A master of landscape

St. Boniface

Norwood

Downtown

It’s fair to say Roger LaFrenière knows a lot about the local artistic landscape.

The Norwood resident is preparing for his upcoming exhibition titled Drawings, which will be showcased at Galerie Buhler Gallery, located inside St. Boniface Hospital at 409 Tache Ave.

The exhibition, which was conceived by Tanya Gadd and will consist of more than 20 creations, will run from Friday, July 17 to Friday, Sept. 11. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, July 16 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The show will feature a selection of landscape-focused drawings — many of which haven’t been seen before — created by LaFrenière, a longtime professional artist whose body of work stretches back decades, using graphite and charcoal between the late 1970s and the early 2000s.

LaFrenière said his drawings feature “layers of abstract and much more realistic elements” and he enjoys the study of distance and perspective. There’s also a randomness to LaFrenière’s artistic adventures, as he’ll sometimes stop the car on summer’s drive and lean on the vehicle and paint a landscape that inspires him.

“In some cases, I’ll go to the landscape, park the car, and draw on the hood. Other times, some of the art is in my head. Sometimes, it’ll be realistic, such as the wheat moving in the wind. We’ve all walked in these settings — some drawings are bits and pieces, and some are more complete than others,” LaFrenière said. “My drawings are intended to make people feel they’ve had the experience.”

The gallery’s curator, hannah_g, encourages visitors to the exhibition to take time absorbing LaFrenière’s work and immersing themselves in the scenes.

“Roger has a great eye for form, and the geometry of landscapes,” hannah_g, who lives downtown, said. “His work mirrors how we often see the landscape, and how things interact with each other. It’s really exciting work. He’s such a master of colour, people might find it almost shocking to see Roger working in black-and-white, which allows people to see forms … and have a transcendent experience, circling back.”

She noted LaFrenière has had a good relationship with St. Boniface Hospital through the years, having donated numerous pieces of his artwork.

Go online at galeriebuhlergallery.ca or rogerlafreniere.com for more information.