The blues! Cobalt blue, navy blue, a greyish northern sea blue, teal, and turquoise. Patrick Skidd is displaying the colourful veneers upon which he bases his woodcarving art. The colours are vibrant and deep, but they still lose the contest with Skidd’s eyes, which are the brightest blue I have ever seen. And today his eyes have a particular gleam, because he’s talking about what he loves to do. “There‘s no work in this at all. It’s nothing but fun.”
Skidd’s delightful wood and veneer art is whimsical and masterful. If these were paintings, they’d be impressive in the exuberant yet careful colour selection, the composition. But this is 3-D. And so add in shape, curve, and shadow, and the complexity of the colour decisions when that colour isn’t just dabbed on but planned and managed much earlier in the process.
Skidd particularly likes working with the texture of the wood for the backdrop of his pieces. He gets excited when the grain of the wood alone can provide him with the impression of water. Birdseye Maple and Sycamore are especially prized. Lovely, colourful pressed-veneer tropical fish are affixed to these bases in shimmering schools. This work is inspired by his many trips to Costa Rica. He enthuses, “Nature does a spectacular job in providing the raw materials and ideas.”
Skidd has just moved house and is unpacking one breathtaking piece after another. Leaning against a wall is a large woodcut composition entitled “The Endurance,” which tells the story of Sir Earnest Shackleton’s voyage to Antarctica. This piece contains at least eighty different types of wood and shows off the natural colour and texture of each. I can’t take notes quickly enough, so Skidd provides me with a list. You could compose a poem from the names: Mahogany Silky Oak, Purple Heart, Pine, Bloodwood, Hawthorn, Sumac, Walnut, Birdseye Maple, Arbutus burl . . .
Skidd has studied some of our most iconic Canadian artwork and landmarks. On display is his take on Lawren Harris’s “Iceberg, Baffin’s Bay North.” Pieces of coloured veneer are painstakingly pressed together to mimic the colours of the original 1930 painting. These are sanded down into 3-D forms (using a belt sander that runs with an old refrigerator motor bolted to a handmade bench—Skidd is nothing if not resourceful) and composed, just like the original. Only 3-D.
But it’s “Percé Rock” that I can’t stop looking at. This is Skidd’s depiction of one of the Quebec Gaspé region’s biggest tourist attractions. The long, smooth shape with a notch on the underside is very like the rock itself and is composed of about 1500 layers and 56 colours of pressed veneer that range from blues to browns to rainbow. There’s even an aurora borealis colour segment. This piece, like all his others, is simply beautiful from every angle.
Patrick’s work can be found in galleries from Nova Scotia to Saltspring Ssland. For more information, you may call Patrick at 604.353.9298.
Words | Nancy Pincombe
