Sally Clark
I was born in Vancouver, BC. I have vivid childhood memories of visiting remote and beautiful places in BC. From these trips, I developed a deep love of the rugged landscape of BC. I've been painting in oils since I was twelve.
I was sitting in the woods, painting a tree when I had this strange revelation. At first I saw the tree as it conformed to my expectations. But suddenly I was jolted out of my preconceived ideas and saw something else, something astonishing. I call it 'The moment of dissolve,' when what you are looking at, reveals itself to you. My job as an artist is to communicate what I receive to others.

The two main subjects in my painting are landscapes and people. I remember being in the Titian room at the National Gallery and locking eyes with this painted male portrait. It was as if he was alive and speaking to me. Painting is a form of magic; a means of connecting with another being through time and space.

My other passion is the theatre. I've written several plays, which have been produced nationally and internationally. I've worked as a playwright-in-residence at many theatres across Canada. One of my favourite residencies was in Whitehorse. The Yukon landscape is breathtaking. I lived in the Yukon for several years before moving back to Vancouver in 2003.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I am fascinated by light. I paint to get at the essence of my subject, to understand its mystery. I use oil paints, painting in layers through underpainting and overpainting so that the colour is formed optically by the light passing through the layers. I incorporate some of the techniques of the 15th century Flemish painters because the colours in their paintings have retained their brilliance over time. The light that passes between the layers keeps the colour alive.

I want to create the feeling one has, when light suddenly hits a surface and there is a moment of illumination. I wish to engage the viewer in this sense of mystery, these apparitions of light.