ABOUT TIME

March 6 – 26, 2011
At 2260 Oak Bay Avenue

Preview
Saturday, March 5, 2011     10 am – 5:30 pm
(work subject to prior sale)

OPENING RECEPTION
SUNDAY MARCH 6, 2011   1 pm – 5 pm
Philip Mix in attendance.
Elizabeth Ely, harp;  Karel Roessingh, piano

In nature, and often therefore in design, form follows function.  Likewise in painting, a reduction from cluttered, nonessential information to focused clarity creates a more satisfying result.  Robert Henri, the inspirational teacher of the Arts Students League, New York, describes this refining as >a passage wherein during the transition from one part to another, we see the unification of the whole< [The Art Spirit, 1923].  Coincidently the term “Passage” was also coined to define the unique manner of visual interpretation pioneered by Paul Cezanne, Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso.  Exploring the essentials of form beyond boundaries of convention, these artists were bold innovators.  Henri’ and Picasso share a common observation; discovery is predicated by referencing memory and time.       
                    Memory threads our experiences together, but memory is fragile; over time it assumes many alternate versions.  Protracted through years of generations, time and memory become symbol and metaphor, the language of storytelling.  This phenomenon, the persistence of symbols, is so completely enmeshed into our everyday lives, we hardly give it a second thought.  The icon of an hourglass for instance, has long outlived the need for the original invention.  None the less, segmenting time into units is both an essential and universal human experience, so the devices invented for this purpose have a dedicated slot in our collective minds.  So, while most artifacts are destined to eventual mothballing, becoming relics of a bygone era, some retire to the haven of metaphor.
I find the imagery of sundials, metronomes, hourglass, and pendulums especially beguiling.  Common to each is a singular function: to tame the mystic of time, yet they remain unique, perfected in design to the task they perform.
In my painting style I primarily use two devices, homeomorphism, or images in repetitive pattern, and fragmented interlocking planes to create spatial ambiguity, or “Passage”.  Using dappled strokes of two or three colors approximates somewhat the transcendent quality of stained glass windows, pairing a further refinement of form and color.

Philip Mix was born in Edmonton Alberta in 1955.  His formal art education came from the Alberta College of Art, Calgary and he received his Bachelor of Arts in painting in 1980.  In 1982 he apprenticed in art conservation at Monro Restorations, Calgary and at Museum Services, San José, California.   In 1986 he started a conservation studio Fine Art Restoration in Victoria B.C. becoming a member of the Pacific Conservation Group, and Canadian Conservation Associates.

Extensive travel has enabled Philip to show his paintings internationally in galleries such as Cadogan Gallery, London, England. More recently Philip enjoys continued success with his developing style and is presently represented by galleries in British Columbia and Alberta.

Philip’s works are in many private and corporate collections including; Michael C. Williams, Vancouver Hotel, Harbour Towers, Amadon Group, Victoria Pub Company, Scotia Bank, Canada Council Art Bank, and the Brentwood Bay Resort.

With a strong interpretative design sense, the works of Philip Mix display an elegant thoughtfulness; a balance of convention with a probing inventiveness.

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