Returning Skies
MICHAEL GIBSON GALLERY
157 Carling Street London, Ontario, Canada N6A 1H5
Press Release
Michael Smith “Returning Skies” — April 7-29, 2006
“Returning Skies” consists of a suite of seven paintings that offer views of imagined locations and distant vistas. Known for his highly textured paintings of swamps, forests and meadows, Michael Smith has focused this new work on the low horizon line of an open landscape.
Through the bold colours and layered brushwork, light streams over gnarled landscapes with hints at sparkling bodies of water in the distance. The thick layers of choppy, torn, daubed, scraped down and built up paint reveal the phenomena of Smith’s landscapes.
Born in the UK, Michael Smith has lived in Montreal since 1978. He received a BFA at Falmouth College of Art in England and completed a MFA from Concordia University in 1983. His recent solo exhibitions include shows in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Brussels. Smith’s work can be found in many public collections including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Musee du Quebec, Museum London, University of Lethbridge and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.