Meet Zan Barrage, this week’s top American Watercolor Weekly Ambassador!
“Through my artwork, I attempt to explore light on the Canadian Landscape,” says Zan. “There is a certain temperature to the light up here, a crispness that is uniquely Canadian. It speaks to me in a harmony of colors. Delicate but savage. Rich but not overwhelming — elegant. I hope it comes through in my work.
“The long tradition of landscape painting in Canada comes as a direct response to the vast natural wonders and richness of our country. While I see my work as part of that tradition, I strive to avoid becoming derivative in my artwork. My goal is to express the atmosphere, light, mood, and feeling of nature around me. I want to communicate the poetry of the land rather than report what it looks like.
“My studio work is informed by frequent work outdoors. Day trips in south western Ontario in all seasons are augmented with longer camping trips up north in the summer. These trips and sojourns are catalysts and incubators of ideas and result in what I hope are honest expressions in my body of work.
“I paint because I fall in love with a moment. Sometimes I capture it successfully, and other times, too many times, I fail. I am proud to say that my artwork has seeped into private collections from Australia through Europe to North America. I cherish all my collectors and value their choice to own my artwork. In a way, a work of art is not whole until someone owns it. I am grateful for that.”
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I truly appreciate your sharing things you have learned over the years as artists.