“My hope is that the objects I paint have the kind of intensity about them that incites the viewer to introspection.”
-Christopher Pratt
Christopher Pratt was born on December 9th, 1935. He is a Canadian painter and printmaker. Christopher Pratt currently lives and works in St. Mary’s Bay, Newfoundland along the Salmonier River. His identity as a Newfoundlander has a strong impact on his work. His works are “filled with memories of people, places and events that have been filtered and clarified through his search for order and simplicity.” His paintings have a timeless idealized quality to them. In his paintings, Pratt explores many themes: landscapes, roadscapes, architecture, boats, interior spaces and the human figure. The road paintings are based on his travels.
Throughout his career, Pratt has received many awards and honours. In 1965, at the age of 30, Pratt became an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (ARCA) and a member of the Canadian Society of Graphic Art. In 1969, he was a member of the Canada Council Visual Arts Jury. In 1973 Pratt was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 1983 he became a Companion of the Order. Pratt has served on many committees and councils, including the Federal government’s Stamp Design Advisory Committee (1972-1975) and the Board of the Canada Council for the Arts (1975-1981). In 1980, Pratt designed the Provincial Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In today’s class, students enjoyed illustrating the light reflecting from headlights and taillights of two cars passing each other on a tree-filled highway. Where are the two cars headed? Are they coming home from the cottage, everyone sleepy and tired in the car? Or, are they on they on their way somewhere – excitement brewing in the backseats?
Students worked with oil resist, water colour, acrylic paint, fan brushes and chalk pastels to make their nighttime roadscapes inspired by their own travels and imaginations. Students made up stories of where their two cars were going…
In this last example, a student illustrated Harry Potter riding on his Nimbus 2000 in the night sky above the car. It’s windy out, and pine needles from the trees are blowing onto the road. I wonder if anyone travelling in the backseat of the blue car noticed HP above them?