Artist’s Statement

For me, art is simply a way of expressing mood. Whether I paint or sing or play a tuba, I’m expressing my personal reaction to my world at a given moment, so I want my paintings to reveal something of my emotion and my personality to those who see them. I choose watercolour and acrylic as the “freshest” of mediums, and I enjoy the interplay of purpose and accident which the quick drying watermedia allow me to explore. Although my subjects range from Italian coastal bays and Parisian markets to western Canadian landscapes, I’m always searching for the simplest expression of the moment, the image which evokes an impression rather than a detailed rendering. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy painting “en plein air” or doing pen and ink sketches on site as sources for paintings which I later develop in my studio. Unlike photos, my sketches become my “edited reality” during the few minutes I have to do them. British Columbia’s West Coast has been my home for most of my life, so I am most comfortable painting the landforms and coastal waters near my home. Travels around Canada and Europe give me a taste for trying new compositions and palettes, and keep me challenged and energized.

Biography

Perry Haddock was born in Berkeley, California, and moved to Vancouver at the age of seven. He did his schooling there, eventually doing a BA in English and a teaching degree at UBC. He later completed a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology, and retired in 2003, after more than 20 years as a counsellor in a Langley secondary school. Although he was interested in painting from early on, it wasn’t until he began a teaching career that he began to study art seriously. Following a fifteen year period as a potter, Perry turned his interest to drawing and painting, eventually teaching art in high school and pursuing his painting through college classes and workshops. He is a signature member (AFCA) of the Federation of Canadian Artists and an active member of the B.C. Art Teachers’ Association. His paintings are held in private and corporate collections in both North America and Europe.