Steven Rhude - Paintings/Drawings

                     Portrait of Eddie Carvery, pastel on paper bag from Hennigers Market, Steven Rhude     "The man most directly — and rightly — credited with keeping the spirit of Africville alive is Irvine Carvery." - Stephen Kimber   What constitutes a protester? What constitutes a protest? When crowds gather in serious numbers they are often referred to as peaceful protesters, or conversely, an angry mob - we live in the post modern age of the  chronicled "mass protest", a physical scene of  protest transformed into a digital format, where individuality is suppressed by political branding, and the virtual collective expression. It is the time of massive change, and, as Bruce Mau so once described - the era of the "Spectacle." The strength of the spectacle is found in the original tangible numbers that bring leverage. That is the foundation. Eventually, police pre...

                                  Red Boat, Brigus Wharf, oil on canvas, 38" x 54", Steven Rhude In our times, I think there is beauty and relevance to the still image. If one is interested in composing a place, (as I am), then the realization comes to mind that there is no defining moment that captures an essential truth about the place that inspired it. Our experience of place is fluid, painting frames it as something still, and so conjecture about it naturally leads us to participate in a more probing narrative. This painting is a recollection of the Brigus wharf, yet, judging from the number of ordinary man made objects in the painting (a boat, garbage cans, table, paint roller, rags, paint brush, etc), it may also suggest a direction towards an autonomous still life; a random arrangement placed in the context o...