Deanna Fogstrom
Painting and Photography
Studio 218 1000 Parker st, Vancouver
Email Deanna.F@shaw.ca
Website https://dfogstrom.weebly.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/urbaneye5/
ARTIST STATEMENT Deanna Fogstrom
CONCEPTUAL FOCUS: Reflective Process and Urban Environment
At the heart of my practice as a visual artist in the twenty-first century is the desire to stop time and engage in a process of reflection. In our digitized, mediated and hurried lives we become less and less able to pause, think and look back. It is so urgent to keep moving forward. I am very interested in exploring and creating work based on reflection, perceiving, emotional attachment and identification with places.
From exploring Vancouver and Paris a series of acrylic and oil paintings on canvas has grown out of my obsession with urban life. Each city’s unique identity is expressed in architecture, streets and landmarks. The Woodwards W, inspired by Paris’ Eiffel Tower, is an especially poignant reminder of days gone by, of la Belle Epoque and dreams of progress and prosperity for all.
Significant influences for my work are Wayne Thiebaud and Edward Hopper. Thiebaud’s colourful renderings of San Francisco spark my imagination. Hopper’s skill at evoking emotional qualities of buildings fuels my work. Recently I noticed how vibrant colours and large simple patterns of Marimekko fabric from the 1960s and 1970s have crept into my paintings. These resources and experiences form the inspiration for my interpretations of Vancouver and Paris’ streets, buildings, symbols and patterns.
