K.M. Graham: Paintings and Drawings

Patricia Vervoort is an assistant professor of art history at Lakehead
University.

On the occasion of the Guelph Spring Festival an exhibition of paintings and drawings by K.M. Graham was organized by the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre. Intended as a travelling show, the 25 paintings and numerous smaller works on paper will travel throughout Canada between April 1984 and April 1985. Many of the works are illustrated in this catalogue, produced by Ingrid Jenkner. The catalogue includes biographical details, lists of solo and group exhibitions, a bibliography, and entries for the 57 works.

The essay straightforwardly discusses the works produced between 1971 and 1984. Working from sketches made outdoors, whether in the Arctic or in her own garden, Graham transforms observed imagery into abstractions on canvas. For example, Snow Patterns — Dark Salmon Sky (1983) is representative of the evocative landscapes. Sparse patterns of trees against a white expanse rise up the canvas to the hills viewed against a uniformly bright sky. Jenkner discusses the technique of staining used by Graham and includes photographs of the artist at work. Graham retains vestiges of the subject matter that inspired her abstractions. The interest in snow patterns is the theme of this exhibition, and Jenkner’s essay is a complement to the art works.