Amherst Cove - VERSO series.
‘VERSO’ paintings are acrylic, archival inks + graphite on raw Belgian linen. A innovative technique, Houston stretches the linen that engages the warp and weft, then the idea of the inland pond is sketched from memory, in reverse - paint is then pressed through the linen - giving the material + the pigmented gesso agency.
Once the reverse layers are carefully established, the linen is removed from its stretcher bars, turned over + re stretched in the intended orientation.
A second painting is done on the front of the linen enhancing the layers of pigments that were initially pressed through. The outcome is an ethereal, dream like haze that engage the viewer to hold their own memories + narratives of familiar landscapes.
Bonavista Peninsula. 2022.
Solid basswood floating frame, made in Canada by Upper Canada Stretchers, assembled in the artstudio in Bonavista, NL.