About

Carole Milon’s artistic practice explores the intricate, fragile, beauty of landscapes through abstract, mixed media works on paper. By hiking in Ontario river valleys and forests her knowledge of and connection to nature is continually deepened. Her work has been included in juried shows in Toronto at The Artist’s Network, John B Aird, Propeller, and in Haliburton’s Rail End Gallery. She has had three solo exhibitions including at the Toronto Public Library, and has mounted a two person studio exhibit with Elissa Gallander. in 2020 she received an OAC Exhibition Assistance Grant. Her work is included in various private collections.

Artist statement

I call them landscapes, though they are not traditional depictions of a vista or long view, there is no horizon line. My work reflects an intimate view of the earth, like the rough texture of a Shagbark Hickory tree, or the microscopic topography of Candleflame lichen. Inspired by walking in the woods of Ontario and beyond, my mixed-media works on paper recall the visceral, tactile memory of being in nature. I approach the mystery of the land by exploring its textures, colours and layers. My marks are intentionally spare, giving viewers an opportunity to reflect on their own personal relationship to the natural environment. 

I am currently engaged with two main bodies of work. Alternating between them allows me to explore freely and stay spontaneous. In one, I use wet, transparent layers of paint, while in the other I work dry, with collaged paper. The first is responsive to the viscosity of the materials as they hit the paper, running and pooling with the forces of gravity. The dry series is more deliberate and controlled, allowing me to consider similar themes with a more analytical approach. 

When working wet on wet, my palette is reminiscent of the northern forest, in hues of sap green, ash grey and flax blue. I respond immediately to the washes of diluted paint and ink on paper, later adding definition and direction to the shapes with pencil and pen. The final images allude to the rigidity of stone, the sponginess of moss and the tenacity of lichen, as in the series Ecstatic Lichenization. 

Working dry, by collaging with found paper, I deliberately juxtapose disparate elements to create new meanings. For example, in Constant Flux, I sliced old collaged works into strips then wove them together. In this way I can work layer upon layer, working and re-working, cutting and gluing, to construct graphic, linear compositions that speak to the geological history of the earth. 

In all of my work I invite the viewer to come for a walk in the woods and experience the stillness of stone or the movement of water. I strive to elicit a sensory, emotional recall of the land, one they can access and carry within, and thus appreciate the fragility of the earth.