Debra Krakow
Red commands attention. There are always a few reds sitting enticingly on my workbench – fiery naphthol red light, earthy burnt crimson, rosy quinacridone scarlet. I usually use them as a highlight or focal point, set off by a larger field of muted neutrals, but in this piece reds take centre stage and give the painting its power.
Cows and dot grids are both recurring themes in my work.
Cows, because they represent everything I love about country living -- growing and raising our own food, noticing the seasonal changes as we explore the fields and the woods, and having a closer relationship with animals, both wild and domestic.
Dot grids? Hard to say why but I love them, and they pop up in my paintings, my pottery and even my knitting. Perhaps it's my architectural background. In this series, they evoke the industrial aspect of cattle farming, in contrast with the pastoral view of cows lazily grazing in a hayfield.
Dorothy
Acrylic and collage on canvas, 30” x 30” $1280
Debra Krakow is a visual artist, potter and architect. Debra and her husband moved from their Montreal apartment to a Wolfe Island hayfield in 1995, built a house while their toddler watched and played, and have never looked back. With a chicken coop in the yard and cows across the road, Debra is never at a loss for painting subjects. Her artistic practice has developed through explorations in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, fibre arts and ceramics. She paints in layers, selectively revealing or obscuring the underpainting to create an evocative surface. Her painted surfaces reveal a complex history of underlying colour and texture. Debra welcomes studio visits by appointment. She also shows her work in Ottawa at Koyman Galleries.