The Martlet

“I am interested in emptiness, stillness and isolation. I would like my work to encourage people to look inwards, to find a place beyond ego, colour, imagination and context.”

Much like the words of Adrienne Gasior, her artwork captures you in a moment of stillness and serenity. The work at first seems simple, lacking content or subject matter and far too minimalist for a painter to pursue. But it is these minimalist ideas that take viewers to a place of deep thought and peacefulness.

This calming of the senses is what Gasior pursues in her art process.

Her work is inspired by how the body experiences a moment of clarity, or a shift in the way people see the world, if only for a split second.

Her latest work specializes in painting minimalist landscapes.

The interest behind the subject matter lies in how far the depiction of a landscape can be pushed

to nothing.

“Only in nothingness, insights into everything can be gained,” said Gasior.

Her works speak of striving for an element of restraint, and avoiding simple truths and limitations in pursuit of more open-ended unlimited understandings. The works pose questions and allow their viewers to think, rather than

imposing answers.

The Regina-born artist spent most of her childhood in Saskatchewan before moving to Eastern Canada.

Her calming minimalist images have been highly influenced by the landscapes and horizons of the Saskatchewan prairies.

Gasior pursued a degree in economics with a focus on international development. But overwhelmed by her studies and experiences, she began to pursue art.

Using a palette consisting mainly of golds, browns and whites, she began “removing all the clutter” in her thought process.

Her interests are shown through her other experiences. Gasior has used tree planting to bring her somewhere else, where the artwork has taken her to a new level of thought.

Her work may invoke little emotion, and at fi rst can seem difficult to read. But these are the very ideas Gasior pursues. Her art causes you to sit back and think. And it doesn’t force you to concentrate on a certain subject — it merely allows you to appreciate a stillness in time to think clearly and question the world around you.