Artist Statement
When does an oval become a leaf? What colours connect us best to the outdoors? Does a stone shape still look like a stone if it’s covered in wood grain? Natural Geometry is an analog exploration of the rich overlap between the natural world and a geometric kind of abstraction—an oval is a leaf, a circle is a rock—a point where both those things can be true. These truths, overlaid in rich colour and built up from unexpected compound shapes, textures, and interruptions, are my attempt to showcase the underlying mechanics of our world in a way that helps me to see my surroundings in a new and uplifting way. The play of colour and texture, together with the natural human-ness of the analog printing process, all reach for an entry point to the understanding of abstraction, as well as a fresh pair of glasses to read the story the world around us. While these compositions may seem bold and at times abrupt, my hope is that you also hear in them the whistle of the breeze through the trees, see the sparkle of light on the water, and hear the dull thud of rocks as they roll along the bottom of the creek.
Bio:
Michael Hepher is an interdisciplinary artist working as a letterpress printer, wood engraver, oil painter, and illustrator. His work seeks to explore an alternate line of sight from common views—showing a bold and playful version of our surroundings. Through the use of strong shapes, rich colour, and graphic line work, he parses internal and external landscapes into a unique iconography of community and nature. His work strives to show the machinery of our natural systems in contemporary ways that reveal their underlying interconnectedness and showcase their invisible complexities in a way that makes them discoverable by a diverse set of viewers. His work has been shown at group shows internationally, and at solo exhibitions around Western Canada. Notable works include his solo exhibition Living Colour, a new body of large works in oil (October 2023) at Elevation Gallery, All Kinds of Beauty, a 16 x 96’ mural illuminating the diverse facets of his home town of Fernie, BC. (2019) and Backroads BC, a travelog of oil paintings shown at the Fernie Museum Gallery (2018) and Smithers Art Gallery (2019), as well as the recent In This Together: A touring body of work exhibited at 6 galleries around the Kootenays in 2021-2022 (Kimberley, Cranbrook, Golden, Rossland, Fernie). Michael is currently working on a variety of upcoming solo and group exhibitions in 2024.
