April 2011"Horses, Horses"
This collection of work is inspired by a
lifelong passion and intimate understanding of the equine world. Captured through a skillful rendering of form
and line, William Rogers’ practical knowledge of working horses infuses his
work with a sense of energy and movement.
"Having grown up with a harness racing
father, it was inevitable that horses would influence my life, and eventually
my painting. In my early 20’s I purchased both harness horses and saddle horses
for my children and provided inspiration for some of my early work. After
establishing a reputation as a plein-air landscape watercolour painter in Cape
Breton, I have returned in earnest to this subject about which I have long been
truly passionate." In
the late 1990’s I started to draw and paint from the live model at life drawing
sessions in Cape Breton and continued this practice after my move to Antigonish
in 2001. This discipline improved all my work, but specifically allowed me to confidently
add the human figure to my horse paintings.
In 2005 he had a solo exhibition at Lyghtesome Gallery, Antigonish,
featuring horse and human interaction which I titled “Of Man and Beast”. This
was followed by participation in Harness Tracks of America Art Shows in
Lexington, Kentucky, where he garnered several first place and special
excellence prizes for works in both oil and watercolour. Recent trips to
Edmonton’s local racetrack, Northlands Park, resulted in works featuring harness
and thoroughbred horses in races and day to day activities. The Edmonton track purchased three of these in the Lexington shows.
About
William Rogers
William Rogers is a Nova Scotia artist
working in many media including oil, watercolour and printmaking. He is an
elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC) and
currently the 2nd Vice President. He is also a signature member of
the Transparent Watercolour Society of America (TWSA) and Societe Canadienne de
l’Aquarelle (SCA). The effects of light and color dominate his award winning watercolours,
exhibited with major watercolour societies in Canada and the USA where he has
been the recipient of numerous awards including the A. J. Casson Medal for the
best painting in the CSPWC Open Water Exhibition at the Leighton Centre, Calgary in 2009.
Bill owned and operated his own studio
gallery on the Cabot trail in Cape
Breton for 20 years. Bill
now lives with his wife Joanne in the town of Antigonish, where he maintains a working studio.
He exhibits principally at Lyghtesome Gallery in Antigonish and also in many
other galleries in Eastern Canada and the US. Recent 2010 exhibitions include
the Marigold Arts Centre in Truro, and the St. Francis Xavier University Art
Gallery in Antigonish.
Plein air painting is a big component of
his landscape work, and his travels always include time for this work as well
as painting and drawing the human figure from a live model twice a week.
Pictured: William Rogers, "Bumpy Start" Watercolour
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