By Dan Archer
The Shurniak is featuring another outstanding Canadian artist at their gallery this October. Dawn Banning 鈥� a painter inspired by nature 鈥� paints in a loose, flowing style, using blurred or dabbed strokes of acrylic or oil to craft dream-like views in understated colours.
Patrons visiting the Shurniak to study Dawn鈥檚 efforts might be reminded of the post-impressionistic scenes produced by Tom Thomson of the Group of Seven. Banning said her approach to art could be labelled as post-impressionistic like Thomson鈥檚, but the painter is expressing this style without deliberate intention. Banning鈥檚 art praises the Canadian outdoors 鈥� there鈥檚 no dark urbanity or irony depicted on her canvases.
The scenes in Banning鈥檚 paintings are smooth, wistful and reflective. She paints landscapes from all the regions she鈥檚 visited or lived in, including Saskatchewan, the Yukon, British Columbia and Ontario. Nature is Banning鈥檚 muse.
Landscapes, trees, lakes and forests inspire her to create. She spent much of her youth in the outdoors, as her father was employed as a park conservation officer in Saskatchewan鈥檚 provincial parks, so Banning鈥檚 work obviously reflects a woodsy upbringing.
During her introductory speech for the gallery patrons, Banning鈥檚 father piped-up, saying, 鈥淪he always had a pencil or a crayon in her hand as a child.鈥�
Aside from 小蓝视频 an accomplished painter, Banning is an athlete. She has participated in marathon runs, she鈥檚 an avid cyclist and an Ironman participant. Banning has also chosen to assist various charities. For example, Banning is donating the proceeds of a picture she did of a horse towards the Humboldt Broncos 鈥� this artwork is currently kept inside a glass cabinet at the gallery. Homecoming by Dawn Banning runs at the Shurniak from October 3 to December 2.聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
