POLAR PAINTING
I hope my drawings can facilitate a deeper
understanding of the climate crisis, helping us find
meaning and optimism in shifting landscapes
Fiord, Ellesmere Island, which lies within the Canadian
Arctic Archipelago. Despite the extreme conditions of the
glacial landscape, James worked en plein (freezing) air,
completing three canvases, each of which were completed
in a day – a change of pace for the leisurely painter.
Conditions were such that he was forced to work on a
smaller scale than he was accustomed to, and his fervent
practice was occasionally distracted by his companion
raising a rifle to ward off curious polar bears. Despite the
harsh and unforgiving environment, in which he was fully
immersed as he camped in tents in plain sight of caribou,
James described the High Arctic as a “paradise on earth.”
AcrosstheAtlantic,ZariaFormanhasbeenfixatedon
icescapeseversinceshewasa child.Asthedaughterof
thesuccessfulfineartphotographerRenaBassForman,
whowasfamedforhersepia-tingedlargeformatimages
ofremotelandscapes,Zariawouldregularlytravelwithher
familyonexpeditionsforhermother’swork.Theseearly
voyagesresultedinsuchformativememoriesasmushing
ondogsledsintheNorthPole,whichcementedtheyoung
COURTESY OF THE ARTIST ZARIA FORMANartist’sloveforfrozenlandscapes.
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