Caven ATKINS
Gathering Clouds
8 - 29 September . 2012
Opening reception (mimosas & pastries): 11am-1pm Saturday, 8 September
[Caven Atkins'] beginnings were shaped by Lionel Lemoine FitzGerald and Fritz Brandtner in Winnipeg, by his industry and determination; later, in the company of friends like Charles Comfort, Carl Schaefer, Paraskeva Clark, Peter and Bobs Gogill Haworth, Pegi Nicol MacLeod, and Charles Goldhamer, Atkins created a body of work which vividly represents his time. Not satisfied with a set formula for making pictures, he strove to reveal the fundamental structure, the essential rhythms in nature. To accomplish this end, he constantly experimented; Charles Sheeler, Lyonel Feininger, Paul Cézanne, Marsden Hartley, Albert Pinkham Ryder and John Marin were sources of inspriation. But, finally, it was the landscape of Canada itself - the winding Beausejour River, the lakes and woodlands of Flin Flon; the bluffs at Scarborough, the rolling countryside of Baie St. Paul, and Grafton - that fired his mind and shaped his art.
- Ted Fraser, Curator (Art Gallery of Windsor)
Through harmonious compositions Atkins explored the dynamic tension of nature and culture while moving through media and subject matter with great skill and ease. Gathering Clouds marks the first exhibition and sale since the acclaimed artist's passing in 2000. The exhibition will be installed in the north gallery from September 8th through to the 29th. We encourage you to visit and discover the rich tapestry that is Caven Atkins' life and work. "He was inspired by the casual arrangement of form discovered in alleys amidst the ramshackle backs of tenements ... he was drawn more frequently to informal and unusual compositions like Garbage Can and Alley, 1928 and the drypoint From My Studio Window, 1931."
...Caven Atkins created kaleidoscopic, panoramic compositions revealing the underlying structure of rolling countryside.
- Caven Atkins: A Retrospective, 1979, pg. 5 and pg. 14.
RECENT PRESS
London, Ontario's Atkins got a lot of respect in his lifetime, but never gained wide prominence. His subtly enchanting work is long overdue for a re-evaluation. He assimilated many a style in his time, but everything he created bears the distinctive flavour that comes from being as adept at graphic design as at painting and drawing. Artwork $500 - $15,000.
Toronto Life, Sept. 2012 (pg. 136)
