The Carcross Road inspires Moving on with Colour.
Every time Daphne Mennell drives down the Carcross Road she makes “about a million stops.” Often these stops take only fi ve seconds, but they are required to appreciate the epic splendour she’s driving through.
This road, as most readers will know, crosses the legendary White Pass, made famous by Stampeders taking this route to Dawson for the Gold Rush.
The pass itself contains a wealth of inspiration for Mennell.
On April 11, Daphne Mennell will open Moving on with Colour, a solo show of new landscapes in oil on canvas, inspired by her 30 years living on this road.
Mennell favours beginning with a sketch from the scene itself, made in the fi eld, “even if it’s a quick impression.”
In the finger-numbing winter weather, she often begins with a photograph. When she gets home, she works it up into a sketch before she begins her painting. The sketch begins a process of making the landscape personal for Mennell and allows her to simplify the image and work out the composition.
Mennell would like to delve even deeper into this region: “I’ve always wanted to do a series of paintings about this road, about this area.”
Even if she returned from this process to the studio and painted only abstracts, she feels they would still be imbued with the feeling of the region.
Mennell will combine landscapes drawn from life with imaginary compositions. However, in her imaginary landscapes she is trying to capture an atmosphere … the atmosphere of that place.
Mennell can also play more with her imaginary landscapes.
Fun is Mennell’s new rule of thumb. When she begins a painting, she reminds herself that she doesn’t necessarily have to make it work, but it has to be fun.
Her bright colours are more fun than representational. Her current overall approach is energetic and loose.
“This is just my fi rst foray into these ideas, with what time I have.”
