This series of eight mixed-media works on paper is about the power of raw nature. These paintings are of a forest hit by a tornado. The resulting devastation was unbelievable: broken or toppled trees, some stripped of most of their growth, some completely uprooted and tossed around, flooded areas, mud…chaos everywhere you turned.

My goal for this series was to convey a sense of the storm’s power and the resulting devastation. I wanted to capture the feeling of a disturbed forest and eerie light.

The images have subtle implied shapes that lack detail and invite more scrutiny and consideration. This also leaves them more open to interpretation.

I decided to use a limited palette to focus on light and shapes. I rendered trees and foliage in subdued forest green shades and light filtering through with a subtle bluish tint.

These works were created using ink, watercolour and wax on archival cold press watercolour paper. I chose this medium combination because I felt it would best complement these images and help to convey my vision for this series.

Individual works priced at $950 CAD unless otherwise noted.

Michael Christidis