and studied Art History at UBC, Fine Arts at Emily Carr, and Illustration & Design at Capilano College. She worked as a designer before moving to Penticton with her family in 2007. She now lives in an old house on a small acreage with a backyard orchard. The surrounding orchards and vineyards provide an endless supply of subject matter and inspiration for Kirsten’s lush and moody still life oil paintings. Formerly a member of the Tumbleweed Gallery Artist Collective in Penticton, Kirsten currently exhibits at various local shops and wineries.
For regular updates, new work, and a few travel, pet, and ski pics thrown in for good measure, follow Kirsten on Instagram. #paintwhatyougrow |
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ARTIST STATEMENT
Moving to Penticton over a decade ago has had a huge influence on my work. I arrived with a background in art history and design and was immediately struck by the quality of light and abundance of fruit in the Okanagan Valley. My new surroundings inspired me to begin creating a series of fruit still lifes rendered in oils using bold, painterly brush strokes, referencing 17th century Dutch still life paintings with their dark backgrounds and dramatic lighting. I have always admired this school of painting for the way it creates unexpected moods, meaning, and mystery out of mundane, ordinary objects and food. To add a contemporary edge I like to experiment with scale, cropping, negative space and accidental drips and glimpses of under painting. I have continued my artistic preoccupation with fruit in another series of outdoor, naturalistic fruit ‘portraits’. Painting Okanagan orchard fruits heavy and ripe on the branch is a way for me to celebrate and appreciate this annual miracle.
Moving to Penticton over a decade ago has had a huge influence on my work. I arrived with a background in art history and design and was immediately struck by the quality of light and abundance of fruit in the Okanagan Valley. My new surroundings inspired me to begin creating a series of fruit still lifes rendered in oils using bold, painterly brush strokes, referencing 17th century Dutch still life paintings with their dark backgrounds and dramatic lighting. I have always admired this school of painting for the way it creates unexpected moods, meaning, and mystery out of mundane, ordinary objects and food. To add a contemporary edge I like to experiment with scale, cropping, negative space and accidental drips and glimpses of under painting. I have continued my artistic preoccupation with fruit in another series of outdoor, naturalistic fruit ‘portraits’. Painting Okanagan orchard fruits heavy and ripe on the branch is a way for me to celebrate and appreciate this annual miracle.
