Artwork of the Week!

Week 13:

Kelly Clark (1935-1995)
Untitled (Delta 1980)
1980
Watercolour and Collage

During the summers of 1978 through 1982, Kelly Clark retreated to a cottage at the marshy Delta beach on the southern shore of Lake Manitoba. This was a time for contemplation and personal introspection when Clark could escape the stress of the city; it also signaled a reprieve from the substance abuse that had consumed his life. Artistically, Clark switched gears at this time too, depicting the open vistas of the prairie landscape that surrounded him. Sometimes turbulent, at other times serene, the intimate watercolours and collages that Clark created in situ were often reworked as large acrylics on canvas during the winters spent at his Winnipeg studio. The Delta landscapes were Clark’s most commercially viable pieces; they funded his stays at the cottage and many years later he visited this theme, producing additional works in various media. Untitled (Delta 1980) is the earliest of four small paintings in the University’s collection that was created by Clark at the rural retreat.