A Tiny Township artist has found a new way of sharing his work with art lovers.
Rod Prouse is inviting people to stroll through the garden at his residence in Tiny Township and enjoy artwork he has sprinkled throughout his personal garden.
It's so he can survive and not have to rely on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, he said.
The 75-year-old, who also teached art at colleges, has had his work displayed at numerous galleries, both locally and nationwide, said he wanted to continue producing artwork and selling it, too.
Some industries, such as construction, said Prouse, are doing quite well.
As an artist, Prouse said, the lockdown hasn't been a problem.
"Artists are pretty solitary people, unless they're working in a group, like dancers or an orchestra," he said. "A visual artist or somebody in the crafts are quite used to working on their own. That part hasn't really changed that much. The part that has changed is access to venues where you can show your work."
But artists like him, he said, have to take charge of their own destiny.
"We all have to," said Prouse.
His work, which is mostly displayed at galleries, isn't getting a lot of views these days, because galleries may not be open right now and, if open, will be limited in the number of people they can allow to browse exhibitions.
Studio Prouse was only launched about a week ago, he said, adding he is already starting to sell pieces and has had friends and some clients come by, too.
The idea came to him because of the way he has always kept his garden.
"I've always had an artistic garden," said Prouse. "I always arrange it with art that I create myself or with stuff that I find on the beach."
Depending on the weather and the wind, he installs paintings in the garden and has also set up a tented platform in which he displays his works.
The bio on his website defines his work as having recently shifted from, "painting landscapes to looking at landscape as a vessel that possesses visual questions and suggests narrative. This new work is process driven. There is minimal preliminary planning involved. Rather the paintings more or less paint themselves.
The process is one of mapping place through constructing layered passages of mark-making and imaging, of revealing and concealing, of tagging objects and unveiling dialogues. The intention is to create an ambiguous, immersive environment that promotes a discussion with the viewer."
A visit to the studio can be arrangement by appointment. Prouse can be reached via email at [email protected] or phone/text at (705) 533-3819.
