RoseMarie Condon - Artist’s Statement

Whether painting en plein air or in my studio my works focus on wilderness areas, flora, fauna, people and rural settings that inspire me. I have explored throughout Canada, the High Arctic and Greenland photographing and sketching in graphite, watercolours or oils.

In studio I paint with acrylics or oils making use of my on-location sketches in pencil or watercolour as well as my photography to refresh my visual memory and capture the fleeting affects of light and atmospheric moods of nature. I also have a lifelong passion for life drawing where I generally work with conte chalks.

My works have travelled internationally. I have been honoured with many awards for painting, Illustration and design. My works are in private and corporate collections including the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

I explore and express my sense of whimsy while writing and illustrating children’s books for my own pleasure. My lifelong interest in fashion, fabrics, medieval costumes and animals inform these fanciful works in progress. The 2018 book ’Artists of Kawarthas’ contains one of the many paintings from ‘Midsummer Magic’; my never-ending project.

During my long career as an artist I have sought to express myself through any available media and means from abstraction to realism and beyond. Whether painting a ‘serious’ work, creating a whimsical illustration for my stories or poems, or just playing with paint to see what happens I enjoy the process above all because each new discovery enriches my creative process. These are all important and well-loved parts of my growth as an artist and I also find great pleasure in sharing my discoveries in creating 2 and 3-dimensional art while teaching children and adults.

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Autumn Amber Sketch

PLEIN AIR
This day is a day of wonder
A constantly unfolding cornucopia.
Colours, sounds, smells.
Awareness heightened,
I hear the beat of my drum.
My heart swells,
I am fully alive, in tuneful harmony
With the wooded path, the tumbling brook
And the birds circling through the tall fragrant pines.

Island Retreat

Plein Air

There are few things in life as exhilarating as setting up my easel to paint in oils or sitting on a rock beside a waterfall to sketch with watercolour. Surrounded by the sounds of rushing water, wind in the trees, birds flitting about through the branches. Then, when I am still and concentrating on painting there is the chipmunk that comes to noses about in my sketch bag.

Melt Creek Tatshenshini River

TATSHENSHINI
An ever-flowing torrent
From the Yukon where she's born
Sweeping through the Mountains,
A twisting path she's worn.

Silently we float upon
Her roiling silty waves,
Past gravel bars and tree-lined shores
And weather sculpted caves.

At setting sun, we gather
'Round campfire one and all,
We toast her raging beauty
And hear the raven's call.

As night rests on the mountains
When mauve-hued clouds have fled,
Her constant silky laughter
Lulls us in our bed.

Now dream of bears and eagles
Seen on her rocky shores,
Of grey wolves and chickadees
Where Tatshenshini roars.

Northern Aerie

Algonquin Mist

September's Dawn
Golden amber fiddleheads
Wake, cloaked in morning dew.
Maples softly shake their hair
Of blazing crimson hue.

Supple sweeping branches brush
Soft coral tinted clouds,
Silent silver spectres lift
Their droplet laden shrouds.

Arcing necks and outstretched wings
Embrace September's dawn,
Steady beating rhythms rise
From misty marsh, then on.

La Cloche Autumn

Brilliant Bay

MANITOULIN
Pale pink rocks
Thrust through the sky.
Pristine clouds
Glide swiftly by.
Mirror still water
Captures colour and line.
I hold out my heart,
Their rapture is mine
Crisp clean air
Sun descending
Hush my love,
Day is ending.

Intermittent Showers

I'm extremely grateful for each wondrous time I've had the opportunity to explore, sketch, photograph and be inspired to wax poetic in Algonquin Park, the La Cloche, the Madawaska Valley and Georgian Bay. I'm fortunate indeed to live in Kawartha Lakes with its' big skies, barns, rolling farmlands and close proximity to wilderness with rocks, trees and rushing water.

It's Spring!

Heritage homes have always inspired me to draw and paint. Over the years I've had my studio in many areas where they cried out to me. I usually imagine a scenario, most often with children and/or animals, which adds a narrative to my paintings of these delightful century homes.

Tea for Two

I am an avid gardener so I often set the faithfully rendered houses in a garden with surroundings and the visual dialogue I create.

Polar Bear Study

Warming Trend

WARMING TREND?
Winter will not loose its grasp; ice is pelting down.
“Globally we’re warming.” they’re all grumbling with a frown.
“What’s the deal with warming?” A misnomer that’s profound.
Our earth is changing rapidly most scientists have found.

Glaciers I’ve walked upon are racing from the shore.
The violence of their calving sends forth a thunderous roar.
You can’t hear their mighty thunder in the Arctic far away.
“So, what’s the deal with warming?” I often hear you say.

“So, what’s the deal with warming?” they scream, they yell, they shout!
Thermometers confuse us, Fahrenheit to Celsius, “What is that about?”
Summer’s truly hot and dry; Bee Balm and Coneflowers wilt.
Fewer butterflies and Honey Bees explore my garden’s quilt.

Tread lightly as you walk upon our bounteous Mother Earth.
Care for her with tenderness, encourage her rebirth.
Be mindfully aware as you go about your day.
With eyes and ears attuned to what she has to say.

Mindscape 2

INTUITIVE PAINTING
Over my long career as painter and illustrator I have enjoyed exploring many styles of expression, all manner of subject matter, painting and mark-making materials.
I enjoy teaching seniors and children. Helping students create 2 and 3 dimensional works that surprise and please them.

Mindscape11

Intuitive painting is a wonderful way to silence the inner critic and play with paint. All creativity flows from our inner child and every painting/drawing experience is a meditative process.
Painting intuitively the artist strives to silence the inner critic, let go of the outcome and explore colour, random pattern and happy accidents, for the most part, suspending judgement.
Every artist encounters fallow periods and for them intuitive painting can help to break that log jam.

Midsummer Magic 1

MIDSUMMER MAGIC
Flute and drum and tambourine
Play everyone’s request.
Revelers dance on through the night
With graceful, whirling zest.

Fenwick spins his lady fair.
Felicia’s all a-flutter.
For, Fen is such a darling lad
With charming words to utter.

Midsummer Magic 2

I have created innumerable characters, illustrations, stories and poems for children. Some project were commissioned by multi-national corporations and some by publishers of children’s books.
These characters, Felicia and Fenwick fox and Thadeus toad were created as I developed my medieaval adventure. Midsummer Magic is my anthopomorphic story with wizards and dragons, where I indulge my love of animals, whimsy, rhyme, vibrant colour, fabric and costume design. There are many paintings still to be completed. Painting them is a wonderfully creative break from reality.