Artist: Corine van Hoeve
Medium: Oil
Dimensions: 40'' x 30''

Bidding on this artwork will take place at the Live Auction event, Friday, April 10. Tickets available at the link at dvsa.ca. Absentee bids can also be placed in advance – request a form at the school office or email bid@dvsa.ca.

About This Piece
This piece was painted from observation at the Cotton Factory, Hamilton. The wide hallways, high ceilings and eclectic fixtures of this early 20th century industrial building lends itself surprisingly well to that mode of art making. In 2023/24 I developed a small body of work of Cotton Factory interiors painted directly from my field easel (without having to deal with weather elements!). The piano is located in the building wing known as ‘The Dyeworks’, a nod to what actually took place in that space back when cotton duck canvas was manufactured right here in the city. Through the door is Marta Hewson’s photography studio.

Artist Statement 
In my observational painting practice I engage with the material aspects of traditional still-life painting, while taking an interest in the physical and social structures that shape contemporary life. Making larger scale oil paintings from direct observation, my gestures attempt to echo the tools and rhythms of our daily routines while questioning who or what controls a narrative. In my architectural work, I explore themes of individualism and separation which I strive to dissolve in order to foster a communal connection with the viewer. Windows, doors, and bricks are fragments that make up an interior space. When fragments are not understood as part of a greater whole, they risk reinforcing a distorted view of our existence. In this way, my paintings challenge ways of seeing and knowing. My recent oil paintings on paper and canvas depict interior spaces that are subtly connected to other spaces; through portals like a window, a doorway, or a mirror. The viewer is limited to a single perspective, unable to see what exists in the space beyond. It is only in stepping back and observing how one small element of an interior space links together with others, that a viewer can piece together a narrative for themselves. Through the visual connection of parts into wholes, a viewer is able to form a more comprehensive understanding of our human perception, questioning how narratives are mediated in a dialogue between painter and viewer as we converse between personal and shared realities.

Biography
Corine van Hoeve is a contemporary Hamilton, Ontario, Canada-based painter who explores societal themes through observational work in oil, watercolour, and handmade inks. She studied at the University of Toronto, Western University, the University of Guelph, and Dundas Valley School of Art. Her work has been exhibited in Canada and the USA.