Welcome
Hilary Slater paints landscapes of the Canadian wilderness, from Ontario to Labrador. as well as plein air painting every season, she also works in large-scale studio panels in mixed media. Recently her work has focused on Geomorphology, and the forces that build and form the land below the surface. Ontario has evidence of Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic forces having contributed to the shaping of the land.
Hilary has been painting for over 40 years, and has developed her own style, by daily focus to fine tune her craft. Her country life in Georgian Bay has enhanced her development as a landscape painter. She is obsessed with the unique geomorphological landforms from Ontario to the East Coast.
Hilary finds that plein air reference painting allows her to stay loose while she captures the exact landforms and colours around her. The lack of control with the wet-on-wet method forces immediate decision-making while the watercolours flow or freeze. Wet on wet allows for the excitement of letting go, allowing natural processes to aid in the creative process. Recently, Hilary’s winter wet on wet paintings have incorporated snow as a medium, allowing the natural material to force more abstraction into the painting process. Snow is a very Canadian medium. When combined with pigment, it enriches the tension and release in the work.
Hilary's palette is inspired by the wild contrasts of the four Canadian seasons, particularly contrasting the ecstatic explosion of autumn with the cool barren expanses of winter. Her many years of colour research have led her to build courageous combinations in both watercolours and mixed media.
Her recent acquisition of the Kakabeka off-grid wilderness cabin (see blog for details) has resulted in a focused exploration of being alone in the wilds of Northern Ontario, surrounded by the Canadian Shield. Her Masters in Landscape Architecture, aids Hilary in transposing native tree and plant species, into her creations, whilst also being cognizant of the geomorphology of subsurface and surrounding landforms.
Hilary has been featured in PleinairMagazine.com, American Watercolor.net and has also been interviewed on Youtube by 'Kate Taylor' and 'Two Oldfarts' in the past year. Last month she was also asked to give a guest presentation and painting demonstration to the Don Valley Art Club, in Toronto.
Hilary sometimes incorporates geological contoured line work into her paintings, which led to an interview and the article in American Watercolour magazine. https://americanwatercolor.net/inspired-by-stained-glass/
As a child and teen, Hilary was inspired by Tom Thomson's Landscapes, and later Patterson Ewen's work, for his Geological imagery and bold line work. Other influences are Tony Onley, John Hartman, Doris McCarthy, Edward Burtynsky, and Georgia Okeefe. She finally visited Barron Canyon in Algonquin Park and that had been her obsession for many years. - Thomson’s works of “Gorges of the Petawawa,” (the original name for Barron Canyon) led to many plein air research studies in all four season, capturing the gorge from above and below. Her life story nearly ended there, which shifted her focus to other subjects. (See blog).
Some other artistic influences are: A.Y. Jackson, Lawren Harris, Scott Driscoll, Susan Scott, Anselm Kiefer, Brian Rutenberg, Lars A.Perssons, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Henri Matisse, Betty Goodwin, YoYo Ma, Gerhard Richter, Deborah Worsfold, -to name just a few.
Hilary has been painting for over 40 years, and has developed her own style, by daily focus to fine tune her craft. Her country life in Georgian Bay has enhanced her development as a landscape painter. She is obsessed with the unique geomorphological landforms from Ontario to the East Coast.
Hilary finds that plein air reference painting allows her to stay loose while she captures the exact landforms and colours around her. The lack of control with the wet-on-wet method forces immediate decision-making while the watercolours flow or freeze. Wet on wet allows for the excitement of letting go, allowing natural processes to aid in the creative process. Recently, Hilary’s winter wet on wet paintings have incorporated snow as a medium, allowing the natural material to force more abstraction into the painting process. Snow is a very Canadian medium. When combined with pigment, it enriches the tension and release in the work.
Hilary's palette is inspired by the wild contrasts of the four Canadian seasons, particularly contrasting the ecstatic explosion of autumn with the cool barren expanses of winter. Her many years of colour research have led her to build courageous combinations in both watercolours and mixed media.
Her recent acquisition of the Kakabeka off-grid wilderness cabin (see blog for details) has resulted in a focused exploration of being alone in the wilds of Northern Ontario, surrounded by the Canadian Shield. Her Masters in Landscape Architecture, aids Hilary in transposing native tree and plant species, into her creations, whilst also being cognizant of the geomorphology of subsurface and surrounding landforms.
Hilary has been featured in PleinairMagazine.com, American Watercolor.net and has also been interviewed on Youtube by 'Kate Taylor' and 'Two Oldfarts' in the past year. Last month she was also asked to give a guest presentation and painting demonstration to the Don Valley Art Club, in Toronto.
Hilary sometimes incorporates geological contoured line work into her paintings, which led to an interview and the article in American Watercolour magazine. https://americanwatercolor.net/inspired-by-stained-glass/
As a child and teen, Hilary was inspired by Tom Thomson's Landscapes, and later Patterson Ewen's work, for his Geological imagery and bold line work. Other influences are Tony Onley, John Hartman, Doris McCarthy, Edward Burtynsky, and Georgia Okeefe. She finally visited Barron Canyon in Algonquin Park and that had been her obsession for many years. - Thomson’s works of “Gorges of the Petawawa,” (the original name for Barron Canyon) led to many plein air research studies in all four season, capturing the gorge from above and below. Her life story nearly ended there, which shifted her focus to other subjects. (See blog).
Some other artistic influences are: A.Y. Jackson, Lawren Harris, Scott Driscoll, Susan Scott, Anselm Kiefer, Brian Rutenberg, Lars A.Perssons, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Henri Matisse, Betty Goodwin, YoYo Ma, Gerhard Richter, Deborah Worsfold, -to name just a few.
An old-fashioned form of selfie.
HILARY SLATER's work can be found at
Blue Crow Gallery in Toronto,
Remarque Art Consulting,
Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts,
Double Doors Gallery, Anten Mills,
Gallery HON, Collingwood,
Quest Art Gallery, Midland
Hilary invites you to join her new Youtube channel:
@hilaryslaterartist.
She works at
HILARY SLATER STUDIO
in Tiny, as well as Kakabeka, Ontario.
Buy paintings directly from this website.
or contact [email protected]
for more information.
Blue Crow Gallery in Toronto,
Remarque Art Consulting,
Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts,
Double Doors Gallery, Anten Mills,
Gallery HON, Collingwood,
Quest Art Gallery, Midland
Hilary invites you to join her new Youtube channel:
@hilaryslaterartist.
She works at
HILARY SLATER STUDIO
in Tiny, as well as Kakabeka, Ontario.
Buy paintings directly from this website.
or contact [email protected]
for more information.