Artist Statement

I used to be a full time letterpress printer which requires exactness, patience and acute attention to detail. Although I still possess these fine qualities I now prefer to work intuitively from a state of not knowing and free attention. For me, the act of painting is an act of faith. My greatest inspiration is the visual abstractive essence of nature. I see it embodied in much of my work. I live both on Gabriola Island and Vancouver BC, but it is the island, where my studio is, that I spend most of my time. Much of my imagery comes out of a direct observation of the aqueous experience of living near the edge of the Salish Sea. Tide pools, shapely floating seaweed and colourful anemones are plentiful and have worked their way into my visual language. And then there is the garden, the wind, the trees, the expansive ocean and the constantly shifting light. And within this orchestration of nature is the dynamic interplay of color and the energetic quality of color itself. It is all of this that guides and nourishes my artistic practice.

Denise Carson Wilde

604-767-5968         dcwilde@shaw.ca                CV