ERIN WHITTEN CRYSDALE

Erin Whitten Crysdale is a contemporary Canadian artist interested in themes that connect the natural world with the psyche of the individual. With a distinct style that merges naive outsider style with elements of representational and landscape painting, Erin's work blends a sense of beauty while also touching on the darkness that represents the whole experience of being a human.  Remarkable for their bold compositions, colouration, and the intense gazes of her figures, her paintings express the human search for meaning in a world that can feel surreal.  During the isolation of the Covid pandemic and this intense time of isolation, Erin's figures became more and more enveloped by nature, not as an expression of claustrophobia but as an expression of the increased intimacy with their natural surroundings.   

Throughout the pandemic, I’ve walked in all weather through forests and fields. This outdoor time is what saved my health, my family and my mental wellbeing.  Everything I learned about the world has been delivered through the landscape. My art is about that inseparable connection between the figure and nature. I am increasingly merging the two both visually and emotionally.

"I spend a big chunk of my morning reminding/teaching myself how to listen. My day begins early.  I’m often up before the sun so that I can read, drink my coffee and do a 20 minute meditation before others are awake. Then I walk the dog in High Park and really observe nature. I look at shadows for contrast, water for movement, patterns, light and even sound. I just try to take in whatever appears in front of me with out too much thought. By the time I get into my studio, the goal is to have applied my listening skills. Then I work on a canvas that has no clear direction and I try to let go of a plan. I work on several canvases and I move between them to keep my mind bright and my attachments to outcomes at bay. I’m not a big fan of the blank canvas because although full of potential the paint brush doesn’t like gesso, so obliterating it is a joy. "