Art Gallery

Darren Millington & Marko Savard

May 7 to August 20, 2023

Description:

This summer, Uplands’ art gallery welcomes recent works by artists Darren Millington (paintings) and Marko Savard (ceramics). The exhibit will be on display until August 20^th, 2023. 

Artists’ Statements:

• Darren Millington:

The works shown at Uplands, done between 2020 and 2023, represent a deliberate shift away from the more figurative abstracted works of a few years ago. My desire has been to return to a more representational mode of painting, using as a vehicle, predominantly: landscapes, objects, and places.

The landscapes, however, are not traditional in their subject matter. Rather, my visual interest is focused on non-typical, “non-aesthetic” subjects such as petroleum tanks, viaducts, wetlands, and highway interchanges. Often depicted from high vantage points –perhaps as though under surveillance- these scenes are for the most part devoid of any human presence. My fascination is solely on the beautiful emptiness of their structural form.

Just as with my previous abstracted works, formal elements remain paramount especially with regards to the physical surfaces of the paintings. The subjects are, primarily for me, painted objects, works that seek to compositionally unify the picture plane. Essentially, the works are about space and colour relationships, the architectural structure of the picture plane, compositional tensions, and the painting’s surface, all created with an intent to reveal the beauty in objects and places that are often overlooked. – Darren Millington

• Marko Savard:

Marko Savard has been a ceramist since 1997. He received professional training at the Bonsecours Ceramics Centre in Montreal and studied art at Concordia University.

He is interested in ceramics in all forms and focuses on a human-oriented approach. He sees his studio as his tool for creation. After many years of research, he founded the Aluminé ceramic workshop in Montreal six years ago. This community-oriented studio welcomes many professionals and beginners and is a place for exchange, creation, and research accessible to all communities.

Marko’s works have been exhibited in Canada and France, and he has received the “Prix de la relève” Jean Cartier and the France-Quebec Award. He has taught ceramics in several recognized schools in Montreal, including the Centre des Arts Visuels, and has participated in several artistic mediation projects in recent years.