“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Lonsdale gallery is pleased to presents an enticing group show that takes you on a visual journey. Featuring gallery and guest artists, this exhibition brings together works by a diverse group of artists designed to awaken your wanderer’s spirit.

WANDERLUST, Installation Views
Lonsdale Gallery, Main Gallery

Wanderlust finds expression in various forms: from the impulse to travel and explore the world; a desire for adventure and discovery; and even a curiosity that propels individuals beyond their comfort zones. The seductive allure of wanderlust lies not only in the physical journey, but also in the form of mental and emotional transformation or self-discovery.

Jim Reid

Jim Reid, Sedona 1, Arizona, 2018
watercolour & pastel on paper framed behind museum glass
26 x 46 inches (framed)
$3,500

Jim Reid’s watercolour sketches express a yearning for escape. Seeking a sense of comfort in vast all-encompassing landscapes, the artist celebrates its awe-inspiring strength and highlights its vulnerable fragility. The Solace of Open Spaces surveys the unique geography of the North American landscape. From rural Ontario to the deserts of Arizona, Reid’s atmospheric panoramas examine and capture the fleeting landscape, always in a state of constant flux.

Jim Reid, Barbados 6, 2019
watercolour and pastel on paper
17 x 21 inches (framed)
$1,200

Ella Morton

Ella Morton, Church of the Saviour on Blood (Urban Mirrage series), 2015
chromira print, ed. of 5, 24 x 30 inches
$900 (unframed) | $1,200 (framed)

Ella Morton, The Bean (Urban Mirrage series), 2012
chromira print, ed. of 5, 16 x 20 inches
$700 (unframed) | $900 (framed)

Joan Kaufman

Lens based artist Joan Kaufman creates fictional, yet familiar environments through her visual exploration of trees and root systems. ‘Radicle’, refers to a plant embryo that develops into the primary root. It also refers to a root like cluster of nerves or veins. Kaufman pairs these to create conceptual connections between developments in nature and the body to consider the similarities of our physical and psychological relationship with the natural world and the resulting effect produces unnaturally vivid colours that depict an enigmatic subterranean world of complex root systems.

Joan Kaufman, Night Procession 3 , 2017
(Roots and Radicles series) c-print
18 x 40.5 inches
$1,500

In Night Procession, the artist expands her visual exploration of the root and tree imagery. Here, Kaufman introduces figurative elements into her compositions. Kaufman’s artistic exploration of the anthropocene – our current geologic era marked by the impact of human activity on the earth – turns the mirror outward, to reflect society’s complex relationship to the environment.

Using a hybrid approach to photography Kaufman blurs the boundaries between illusion and reality. Combining photography of natural phenomena with studio-fabricated imagery she meaningfully considers the plasticity of the medium. Through an exploration of chromatic intervention and hand drawn figuration the works are at once illusionary and familiar.

Lisa Johnson

For Johnson, the act of painting is a journey. Rooted in memory, and visualizing the psychological sensations of communing with nature, Johnson approaches the untouched landscape as a site for self-discovery and expression. As a female artist painting Canadian landscapes for over 20 years, she brings her lived experience to the genre of landscape painting. 

Lisa Johnson, After Odette, 2021
oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches
$2,200

Jennifer Crane

Jennifer Crane, Field Test, 2019
digital image, archival pigment print, ed. 1/5
23 x 34 inches (framed)
$900

Jennifer Crane’s photographic practice investigates the relationship between the body and the lens. Her recent work explores themes of memory, time, place and archival practices, through a fusion of historical, analogue and digital photographic techniques. In her ongoing series “Field Test”, Crane explores time and perception through experimenting with the artistic possibilities offered by long exposure photography. At first glance, the images appear painterly; reminiscent of loose airy impressionistic scenes. The resulting image reveals the artist’s presence and hand. The process of capturing an image in long exposure requires deliberate measured attention to detail, which in turn invites the eye to linger in order to apprehend all the details within her elusive compositions.

Jennifer Crane, Field Test, 2019
digital image, archival pigment print, ed. 1/5
23 x 34 inches (framed)
$900

WANDERLUST, Installation Views
Lonsdale Gallery, Main Gallery

Wanderlust and the creative drive share an intimate relationship, with each inspiring and enhancing the other. Whether looking towards the wide expansive landscapes, the fast-paced energy of modern urban spaces, or, a profound desire to commune with nature; the insatiable appetite for new experiences serves as an important muse, forming a symbiotic dance between the adventurous soul and the artistic mind.

As the world becomes more interconnected, wanderlust remains a timeless force, reminding us of the boundless wonders that await those brave enough to embark on the journey.