In search of, A series of small paintings portraying shipwrecked sailboats. These paintings explore the physical act of setting sail on the oceans with the help of the elements while at the same time exploring the struggles we face as individuals and as humanity to keep going, to make the right decisions, to be in a place of wonder while the world seems to be irreversibly changing. Images of sailboats stranded are painted with the emphasis on light and dark as well as on the materiality of the paint. Details are of lesser concern even though when seen from some distance everything is clear and assuming the shape of the objects represented, only to fall into disarray when seen up close. The small scale of the paintings speaks of intimacy, contrasting the wide open oceans where the small hull and living quarters have endured many challenges before succumbing to a course set by the wind and tide, the waves and currents. Seeing the vessels beached allows me to see the endurance and willingness to explore, find strength in how we challenge ourselves and in their silent surrender represent hope in the face of disaster. These moments are only stations temporarily reached before setting off again.

Jeroen Witvliet

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Jeroen is a Dutch / Canadian artist working mainly in painting and drawing. His practice evolves around finding strong and distinct imagery that addresses a variety of issues and subjects, ranging from history, nature, social and group dynamics, landscape, memory, art history and more. His approach is one of being very involved in his research but also one of allowing for emotions and vulnerability to be reflected in his work. In the paintings and drawings there is a constant push to challenge preconceived notions of the medium but also of the linearity of his practice. Individual work is linked in many ways to the larger output and is part of a meta-narrative. After immigrating from the Netherlands to Canada he moved to Vancouver, BC and from there to Vancouver Island. Jeroen graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academie, Rotterdam, the Netherlands with a BFA, studied film, video and painting at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and holds an MFA from the University of Victoria , BC Canada. His work has been exhibited throughout Europe and North America and is part of private and corporate collections. Jeroen has had thematic exhibitions based on the research and production of new work after the completion of international residencies and his practice has received multiple Canada Council for the Arts and British Columbia Arts Council Grants.