Postcards from the Void
September 4, 2008
Rdest had never lived in a small town before, and the experience was life changing. She found herself heading down to the edge of the North Atlantic every calm day when the waves weren’t so bad they would smash you on the rocks.
“Standing there on the edge just staring into the depth, I always thought of that as the void—this place that is enticing and sort of seductive with all its treasures but you can’t go there or else you’ll get sucked in by the undertow.”
The isolating experience left Rdest alone to face the void—a figurative void in one’s self, and a literal void in the landscape. She says the multitude of experiences this resulted in can be found in her new work.
“The paintings are built up in multiple layers because I tend to think about the way that we see things through other things and through our experience. We’re always seeing the world through a veil.”
After traveling for the past few years, being short listed for the RBC painting competition in 2007, and receiving a Canada Council for the Arts grant, Rdest now plans to spend some time nesting in Toronto. But she won’t forget what she learned in Pouch Cove any time soon.
“I kind of found my voice out there. I found my expression. I found a way of working and a set of symbols and gestures that I can still mine for a very long time.”
Postcards from the Void will be on display from Thu September 4th – Tue October 7th at Tatar Gallery.
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