Canoe From the Past Constructed for the Future Print

Find more posted at and fyfe.art on Instagram Fyfe's artwork is optimistic - light, airy and for the home. Not inconsequential however, but made for the clear purpose of rewarding the eye with colour, form and motif. In these works, pleasure can be in the accessibility of art rather than in its forceful 'challenge to the viewer'. And yet, drill down into the works, and the many links made to Canadian art history and aesthetic philosophy are found. Although unique because of their memorable graphic style, the influences of specific Canadian artists is still evident. Fyfe bathes in the palette and abstracted forms of Lawren Harris or the trademark colour of Frederick Varley, the shaped frames of Claude Tousignant, or the familiar native motifs of Norval Morrisseau, or aesthetic of Alex Janvier. In Fyfe's work there is also the repetitive iconography, transposing common forms (the smiling canoe, domestic chair, spiritual wing or powerful wave) into pure motifs that reflect his thematic painting. In his work, a harmonic whole is created by the precise use of hard-edged, flat sweeps of bright colour, fused with elements such as texture and line. Unlike any other artist, Fyfe's paintings are forthright in heralding optimism through art, fueled by an internal sense of light and kindness. In any setting, they conjure a sensibility of a vigorous and happy life. If you're interested in what's new etc, message Peter, in any language, at