Tim Gardner
June 13 to July 13, 2013
Internationally recognized for his hyper-realistic watercolour and pastel works, Tim Gardner’s images circumvent classical portraiture or landscape while providing a glimpse into the lives of the middle class. Gardner’s exhibition at Monte Clark Gallery will present a collection of new watercolour and pastel works, each focusing on the idea of a single figure within a landscape, and the connection between the two.
The watercolours, which prominently feature landscapes, offer contemplative tableaux of smaller figures surrounded by nature. The pastels, as portraits, provide a close-up view of his subjects where conversely, nature becomes more of a backdrop and serves to inform the identity of the figure. The works play with focus, alternating between figure and landscape to inform both. Though echoing classical artworks in both genres, Gardner’s figures and landscapes offer clues to a more contemporary narrative.
Tim Gardner has had solo exhibitions at institutions such as The National Gallery in London, UK, 303 Gallery in New York, the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver BC. His work has also been included in exhibitions at the San Francisco MoMA and Kunsthalle Basel.