High Arctic Light: Janet Read – Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre

At the heart of the exhibition lies a spiritual response to the landscape and the imperiled ecosystems of the northernmost reaches. Janet translates her personal dialogue with the landscape into a visual language that evokes emotion and contemplation.

The public is warmly welcomed to the opening reception on Sunday, October 15th, 2023, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to personally engage with the artist, savour the artwork, and connect with fellow art enthusiasts over refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. Janet Read will offer remarks around 2:30 pm. This event is generously supported by Château des Charmes, providing an assortment of fine wines.

The artist wishes to acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Artist’s Statement
“in place of the beholder there is a rememberer.”
-Howard Hodgkin

I work from experience and memory. Recent travels in the high Arctic in 2018 and 2023 inform current work. The arctic experience nourishes and sustains my imagination, especially during the past pandemic years. Memory, hope, and experience are made tangible in the act of painting.

My work stems from a deep connection to place and an immersion in the natural world. Paint is applied spontaneously in a process of improvisation refined over the period of the painting process. Gesture and mark making are integral in my work.

Cultivation of the wild through Indigenous leadership can maintain a balance in this delicate environment. As Susie Evyagotalak, a leader from Kugluktut says; “Our garden is the sea.”

See beauty.
Honour the land.

The high Arctic ignites my imagination with austerity, light, space, fragility, and beauty. My response: abstract visual explorations of light, earth and sea.