Landwatch

Lynn Malin

July 22 to October 24

The topography of the Prairies exposes a tension between human inhabitation and nature. This conflict is particularly evident when viewed from the sky. A 2014 helicopter flight brought this to light for respected Edmonton artist Lynn Malin, who compares the experience to “flying like a bird”. Grasslands, waterways and patterns of human development and activity, observed from the air, inspired the artist, and aerial views have been guiding her work and appearing in her paintings ever since that experience.

Landwatch is a stunning and vibrant survey of St. Albert and the surrounding communities. It reflects upon the continuing urbanization of the area and captures the elemental and human forces that etch their presence upon the land. For many years, Malin has been frequenting the area to paint its diverse countryside. Her large-scale mixed-media works on Lexan – a polycarbonate resin thermoplastic used in headlamps and bullet-proof glass – are abstractions, and incorporate pattern, rubbings, paint, spray paint and oil pastel. They record the constant flux and reinvention of life, imprinted upon the fabric of the landscape.

Lynn Malin, Patterned Ground, oil, graphite and mixed media on lexan, 48x48”, 2018