{"id":849121,"date":"2026-08-07T07:08:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T07:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/849121\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T07:08:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T07:08:34","slug":"anxious-about-extreme-weather-this-artist-turns-hard-feelings-into-soft-and-pillowy-paintings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/849121\/","title":{"rendered":"Anxious about extreme weather? This artist turns hard feelings into soft and pillowy paintings"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hello from Hi Art<\/a>, the CBC Arts weekly newsletter!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Every Sunday, we feature Canadian art that\u2019s grabbed our attention. This is a roundup of recent highlights.<\/p>\n

\"GalleryInstallation view of Gillian King: Mammatus at de Montigny Contemporary in Ottawa. (Artwork: Gillian King; Photo: de Montigny Contemporary)<\/p>\n

Artist: Gillian King<\/p>\n

Location: Ottawa<\/p>\n

Hard times call for comfort, right? Winnipeg\u2019s Gillian King<\/a> had climate anxiety on her mind when she was creating Mammatus, a series of paintings filled with pillow stuffing, now appearing at de Montigny Contemporary<\/a> in Ottawa. Climate anxiety, political tension, motherhood and just the generally awful experience of living through uncertainty \u2014 the work\u2019s meant to reflect the range of emotional states those challenges might stir up in a person, and Gillian named the project after a weather phenomenon that signals the beginning \u2014 and end \u2014 of a severe storm. \u201cI think about these formations as atmospheric and psychological states suspended between tension, release, anticipation and aftermath,\u201d she writes.<\/p>\n

\"PsychedelicRoadside Mountains by Ella Morton. (Ella Morton)<\/p>\n

Artist: Ella Morton<\/p>\n

Location: Cambridge, Ont.<\/p>\n

If this summer of extreme weather has left you feeling as though the fabric of reality is being ripped apart, an exhibition at Cambridge Art Galleries<\/a> in Ontario might just hit you in the gut. For the Residue of Starlight, artist Ella Morton<\/a> photographed desert landscapes in three locales threatened by drought and wildfire: northern Chile, New Mexico and the Australian outback. \u201cAll are also home to cultures that have a distinct connection to the sky, stars and universe,\u201d she writes. \u201cIn these places, the mythology of the sky is as central as that of the land.\u201d Ella creates her psychedelic visuals with a variety of analog film techniques, including soaking colour negatives in acidic solutions. The show is on view until Aug. 8. <\/p>\n

\"ColourfulClick\/Snap by Matthew Walton. (Artwork: Matthew Walton; Photo: the New Other)<\/p>\n

Artist: Matthew Walton<\/p>\n

Location: Toronto<\/p>\n

I feel as if it\u2019s time to let off some steam. For Matthew Walton<\/a>, the club is the place to do it. The artist has a solo exhibition (Congregation) at the New Other<\/a> in Toronto \u2014 a show inspired by the queer joy he finds on the dance floor. \u201cThe shapes, characters, drama and specific cadences, expressed through body and movement, make up a distinct language all its own,\u201d he writes on Instagram. \u201cMy work in this show attempts to emblematize this language, to distill into shape and colour some of its magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AInstallation view of Hors-d’oeuvre by Am\u00e9lie Jodoin. (Am\u00e9lie Jodoin)<\/p>\n

Artist: Am\u00e9lie Jodoin<\/p>\n

Location: Montreal<\/p>\n

Who doesn\u2019t love a picnic? Or a Pique-Nique! That\u2019s the name of Am\u00e9lie Jodoin<\/a>\u2019s playful outdoor exhibition at the Parc de l\u2019esplanade de la Pointe-Nord in Montreal<\/a>. You can see six reproductions of Am\u00e9lie\u2019s food-inspired landscape paintings there until early October. \u201cI actually never thought of it as a series until now, but I guess it is \u2014 I\u2019ve been exploring this theme since 2021,\u201d Am\u00e9lie writes. \u201cI thought the title Pique-Nique would be perfect for this show as the theme is food, it\u2019s an outdoor exhibition, and it\u2019s summer (and I have a lot of green in my paintings!).\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SurrealCycle by Jazz Keillor. (Jazz Keillor)<\/p>\n

Artist: Jazz Keillor<\/p>\n

Location: Prince George, B.C.<\/p>\n

Halifax artist Jazz Keillor<\/a> is part of an exhibition at the Two Rivers Gallery<\/a> in Prince George, B.C. This surreal stationary-bike vignette (Cycle) is from her Biomes series. As Jazz tells me, the project has a lot in common with her past work. People tend to romanticize nature, she says, and that intrigues her. \u201cCycle, specifically, points to the irony and tensions inherent in our expectation of beauty, peace and replenishment in wild spaces, and our desire to hold onto the comforts and conveniences of home, while maintaining our fantasy of \u2018the great outdoors.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Do you want to see even more incredible artwork \u2014 plus the top stories from CBC Arts?<\/p>\n

Sign up here<\/a> and Hi Art will be delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n