It's summertime! We yearn for it most months of the year - and now it is here. It is truly the time for the great outdoors, the woods, the wilderness: so into our sensational Canadian backyard we plunge with our camping conveyances - "recreational vehicles" - of all shapes and sizes.
In celebration of the too-long-awaited camping season, Gibson Fine Art is pleased to present the latest exhibition of iconic new works from Mitchell Fenton. Fenton whimsically, playfully, centre-stages his deep interest and love for vintage campers amid scenery and wildlife that vividly captures the definitive Canadian mountain grandeur. It's about where we're going, shouts Fenton's work - but it is also very much about how we get there.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed crossing the Prairies and going camping in the Mountains. It’s not the Destination, or the Journey that is important, it’s the Gear! I LOVE Vintage Campers! I love seeing what everyone else is travelling in too – on the road and in the campground. As memorable as those childhood adventures were and my camping trips with my own children (in our vintage VW camper), it is always that Wildlife encounter that makes the whole thing Truly unforgettable! This show is about celebrating those vintage RIGS.
I'd like to share My Recipe with you. Scour the internet and select an example of a good-looking Camper. (The best photos are found when someone is selling one – front, side, ¾ view.) I help myself to an Image - spruce it up a bit - then insert into an idyllic landscape! To spice it up, introduce a little Drama to taste! Enjoy.
So now… Just when you thought it was safe to go outside again – remember – DANGER Lurks!
Be safe everyone. Wash your hands frequently. Please don’t feed the BEARS, and best latch the door at night
-Mitchell Fenton
Mitchell Fenton is a Technician in the First Year Studio.