Shifts in Perception: Art by Yvonne Vander Kooi
Located on Vancouver Island, Yvonne Vander Kooi creates semi-abstract paintings that express shifts in perception, while maintaining a focus on the materiality of paint. Yvonne’s recent works frequently feature childlike human figures and highly saturated colors.
I really enjoy the way that this artist effortlessly blends figurative and abstract work. While she tends toward abstract backgrounds sitting behind more defined figures, Yvonne still manages to create the illusion that the two styles exist on the same plane, bleeding into one another and drawing the viewer’s eye around the entirety of the painting.
Yvonne's Remnants series on her website
In her previous series, Remnants, Yvonne captures the odd, unpredictable shapes and appearances of various flora. Using the medium of paint, she explores the parallels between seemingly random brush strokes, and the natural patterns of leaves and flower petals. Like her human figures, these nature images seem to capture several simultaneous impressions of a single subject, adding depth and a sense of narrative.
