A new solo exhibition at Foster White Galleries opens July 1. Titled GROW / REGROW. Here's the description from the gallery.
Juniperus, oil and acrylic on panel, 48 x 48 inches
Robert Marchessault Grow / Re-Grow Opening July 1, 2021 Painter Robert Marchessault has long been inspired by the resilience of trees, but in 2020, their fortitude took on a new level of meaning. As we globally faced the rise of one of the most devastating pandemics of modern time, Marchessault turned again to subjects that represent adaptation in the face of struggle, growth amid challenge, and longevity against all odds. The trees he has painted for his new exhibition Grow / Re-Grow are striking reminders of the perseverance not only of the living things he so poetically renders, but of our own. Each a combination of memory and experience, Robert Marchessault’s trees are not based on photographs or certain tree species; instead, the artist orchestrates the trees symbolically. Gnarled trunks and windblown branches are the eloquent results of environmental affects. The beauty of these trees is not in spite of what they have weathered, but because of it. Soft but vibrant, atmospheric abstractions serve as surroundings for each tree. Marchessault composes each painting, placing familiar natural forms on colorful surfaces full of movement.
Says the artist, "For many years, my landscapes, and in particular my images of trees, have been a visual metaphor for overcoming difficulties and thriving in adversity. I am in wonder at how trees are able to take root and grow in spite of forces aligned against them. Wind, drought, rocks, pollution, pests and disease make survival a struggle. Yet, in the face of the misery; trees adapt, change, bend, re-grow and thrive."
Robert Marchessault received a Visual Arts Diploma from Dawson College, Montreal, QC, a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal, QC and an MA from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON. His work has been shown internationally including at Gotland Museum, Visby, Sweden, and many galleries across North America. He’s been the recipient of dozens of awards including a Canada Council Travel Grant. Marchessault’s paintings are in dozens of art collections including 20th Century Fox, Bank of Montreal, Rothschilds Inc, and Royal Bank, among many others.