Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Anne Griffiths: A Space Between, May 1st - 29th, 2021

A SPACE BETWEEN
ANNE GRIFFITHS
MAY 1ST - 29TH, 2021

We are pleased to present A Space Between, Anne Griffith’s first solo exhibition at Dianna Witte Gallery. We first featured Griffith’s work in Summer Forecast, a group show curated by Tatum Dooley, in 2019.

'Now I am traversed by bridle paths, under the seal of sun and shade...I live in great density...Shelter lures me. I slump down into the thick foliage...In the forest, I am my entire self. Everything is possible in my heart just as it is in the hiding places in ravines. Thickly wooded distance separates me from moral codes and cities.” Rene Ménard.

Painting is often obsessed with labels: abstraction, minimalism, landscape, impressionist, modernist, and so on. But what about the paintings that don’t fit the confines of art speak jargon? To me, these are the best paintings, ones that defy easy categorization; that are contemporary in their condensation of the past into something distinct. This, in a nutshell, is what makes Anne Griffiths’s paintings so great—they seamlessly shift from landscapes to abstractions, from modernism to impressionism. Griffiths’s painterly influences vary: the brushstrokes resemble those of Clyfford Still, the slivers of raw canvas invoke David Milne, while the intuitiveness of Griffiths’s way of working reminds one of Peter Doig. What emerges is a distinct style of her own, one which articulates the landscapes of Canada with a contemporary lens. 

Most of Griffiths’s canvases are painted in tertiary colours—shades within the same section of the colour wheel. The use of colour connotes the weather, season, and feeling of the landscape on any given day. A surprising jolt of colour often interrupts the limited palette —a strike of black, yellow, or blue, surprises the eye. The delight of a familiar landscape interrupted. 

Griffiths draws with her paint strokes. The marks are visible, connecting the viewer to the process. The oil paint becomes lifelike in its visibility—visceral. The marks guide the viewer’s eyes. Pay attention to the direction of the paint strokes, how they provide contextual information. The paintings with vertical lines feel like a curtain of rain or forest tapestry. While the combination of vertical and horizontal strokes differentiate the horizon line, making the viewer feel like they’re walking through a forest. The thatch-like strokes resemble a nest—the ultimate metaphor for a feeling of home within nature. When divorced from the knowledge of the context the paintings were made (in the forests of British Columbia, where Griffiths resides), the paintings have the potential to become living organisms looked at under a microscope.

“These trees are magnificent, but even more magnificent is the sublime and moving space between them, as though with their growth it too increased,” wrote Rilke. In other words, forests have the ability to expand and contract. One can feel small and insignificant while standing amongst trees, and at the same time deeply connected to the earth and the past. The forest seems as if it could go on forever, and yet there are multiple exit points. Griffiths captures this feeling, condensing a walk through a forest into one image which simultaneously feels finite and infinite. 

- Exhibition Text by Tatum Dooley

Anne is a Canadian painter with studios in Victoria and Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. She studied painting at Emily Carr University and received a diploma in design and illustration from Capilano University’s IDEA Program (1986), later working as an art director in several of Vancouver’s prominent design firms for over 20 years. Anne’s focus has since shifted to her own painting practice, one that is built upon the interplay of colour and form - delivering interpretive landscape-spaces with a dexterous colour palette. In July 2018 she attended a residency on Vancouver Island with Canadian artist Harold Klunder, and continues to expand her practice with intent.

View the full list of artworks and details in the pdf below:

EXHIBITION ARTWORKS












Friday, February 12, 2021

The Heart Is a Muscle, February 12th - March 27th, 2021

THE HEART IS A MUSCLE
GROUP EXHIBITION
FEBRUARY 12TH - MARCH 27TH

Our winter group exhibition The Heart is a Muscle opens Friday February 12th; a new installation invoking feelings of strength and hope as we move towards better days. We have received so many new works over the last few months that, due to circumstance, we feel have not been properly exhibited (loved it, couldn't show it). We are now pleased to feature these recent pieces exclusively through February & March. We have refreshed the gallery and are excited to share installation views with you virtually. Exhibiting works by:
Kim Atlin
Fiona Freemark
Drew Klassen
Erin McSavaney
Jeremy Miranda
Leah Rainey
Casey Roberts
Ric Santon
Corri-Lynn Tetz &
Douglas Walker.

We are still available for curbside pick up & delivery. We are maintaining gallery hours from 12-6PM Thursday - Saturday, and you can reach us by email or phone. The lights are always on in our front gallery if you'd like to take a peek through the windows. As always, we have more work available on our website and in our online smalls shop. View the full exhibition walkthrough in the pdf available below:










Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Happy Holidays from Dianna Witte Gallery



Happy Holidays 

We are so grateful to the artists, collectors & art community for the continued support this year. From each of us at Dianna Witte Gallery, we wish you and yours a warm and happy holiday season. 


We are in the gallery this Tuesday & Wednesday for appointments and pick-ups. Our new online shop featuring work by Gary Clement, our Holiday Group Show and Ric Santon's Migration Series will remain open & the works viewable through our storefront windows. Although we will be closed from Thursday December 24th through Thursday January 7th, we invite you to leave any inquiries by phone or email during this time.

Looking forward to seeing you in the New Year.
- Dianna





Friday, December 11, 2020

New Online Shop!

 Visit our new Online Shop at the link below.


ONLINE SHOP


We are currently featuring small works on our shop including the Gary Clement Early Capsule Release, our Winter Salon and Ric Santon's Migration series. Check back regularly for new additions.

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Gary Clement: Early Release, Friday December 4th, 12PM

GARY CLEMENT
EARLY RELEASE
FRIDAY DECEMBER 4TH @ 12PM

Dear Friends,

As with so many local businesses, we have been negotiating ever-changing restrictions due to COVID. We have continually rearranged our show schedules this year so as to give each artist the exhibition they worked hard for. Once again, we have made the decision to postpone Gary Clement's solo show until the spring, when we hope to allow in-person viewing once more. However, we are excited to offer a treat for the Gary Clement lovers out there with an early capsule release in time for the holidays! 

In collaboration with Gary we have curated a collection of small works on canvas that will go live on Friday December 4th at 12PM. To stay in the loop, follow us on instagram and look for an email tomorrow with the link to the collection!

Clement is a Canadian artist, writer and illustrator. In 1999 Clement was awarded the Governor General's Literary Award for children's literature illustration for The Great Poochini. His work has been published in many Canadian and North American journals and periodicals. He has been the daily political cartoonist for Canada's National Post since 1998. 

We are still in the gallery working away and staying positive in hopes that our community can stay safe. We can be reached Thursday - Saturday 12-6PM by phone or email. We are offering curb-side pickup and can also arrange deliveries.


Gary Clement, Batmobile



Annual Holiday Group Show: December 4-20th, 2020

HOLIDAY GROUP SHOW
WINDOW GALLERY
DECEMBER 4TH - 20TH


We still want you to be able to see our holiday group show in person this year so we are taking advantage of our storefront to bring the work to you. We will be featuring small works by gallery artists including a new series of Ric Santon spray paint works, oil paintings by Drew Klassen, Kim Atlin and Leah Rainey, photo-based works by Fiona Freemark and much more.

The entire exhibition is available online in our new web shop with options for pick up or local delivery. 



Ric Santon


Douglas Walker

Fiona Freemark


Kim Atlin

Leah Rainey



Casey Roberts

Samantha Walrod


Monday, November 23, 2020

Installation Views: Casey Roberts, Lingerer, November 6th-28th, 2020

INSTALLATION VIEWS
CASEY ROBERTS
LINGERER
NOVEMBER 6TH - 28TH

Due to COVID restrictions in-person viewings of Casey Roberts' show have been cut short, but we hope you enjoy these installation views of his solo exhibition which continues until November 28th. As of Monday November 23rd our gallery with be closed for visits, however, we are still available by email and phone, and our artists' portfolios are up-to-date on our website. We will be offering pick-up at the gallery and local delivery.  If you would like to request more information or photos, we would be happy to help.