Painting life’s gardens

LORI GOLDBERG

“I do not paint in front of but from within nature.”
– Arshile Gorky

Into the Garden is a collection of paintings inspired by the urban garden that surrounds my studio. My neighbors and I decided to do away with our wooden fences and create our very own lively green fences. The flowers, bushes, vines and fruit trees separate our properties and provide me with year-round inspiration.

I love to travel and, this time, my garden was the entry point to my journey. When I travel, I become more alert and open to new experiences. I welcome the random and unexpected occurrences and I enjoy the heightened awareness. I observe what is happening in front of me, what is happening inside of me and what is going on around me. I see. I hear. I watch. All my senses are engaged to truly see beyond the ordinary everyday beauty.

In the spring, the growth of the garden is palatable. The physicality of the flowers, leaves, petals and buds bursting forth with life actively seeking the sun! I load my brush with pure saturated color in attempt to catch the complex language of the garden’s world.

Every day when I visit the garden it has changed. The light, the rain, the wind and the passage of time have made an impression on the garden, influencing the way I approach my next painting.

A hummingbird flashes in front of me; one minute it’s there, the next it’s gone. It exists, even if only for a moment. I want to express this sense of playfulness, so I choose an alternative tool to make my mark. It is a child’s spinning top with a marker attached to it; as it spins it follows an unpredictable spiraling line. It finds its own path, responding to this unexpected yet welcome visitor.

This body of work is about movement and stillness. At times it is about the flowers, the wind on the leaves, or the sound of a dog barking; all are part of the vista, the journey.

As an artist I do not have to travel far to find fascination and inspiration. I look around and discover a vast, rich, fresh landscape right outside my window: my urban garden.

Lori Goldberg is a Vancouver artist whose paintings have been exhibited in Canada and in Europe. Collectors of her work include the Canada Art Bank, the City of Vancouver Art Collection, Intrawest Resorts and the Interstate Bank in San Francisco. She currently teaches classes at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and offers workshops in her studio.

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