Deryk Houston/Artist Statement

Artist Statement

I am a Canadian artist residing in Victoria, B.C., Canada, and I exhibit locally and internationally.

My work is about peace and I try to understand why we are here. Cycles of life, generations, seeds and community are important in my work. War fascinates me because, as history has observed, it is easy to make a ghost.

We might believe the distance between good and bad is huge, but often we discover that they are not that far apart. Our studies of atomic structure and equations can be used for bombs or medicine so I might feature those equations in my paintings. I find it interesting to note how someone might quote Gandhi one day and support military intervention the next. Also interesting that this flaw of logic is likely in us all at some time.

My art helps me find answers or at least cope with these realities.

Deryk on tractor in Kamploops, B.C., Canada, Photo by Elizabeth

Dear Deryk ………”The idea of the line drawing on the ground, in particular, is a model that could really change history, I think”…… Dr. Noam Chomsky (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

In reference to my Peace Sanctuary earthen works.

This 1000 foot diameter Peace Sanctuary was built in Northern BC in 2002.

photo by Wayne Sawchuk

Sculpture

Title: Steel and Glass

Medium: Stainless steel and recycled sapphire Blue Glass

Artists: Deryk Houston and my son Samuel Houston

Size: 25″ X 25″

Price: $1,950.00 retail

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Title: “Action expresses priorities” – Mohandas Gandhi
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 30″X72″
Price: $20,000.00

Title: “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes” ( Gandhi)
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 30″X72″
Price: $8,000.00 (SOLD)

Artist’s Note: (One of my best paintings I believe. )

Painting features the image of Gandhi with physics equations necessary for the construction of a nuclear device. ( choices ).

Points of Origin Sculpture by Deryk Houston and Samuel Houston
Medium: Stainless Steel
Height: Sixteen feet
My son Samuel and I are happy to announce that this piece has been chosen by the city of Nanaimo and the Nanaimo Art Gallery. It will be installed in early May at the Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo.
Our sculpture represents new growth. The emergence and opening of plant shoots. New Life.

"Coastline"

Title: “Coastline”
Size: 30″X72″
Medium: acrylic on canvas mounted on deep stretcher bars.
Price: $5,200.00 (Sold)
Available through Canada House Gallery in Banff. 1-800-419-1298

White sheets near Cache Creek, British Columbia

Elizabeth and I travelled north through the Fraser Canyon where I wanted to set up a number of white sheets on a clothes line. I am interested in the beautiful forms created by the wind and the the resulting relationship to the forms of the land. It was hot and difficult to find a suitable place to tie the lines to but it didn’t take long before I was rewarded with the images that I had in my mind. I will be doing a series of these photos… over time…. focusing on the Fraser Canyon area because of it’s history and rugged natural beauty. I hope to set up in various seasons and locations.

LEAVING MY MARK – BY TRACTOR. (August 18th 2010)
I spread three gallons of extra thick gel acrylic medium with carbon black acrylic paint over a 5foot by 11foot sheet of canvas….. and enlisted the help of my second cousin Katie’s. The idea was to try and preserve the tracks of the tractor when we drove back and forth over the thick paint. It was lot’s of fun and while I didn’t get exactly what I had in mind out of it, I am really pleased with the experiment and how it went.
I will likely cut the canvas into four foot square pieces and mount them on deep stretcher bars. I will also select a two foot by five foot piece as well.
Katie was a great help and I also want to thank “Onward Farm” for allowing me the space and equipment to do the work. Also…. a big thank you to Elizabeth for capturing the photos and making this video.

Recent Events & Info

Deryk Houston Featured in Seniors Living Magazine article “Making Peace” by Vernice Shostal.

http://www.seniorlivingmag.com/articles/making-peace

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Title: “Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may”

36″X36″ Acrylic on Canvas (mounted on deep stretcher bars)

Price: $4,000.00 (SOLD)

“Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may” … NOW AVAILABLE as an art card (5″X5″) sold in packages of 10 for $40.00 plus shipping …. includes envelopes. Blank inside. Signed by artist on the back.

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“My power is used to grow seeds”

Size: 36″X36″

Price: $4,000.00 (Sold)

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YOU CAN ALSO SEE MORE OF MY WORK AT CANADA HOUSE GALLERY in Banff.

http://www.canadahouse.com/dynamic/artists/Deryk_Houston.asp

(They do a terrific job of keeping their web site up to date and they will be happy to look after you if you see a painting at the above web link that catches your eye).

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Title:Red Steel and Warm Earth”
Size:24″X30″
Price:$2,000.00 (Sold)
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“Change of Pace”
Size:11″X14″
Price: $1,200.00 framed
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Green Goddess

“Green Goddess”
Size:8″X24″
Price:$1,400.00 framed

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Last fall in 2009, at Collective Works Gallery in Victoria, I exhibited several five foot by six foot photographs of my installation project which I had placed in Beacon Hill park. Each photograph featured a low alter like stand below set with a candle to represent the young men and women who have died in Afghanistan.
The work was also exhibited at the Gracefield Art Center in Scotland in the summer of 2009.

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“Black Tusk”
Price: $8,000.00 (Sold)
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas 30″X120″ approx.
I have always enjoyed hiking in the Black Tusk, Garibaldi Meadows near Whistler Mountain. The area is pristine and pure and yet so close. It is a long hike up through the trees but worth the effort once you strike out into the upper meadow. One day up to the campsite. One day up to the Black tusk itself ….for an old man anyway:)
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