Rose Marie Scanlon

I can't even remember where I stumbled across the works of Yukon artist Rose Marie Scanlon but once I saw the first delicate watercolours about hunters I was hooked. When I think of watercolour I think of flowers and seascapes and delicate landscapes that play with light. Rose Marie's watercolours play more with darks both in tone and theme. I really really want to see these in person up close because there is no way these tiny digital images are doing these justice.

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time then you know I have a soft spot for dead things, hunting, taxidermy and fine Canadian craftsmanship. Rose Marie Scanlon has created a series of works that look as if they are the antithesis of typical watercolour. The paintings seem to depict scenes of night, the subjects appearing like transparent ghosts in the darkness. The landscape evokes a northern feel and reflects her home in Yukon Canada. The themes are definitely Canadian and specifically rural in content. These paintings evoke the age old struggle between man and wilderness and have layer upon layer of narrative familliar to almost any rural-living Canadian.

The masked figure appears in at least two paintings looking out directly at the viewer. I am intrigued by this figure. Who is this hunter? And what's with his sweater?! Presumably he is  the one who has shot and killed the deer in the back of the pickup. Why is his face covered when most photos of a hunter with his bounty are not generally taken in disguise.

Every time I look at these paintings I see something I didn't see before. Unfortunately the images just aren't large enough to really see the details and so I guess all I can do is go to Whitehorse and hope to see them up close.

What do you think of these? Is there anything that stands out for you or that leaves you with questions?

Await the Thunder

Axemas

Bang Bang

Big Hunt

Manhole

Shadows of the Alaska Highway

The Hunt