Biography

 

Born in Mount Forest, Ontario, Sylvia Woods (née Oke) studied at Ontario College of Art (1988-92). Significant time spent living and travelling in Europe influenced and encourage the visual direction of her work. In 2011 Sylvia became the first artist-in-residence at Lakeside Church, Guelph, where she began to develop her collection of paintings inspired by Renaissance symbolism. She has since expanded her interests to include visual symbols from other historical periods and world regions. Currently works out of her studio in downtown Guelph, Sylvia has shown extensively in both group and solo exhibitions, and her work is in private collections throughout Europe and North America.

 

Artist Statement

 

I am inspired by the symbolic meanings of natural elements such as fruit, flowers, insects, and marine life that were common from the Middle Ages to Victorian times. These elements were often tucked into the corners of Renaissance paintings, covering the canvases of Dutch still-life paintings, illuminating medieval manuscripts, or passed hand-to-hand in the form of small bouquets known as nosegays or tussie-mussies. They conveyed symbolic messages that were readily understood when illiteracy was prevalent and open communication was taboo. In my paintings I like to elevate these symbols by visually isolating them  to give them a life and significance of their own. By naming the finished works after their historical meanings, I am creating a visual dictionary or catalogue of often forgotten symbols. Grouping symbols together in a way that is significant to me, I can also create visual poetry, reminiscent of the messages exchanged in the past using bouquets and the language of flower.  

 

I paint using acrylic on canvas or board with clean, direct use of colour and pattern that celebrate the vibrancy of these symbolic elements, and reflect the style of painting and my passion for Renaissance art. I bring the subject into focus by simplifying or obscuring the background, often using a bokeh inspired effect borrowed from photography (from the Japanese word ‘boke’ meaning  “blur” or “haze”), or more recently a chiaroscuro effect (from the Italian words ‘chiaro’ meaning “clear” or “bright” and ‘oscuro’ meaning “obscure” or “dark”).