I grew up in a family that spent summers camping and hiking. Combine this with an artistic creative father and it was only natural for me to develop a love for the outdoors and create art based on nature. Although many of my fathers paintings seemed to be influenced by Picasso, my major influence was the Group of Seven. Having camped and travelled in many of the areas they painted, I felt an affinity to them in many ways.
My paintings simply represent my passion for the natural world seen through my eyes. For me, its all about light and how it interacts with colour and form in the environment. I usually paint or am inspired by real locations, areas that I feel connected to. My paintings are often based on the local landscapes of rolling hills, marshes and woodlands to the rocky Canadian shield and white pine studded shorelines of the northern lakes. I am basically a self taught Canadian artist, guided, at a young age, by my father in oils. I experimented and attended workshops for many different medias throughout my life, among which pen and ink and oil paints were my favourites and my primary focus. To this day, I still use pen and ink to draw botanicals for the North American Native Plant Society bulletins.
School has a way of forcing us to make decisions and in high school I decided to continue my education in the natural sciences. I knew I could continue painting and exploring my artistic side while pursuing an MSc degree in Zoology at university which would likely result in a secure job. I eventually acquired positions in Medical research as an electron microscopist and later as a Forensic Technician in the Biology Unit of the Centre of Forensic Sciences. While they were interesting jobs, I still felt most passionate about creating art and continued to paint, focussing on it full-time after raising a family.
I now live in the hills of King Township, close to the Oak Ridges Moraine trails where I walk daily with my dog and find artistic inspiration everywhere. I regularly explore the Parry Sound/ Muskoka areas and Algonquin Provincial Park , canoeing, hiking and photographing the landscape or painting en plein air.
I have been a full-time professional landscape artist now for many years. I would best describe my painting style as impressionistic. I regularly participate in juried art shows and have won numerous awards. My art can be found in several galleries, used for corporate logos, and in private and corporate collections throughout the world.
Brigitte Granton Canadian Landscape Artist www.brigittegranton.com
Brigitte regularly participates in the Algonquin Outfitters Paddle Contest. Please check their web http://algonquinoutfitters.com for details and dates.