PETER GOUGH

Autumn Woods

It has been said of Peter's work that "The magic lies in the essence of light." (Tom Butterfield, The Masterworks Foundation, Bermuda). For me, the magic lies in the essence of Peter's worship of land, sky and sea and his drive to document and preserve the rural Atlantic Canadian environment which, he feels, is slowly disappearing.

"Peter sees his art as a map of his life. While each piece can be appreciated simply as contemporary naturalism, there is always a hidden story that lies in his solitary lighthouses, still land and ordered, but often abandoned farmhouses. Rarely can we find people and, when we do, they are also alone, off to the side of the painting or facing away from us: none have faces. Like the woods and the water, they suggest an eternal presence; each representing not any one person, but, rather, "everyman." As nature dies and is reborn, as the sea falls and rises, so, too are the generations of man, all working together to form a community of life.

We can sense that community in Peter's rows of disappearing fish-houses and boathouses and in the trees that sway together or stand as still sentinels, as do the lonely lighthouses, holding firm against the sky and reaching to the clouds, to bring the heavens, sea and earth together, joined in communion, the places of Peter's worship. Again, man is invisible. The environment does not belong to "a" person, but is passed on from generation to generation. We are not owners, only stewards.

Light often acts as the guide to the inner landscape. In Peter's world, light is white and has clarity but also becomes soft, misty and iridescent, as though to show us that, if we really see the landscape clearly, we will also see that its message is soft and comforting, that if we let ourselves be drawn into it, we will find shelter. The lazy rivers, forest trails and meandering gravel roads tempt us to follow them into the unknown and, there, to find ourselves.

Peter's painting style has been that of heightened realism, but he is slowly and gracefully including a tip of his artist's hat towards impressionism. As he matures, his style reflects his ability to "let go" a little and allow the viewer to partner with him in the interpretation of the image. The mood of the paintings is becoming a bit more diffuse, less driven by a need for sharp lines, more confident and more teasing. His images have almost always suggested a "come hither" to the viewer and now his style is catching up with his content. Those who are lucky enough to take his paintings home with them will never tire of looking at their treasure. In Peter's art there is always space for us to dream and imagine where he is leading us. The best part of Peter, the artist, is that, he, too, keeps wondering and keeps offering us new possibilities and new dreams. I don't think it can get better than that." Naomi Z. Levine, LLB, President, Winnepeg Art Gallery