She may live amidst the beauty and natural richness of Powell River, but accomplished artist Barbara Langmaid paints the dark side in exhibitions such as War Brief and Debris Fields, an ongoing body of work inspired by the 2001 Japan tsunami. Langmaid will be exhibiting, along with Georgie Marvin and Sharon Dennie, in New Work at Vancouver Island University’s Powell River campus, from March 2 until April 5.
How do you look at life in your work?
The end of civilization is more my point, as we’re worried about the planet. The angst lies more in the end of humans. Consequently, there’s a lot of anxiety and chaos and troubled people speaking out loud in a troubled manner, and I’m one of them. I’m really drawn to the dark side. I’ve never been a dark person, but I’ve always been drawn to the dark side. I can’t really explain that.
Does the dark side make for better art?
I can’t speak for everybody, but it does for me. It allows for a lot of questions to be raised without being answered and I’m very interested in that. I’m interested in mysteries, and I’m not interested in solving problems, but just being a witness. My aerial paintings are about the witness involved in all this.
When you moved here in 1992, did your art change?
When I first got here in the early ‘90s my paintings reflected that change from the city to this amazing landscape and the mysteriousness of it. I did a lot of paintings of Harwood Island. It has affected my painting, I’m sure. Maybe that peace that I live in allows me to explore these other avenues. I’m sure if I lived in war-torn places I would not be wanting to portray that. I live in a really rich paradise. I think that allows me to dive into darker subject matter because I don’t experience it myself.
What are your thoughts about the current state of affairs in the US?
I’ve never been political, but I’m glued to the news these days. I’m an American by birth and I’m really troubled by what’s happening down there and around the world.
For more information, go to barbaralangmaid.com.
