Showing January 14 - 28, 2025
"I live in two states of being: together, and apart. Often, I find myself acutely aware of the thin veil of time that rips me from moment to moment - the same one that takes me from her. There’s finality when you sit on a plane, despite the thoughts that might come to your mind. At least we’re still in the same city, I might think. I could probably leave here now and make it back to her house before dinner, I might dream. But to live in the real world is to accept when things are hard, to accept when you must leave. Sometimes it feels like the eb of time slows down when I’m traveling, so much so that I could swear that just yesterday, I was on a plane, similar to this one, headed back to the same destination. Doing the exact same thing. Leaving. I can never believe that I’m here, again.
This series of paintings follows the moments in which I am stuck in an intermission. Between our life together, and our lives apart. A long-distance relationship is built on trust and perseverance, and after nearly seven years, I can safely say we have a strong foundation to stand on. It doesn’t make it any less hard, though. In fact, I think it gets harder every time I ‘choose’ to leave. I can’t afford to miss my flight, but I still need to decide what time I need to call an Uber in order to get to the airport with enough time - usually a regrettable amount of time. I need to be the one who packs my bags and walks out that door.
I want to start making memories together, not apart. I want to be there, not here.
All three paintings are done in oil. I work from my own archive of cell phone photography and build up in layers. I play with saturation and colour a lot, because I often find that the “real” colours are dull and boring and don’t hold so much significance - not nearly enough, anyway. Pushing the hues out of their comfort zone is where I feel the most comfortable, where the paintings seem to come to life and find new meaning."
About the Artist
Kayla St-Pierre is an oil painter living in Guelph, Ontario. Her work has been shown at the Artist Project alongside three other artists that were chosen by the University of Guelph School of Fine Art to represent the Studio Art Program in 2024. She has participated in over 10 group exhibitions as well as having her first solo show in March 2024, “Oh, is this your first life, too?” at the University of Guelph Zavitz Gallery. She hosts a series of her YouTube channel to support and raise up other artists called Artist Talks. Kayla is looking forward to an Artist Residency at the Art Gallery of Bancroft in 2025.
Featured Work
Leaving
36 x24 inches
Oil on canvas
2024, $1650
Returning
36 x 24 inches
Oil on canvas
2024, $1650
Intermission
36 x 12 inches
Oil on canvas
2024, $1450
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