Cutting out the tongue

PierreCoupey_FieldVII
Pierre Coupey, Field VII
Oil on canvas over panel
48″ x 76″
2010-2012

“Whoever wishes to devote himself to painting should begin by cutting out his own tongue.” – Pierre Matisse

An artist in Vancouver whose work I greatly admire is Pierre Coupey. His painting language is unabashedly romantic and direct without being too easy. Founding editor of The Capilano Review and co-founder of The Georgia Straight, Pierre has been a writer, printmaker, and painter since the early 1960’s.

His work was recently exhibited in a five-person show on abstraction, The Point Is: Pierre Coupey/Landon Mackenzie/Martin Pearce/Bernadette Phan/Bryan Ryley, curated by Liz Wylie at the Kelowna Art Gallery. His next solo show at Gallery Jones, Field Work, takes place in Spring 2013. Co-curated by Darrin Morrison and Astrid Heyerdahl, the West Vancouver Museum and the Art Gallery at the Evergreen Cultural Centre are mounting a major survey show, Cutting Out the Tongue: Selected Work 1976-2012.

West Vancouver Museum
March 6 – April 27, 2013
Opening Reception
March 5, 7-9pm

Art Gallery at Evergreen
March 16 – April 27, 2013
Opening Reception
March 17, 4-6pm

Field Work
Gallery Jones
Vancouver
April 3-April 27, 2013
Opening Reception
April 4, 6-8pm