Victoria Cowan

“The Upper Side,” by Victoria Cowan

Found in Translation

Left in the cellar during early days before language and maps. Translated notes without sequence, phrases sampled from necessity and echo, taste and rhythm, while searching for seeds.

One of the uses of art is to call our attention to an idea by including an element of dissonance in our work. I believe that art is created somewhere inside the space between the artist, the viewer and the materials. By including a text that doesn’t have an immediately obvious connection to the image, I hope that the viewer will take a moment to speculate on the meaning of the piece, thus making more conscious his/her part in the act of creation.

“Magic Air” by Victoria Cowan.

“Observing the Sky”, Victoria Cowan.

Many of the pieces in this series include a text blindly drawn as four single lines of material cut out of discarded books, catalogues, magazines, etc. I edit this random ‘poetry’ slightly to give it flow while deliberately maintaining its ambiguous nature. Though these lines are the departure point for the image, they are only lightly connected to the final work and are rarely the first element noticed by a viewer.

These pieces are all collages made from my own prints and a variety of other sources. Thus, as with the text, many of the visual elements are not what they once were.

“Timeless”, by Victoria Cowan.

Victoria Cowan is a prize-winning graduate of OCAD and Concordia University. Active both as a jurist and instructor, Victoria shows regularly and has won awards in printmaking and painting. Her work, teaching schedule, up-coming exhibitions and public lectures can be seen at her web site.