RFM MCINNIS FEATURE

“Sketching has always been the way artists tested ideas before committing to larger canvases. The Group of Seven were notable for this, giving us all those great paintings which are now the icons of Canada. For most of my life, I sketched outdoors, on site, producing many small panels, many of which were developed into larger paintings. In recent years, I did my sketches mostly out the windows of the houses and apartments in which I lived, no longer able to travel readily. Thus, my new sketches became the objects around the house, the occasional model and the distant views from my windows throughout seasonal changes. These oil sketches represent the work I did this past year. Failing eyesight, at 83, makes it more tedious to paint but I’m still pushing through. Being in late career, it seems fitting that Roberts Gallery should feature my recent sketches in this current show.”

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rfm