Exhibition

Mark Williamson: Urban Reflections

September 14, 2017 – October 8, 2017

Gallery A: September 14 – October 8, 2017
Artist Talk: Sunday October 1, 1-3pm
Reception: RMG Fridays, October 6, 7-9pm

Have you ever looked down on a cityscape from an airplane and thought it resembled a circuit board, and the city, a giant computer?

People say we live in the information age, and that digital technology defines the cultural paradigm of our time. I tend to agree with Marshall McLuhan’s sentiment, “the medium is the message”.

While development for human purposes alters the land, and non-human, living organisms are neglected, I see a resulting landscape that reflects technological design. Topographical images of cities begin to look like circuit boards or computer components.
These paintings explore manufactured spaces in the tradition of abstract painting. Some capture the chaos of urban design and the layering of development that exists in time and space. Others show the tranquility of open spaces and offer a balance between organic and manufactured forms. My intention is to express how design can influence feelings.

Artist Bio
Mark Williamson is a naturalist and outdoor enthusiast. He completed a Visual Arts Foundation year at Ontario College of Arts and Design, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in Visual Arts and Philosophy. Williamson taught art at Cedar Ridge Summer Art Camp to youth while completing his Bachelors in Education as an art teacher. He is currently a secondary school teacher in the Durham District School Board.
Williamson has been painting abstract images with oil on canvas for the last sixteen years. He has participated in RMG and Station Gallery members’ exhibitions, and has shown in a coffee house exhibit and in the Ottawa Fringe Festival. He enjoys creating works that are visually appealing and represent themes related to modern society.

Gallery A and Art Lab programming is made possible through generous support of the