Seasonal Intuitions – Eric Euler solo exhibition at One Sky

OPENING RECEPTION FRIDAY MARCH 16th 7:00-9:00 PM

ONE SKY GALLERY
125 DURHAM STREET
SUDBURY ONTARIO

ARTIST STATEMENT

In April 2017 Eric Euler introduced alla prima (wet on wet) plein air (outside) oil painting into his practice – a ritual that has helped him re-familiarize and celebrate his northern home. What began as a project guided by nostalgia and the inclination to continue producing work without a studio stemmed into a churning series of dozens of 9”x12” oil paintings. “There is an urgency to painting outside which can’t be replicated in a studio setting.”

Seasonal Intuitions marks the 2nd solo exhibition of plein air paintings by Eric Euler.

Using a visual vocabulary rooted in perceptual and expressive mark making – inspired by the language of modernist abstract painting – this series of Northern Ontario landscapes gently explore the rites of passage belonging to Joseph Campbell’s archetypal monomyth. Rites of passage symbolize transformation and are composed of narrative components called the stages of the hero’s journey. These stages such as the call to adventure, the crossing of the threshold, and the road to trials subtly reveal themselves as frozen trails, unkept paths, and decaying forests – spaces pregnant with the beauty of uncertainty.

While this series offers glimmers of hope and optimism, Euler’s application of heavy paint is sometimes indicative of a darker and more ephemeral theme. “I begin my paintings using brushes however regularly finish them using an unconventional arsenal of knives and syringes, often “toothpasting” the oil paint directly from the tube. These types of grotesque marks are emblematic of viscera, suggesting the vulnerability of our Canadian landscapes. ”

While the title of each work acknowledges its painted location, these unpeopled environments bare an introspective energy, excavated from the love and urgency of Euler’s materials and process.

ARTIST BIO

Eric Euler is interdisciplinary artist, educator, and cultural worker currently based in North Bay Ontario. His professional art practice balances the use of printmaking, painting, installation, graphic design, and community art practices to activate themes as diverse as regional identity, popular culture, and Jungian psychology. Since returning to his northern hometown following the completion of his graduate studies at Louisiana State University and Tamarind Institute, He’s had three solo exhibitions, lectured at numerous Ontario universities, and launched Upside Down Press – a mobile woodblock t-shirt printing workshop. Currently he chairs the board and promotes music events at the local artist-run center White Water Gallery while maintaining a print studio at Nipissing Regional Curatorial Collective.

www.ericeuler.com
Instagram @_Lithoneer_