The Canadian Pulse Project

Pulse Project 2011:NXT Passage Out

2011-09-16T11:29:00.004-05:00

"Mtn Aura 14.4" 2011
Bruce Thomas
48 X 34
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

"Mtn Aura 7.6" 2011
Bruce Thomas
48 X 34
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

Pulse Project 2011:NXT Passage Out
New works by Artist Bruce Thomas

(Revelstoke,Oct 29th,2011) — Artist Bruce Thomas examines new perspectives of mountain vista’s in his visual and narrative series: NXT Passage Out. Using bright bold colour and shapes Thomas packages together 16 large scale works he interprets as “Mtn Aura’s” with a three part audio-soundscape narrative to accompany these picaresques scenes of mystery and beauty.
For centuries, the grandeur of mountain scenery has mesmerised people of creeds and cultures. Mountains amaze and delight us, inspiring the human mind to peaks of excitement and curiosity. Inspired by the various mountains ranges in British Columbia, Thomas’s work convey the mysterious nature of mountains and the infinite and contemplative perspective they can provide.

"Over the past year, I travelled to various mountain locations by foot,bike and ski and have employed various artistic media’s to capture the essence or “Aura” of these ancient sentinels that stand as monuments to the earths movements over time. In this series I choose to focus on my own personal interpretations as appose to the many I examined in the last Canadian Pulse Project “
http://portableinspiration.blogspot.com/

Using these reflections and experiences,Thomas will also produce a “Sound Designed Narrative” to accompany and compliment his upcoming exhibit in Los Angeles at the end of this year as I have a private commission to complete. A Canadian and European exhibit will follow in the new year.

Please contact me personally if you have any questions or wish to further inquire about the details of the work.I will be updating my online portfolio throughout the coming season so please view:
http://portableinspiration.tumblr.com/

Thanks and All the best.
Bruce
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2378042

"Mtn Aura 9.8" 2011
Bruce Thomas
48 X 34
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

Confederation Bridge, PEI

2010-12-04T20:28:00.004-06:00

Confederation Bridge, PEI, 2010
Bruce Thomas
36 X 26
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

The Confederation Bridge joins the eastern Canadian provinces of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, making travel throughout the Maritimes easy and convenient. The curved, 12.9 kilometre (8 mile) long bridge is the longest in the world crossing ice-covered water, and a decade after its construction, it endures as one of Canada’s top engineering achievements of the 20th century.

Westward Train, Cyr Junction NB

2010-12-04T09:51:00.002-06:00

Westward Train, Cyr Junction, NB, 2010
Bruce Thomas
32x32
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

Canada's railways are a viable, comfortable way to travel the country, including remoter destinations like the Maritime Provinces. Sometimes called simply "The Maritimes," the eastern trio of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island often conjures up images of Britain from wilder times, with upland bogs, spray-swept sea cliffs and picturesque fishing villages. Although Canada's trains do not go everywhere in the Maritime Provinces, the railways can provide vacationers a convenient way into and out of the region.

Where have you traveled by train?

Beach and Lighthouse, Antigonish NS

2010-12-04T09:46:00.002-06:00

Beach and Lighthouse, Antigonish, NS, 2010
Bruce Thomas
30x26
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

This is Antigonish and there was a storm blowing in from the Atlantic. But, I’ve really never really felt a gale force wind until I got to Peggy’s Cove. At the coast, there are 60 foot waves. I filmed an interview there with the most interesting fisherman who was retiring that day. When I got back to my car to review the footage, all I could hear in the audio was the wind.

What was the best thing you almost had but just missed?

Faction: Where fact coexists with fiction. That’s Peggy. And if Peggy is a religion, I met the man. He’s fifth generation in his home on Peggy's Cove, has a 100 year old pump organ and was an expert on the legend of Peggy. Seek and ye shall find Peggy.

The story goes: "A schooner was wrecked on "Halibut Rock" off the Lighthouse Point, in a "Southeaster", in sleet and fog on a dark October night. The ship ran hard aground and with high waves washing her decks, some of her crew climbed to the masts, but the waves washed them into the boiling sea. Everyone on board was lost except a young girl, who managed to survive the turbulent seas, swam ashore and was finally rescued by the people on the shore. Her name was Margaret, and people came to visit Peggy of the Cove. How true this story is, no one knows, and there are no documents available to confirm or refute it."

In my opinion, Ivan is every bit as lengendary as Peggy
http://peggyofthecove.com/

Selections of Pulse East

2010-12-04T09:39:00.011-06:00

The Great Wide Open,Huron County ON
Bruce Thomas
34x24
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied
Sold

Dawn,Parliment Hill Ott,ON
Bruce Thomas
28x24
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied
550$

Civilization, Ottawa, ON 2010
Bruce Thomas
28 X 24
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.
$550

This is Canada. A policy of distinct cultures. Global. On the cutting edge. One world looking out to another.

How will our domestic natural resource policies dictate what Canada will be in the coming years?

Les Voyageurs, 2010
Bruce Thomas
30x24
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.
Sold

Champlain's career in Canada started in 1603 on a voyage up the St. Lawrence. I say “career” because he had a job as a cartographer, an explorer and a governor of ‘New France’. He carried an astrolabe in order to produce maps and lost it in the wilds of Quebec’s interior sometime around 1613. Someone later found it in 1867 and after a stint in New York it now resides in the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Champlain established and developed a vast trade network over water and land by forming alliances. He was nomadic. Canadians are doing the same now: navigating foreign monetary policy, tariffs, and trade, for our water and our land, in English and French, on the information highway.

My trip east from Revelstoke, BC to PEI took me across 6 time zones from Pacific Time to Newfoundland Time. Canada’s big. Even now.

Where is the furthest remote destination in Canada that have you been?

Halifax Blues, 2010
Bruce Thomas
36 x 26
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.
$650

Halifax is a port town. It has the old world charms and the grittiness and the street edge and the modern amenities. There’s dancing everywhere. Music abounds. In the kitchen. In the big dance clubs. The night life is all about the music.
The Social.
There are five universities.
Good times.

In what Canadian City did you have the most memorable party experience?

Je me souviens de Charlevois, QC 2010
Bruce Thomas
32 x 22
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.
$600

Charlevoix is a haven of artistic innovation abound. Home to René Richard, a contemporary of the Group of Seven. Today, it’s an artist’s hub. They maintain a distinct culture and export their distinct culture to the world. There’s a lot of cottage industries: Wine. Art. Woodworking. Hiking. Biking. Boating. Skiing. Culinary.

We now export our culture. And, perhaps our old world charm.

What’s your favourite cottage industry here in Canada?

First Snow: The Great Eastern Star NB

2010-12-03T13:56:00.010-06:00

First Snow: The Great Eastern Star, 2010
Bruce Thomas
32x42
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

Canada is a snow culture. This was the first time I saw snow this year.
I was hiking in a vast forest in New Brunswick. It’s the quintessential Canadian hiking experience – hiking in a great, big pine forest.
This is my tribute to the East.

Where’s your quintessential trail?

ExpoLands Bio-Modular Development, Montreal PQ

2010-12-03T13:47:00.004-06:00

ExpoLands Bio-Modular Development, Montreal, QC, 2010
Bruce Thomas
32 x 34
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

I met three women in Montreal, originally from China, who co-owned a grocery store together. Their dreams were inspiring.

I parked the car and rented a Bixi rent-a-bike and rode around past the Expo 67 complex. The residences they built were the vision of how people would live and work together in the future. Convergence will define how our cities will move and grow.

What is the best urban planning idea you have heard of?

Gatineau Homestead,Ottawa Valley On

2010-12-03T13:43:00.003-06:00

Gatineau Homestead,Ottawa Valley 2010
Bruce Thomas
26x 20
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

I went North through the mountains and valleys of wood people. That is, people who have survived on the lumber industry for the last 250 years.The ones I spoke to only wish to preserve the magic of the forest.

Where’s your favourite forest?

Harvest, Thousand Islands Region ON

2010-12-03T13:30:00.002-06:00

Harvest, Thousand Islands, ON, 2010
Bruce Thomas
24x 18
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

Canada was deemed completely inhospitable. Seven times they tried to colonize and people died of scurvy. I believe it wasn't until that tea – the one they made with white pine needles - that things turned around. Then they found fertile lands which gave way to the settlements and industrial food production.

How might food policy change our foreign policy in the 21st century?

Mik’maq Hunters Return, Bay of Fundy NS

2010-12-03T13:22:00.004-06:00

Mik’maq Country Hunters Return, Bay of Fundy, NS, 2010
Bruce Thomas
32 x 18
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.
Sold

Light in Canada changes so dramatically. Seems to me the moon can be as bright as the sun. This is a picture of night culture. Again the hunter. Long traveling. Returning back via the Harvest Moon.

What is your opinion on wild game hunting?

Lake of Shining Waters, Cavendish PEI

2010-12-03T13:12:00.009-06:00

Lake of Shining Waters, Cavendish, PEI, 2010
Bruce Thomas
24 x 30
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

I went to many churches in the Eastern provinces... Well, this is the stain glass – seen as frames of painted film. You cut the frames. Fit them together like a puzzle.
Then there was the beach. It was as if each frame was bookmarked as it passed through my lens. We have beaches in Canada.

Where’s your favourite Canadian beach?

Faces and places of maritime remembrance

2010-11-21T13:48:00.000-06:00

Halifax Heritige

2010-11-21T13:18:00.008-06:00

Halifax Harbour
Bruce Thomas
Multi-frame amalgamated on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.
40X30
850$

Ottawa's vision of the future

2010-11-21T13:18:00.005-06:00

Canadian PULSE Project II: The East

In ‘The Canadian PULSE Project’, Canadian Artist Bruce Thomas considers the Canadian landscape now 100 years after artist Tom Thomson made his quintessential Canadian landmark paintings.

Tom Thomson defined in part our national identity through his sense of adventure and the innate emotional/spiritual relationship with the Canadian landscape and the cultural history he identified with it.

Using research, discussions with today’s Canadians and today’s technology to form the basis of his multi-media project, Bruce Thomas set out last summer from Toronto, with his family, and traveled to British Columbia on the first leg of a three-leg tour. He interviewed more than 150 Canadians about Canada’s new landscape identity. His field recordings and drawings were synthesized and condensed into thirty ‘single frame’ mixed media compositions using his proprietary production process and produced for a three-day show in December 2009 at the Lennox Contemporary gallery.

As a result of his research and feedback from the show, Bruce concluded that 21st Century Canada is about how we manage our natural resources: it's about our goodwill with the elements and support for the corporations and industry groups that govern their harvesting, management and sustainability.

In this next leg of his tour, Bruce posits the question: What can I personally do to sustainable our Natural elements in Canada? So, in this second phase of his Canadian PULSE Project, Bruce traveled by air from Revelstoke, B.C. to Halifax and made his way back to Toronto, interviewing Eastern Canadians as he went in order to pulse their perspectives. The selection of the audio and video footage collected is posted to Bruce’s blog at: http://portableinspiration.blogspot.com/

The interviews were again synthesized and condensed onto canvas for this exhibition.

Why is a dialogue/interview the selected foundation of the creative process?
Enrolling people using there own voice to empower themselves promotes taking ownership. As Canadian, I believe we can have a practical impact on the policies that govern our natural resources. And, for the record, I am “pro” joining resource-based industries to help advocate my position.

Why the stewardship of our Natural resources and technological advancements is paramount to Canada's cultural identity for the next 100 years?
The world is only getting smaller... without the basic necessities of life which is our most valuable asset in Canada, these inspirations would not be possible.

What can we do?
I’ve used gold, copper and other minerals, water, wind and history to start a transcontinental movement, spanning the country from sea to sea, uniting the country in a singular purpose: the awareness of our landscape and its sustainability. I’m using today’s technology and all my creative acumen to hopefully inspire us

Voyage et la Reve a vieux Que

2010-11-21T13:15:00.001-06:00

The Canadian PULSE Project II: The East

2010-10-31T22:42:00.000-05:00

(Revelstoke, BC, Nov 1, 2010) – Canadian artist Bruce Thomas embarks on the second phase of his Canadian PULSE Project, an in-depth exploration of the new Canadian landscape identity. Thomas will travel by air from Revelstoke, B.C. to Halifax and make his way back to Toronto, interviewing Eastern Canadians as he goes, to pulse their perspectives on today’s Canadian cultural and geographic identity. Thomas will use the audio and video footage collected, amalgamated onto canvas, in an exhibition in Toronto on Thursday, December 2, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Gallery 1313 on Queen Street West.

"When Upper and Lower Canada along with the Maritime Provinces agreed to join the Dominion of Canada, John A. MacDonald built roads, railways and waterways linking the eastern provinces to Ontario and across Canada,” said Thomas. "Convergence and a transcontinental movement thus began, spanning the country from sea to sea, uniting the country. I’d like to discuss with Canadians now how the past, the present and our landscape converge today."

In the first leg of his Canadian PULSE Project, over the summer of 2009, Thomas interviewed 150 people from Toronto to British Columbia, to take the pulse of today’s Canadian cultural and geographic identity. The precipitous of this journey was the recent anniversary of iconic Group of Seven artist Tom Thomson’s first Canadian landscape paintings, now 100 years ago. Thomas used the interviews and video footage to construct a contemporary look at the Canadian identity through his multi-media works of art. His December show in Toronto sold 70% of his PULSE works on the first night of a three-day exhibition at the Lennox Contemporary gallery.

Bruce Thomas is a Canadian artist-adventurer currently residing in Revelstoke, British Columbia. He graduated from the Concordia University in 1994. Bruce has worked extensively in the music, film and art industries and draws upon his experience as inspiration for The Canadian PULSE Project.

Canadian Pulse Project Part I:The West

2010-06-13T16:06:00.005-05:00

Toronto Artist Bruce Thomas Deconstructs the Canadian Identity in his new work, The Canadian PULSE Project June 29, 2009 – TORONTO – What defines us as Canadian? Canadian Artist Bruce Thomas sets out on a cross-Canada tour in search of answers for his Canadian PULSE Landscape Project. A work in progress, Thomas challenges the Canadian historical landscape perspective and uncovers a new approach to traditional landscape painting through the eyes of Canada’s growing multi-cultural society. Traveling across Canada, Thomas hopes to interview hundreds of Canadians and document their perspective on what defines the quintessential Canadian Landscape. Using this research to form the foundation of this multi-media project, Thomas will begin to form the new Canadian Landscape identity. “The Canadian landscape identity most of us relate to is Tom Thomson’s famous, West Wind painting. World-wide The Group of Seven have always embodied the most identifiable Canadian landscape. Now that we’re coming up on 100 years since Thomson created his first landmark paintings, I wondered where we now stand in terms of Canada’s visual identity “says Thomas. The Canadian PULSE Project will incorporate sound, video and paintings to express and explore Thomas’s experiences traveling across Canada. Talking with a diverse representation of the population about what it means to be creative in Canada today will be starting point for the project. These collected interviews, field recordings and drawings will then be compiled and transformed into a series of large-scale mixed media compositions. “I believe this form of integrated, journalistic, intrepretive media has the potential to produce new hybrid art forms, which will encourage innovative practices and ultimately break new ground in terms of understanding our rapidly evolving national identity, “ says Thomas. As a multi-disciplined artist and graduate of Concordia University, Thomas has also worked for more than 10 years in the music, film and art industry . Today, he draws upon this experience as inspiration for his most recent collection of paintings. The Canadian PULSE Project , will ultimately condense the meaning of an entire film into one frame on a canvas. His methodology is a “series-based”, constructivist approach that uses different medium to produce tangible examples of an intangible inspiration.

"Jejeune Mount Robson BC" 2009
30x40
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel,spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied

It’s about the Yellowhead highway. It starts in Saskatchewan and goes northwest. It was heralded during the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway in the early 1900's.The route was named for a French explorer. He had blond hair so they called it the ‘Tête Jaune Cache’. You come around this bend and into the valley and above you rises Mount Robson...Wow,it has a mystique about it. The farmer I spoke to called it Je jeune and wrote it down as jejeune. There are some interesting things to think about when you think about mountains What are the mountains made of and how did they come about?
Elevation. Perspective is a weird thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowhead_Highway

Tepee on North Superior Shore ON

2010-06-13T16:01:00.008-05:00

Tepee on North Superior Shore 2009
28x38
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied

Neys Provincial Park is a Natural Environment Class provincial park within the Ontario Parks system. Added as part of Ontario Living Legacy in 2000-2001 consisting of: Pic Island, Detention Island, and the Sullivan Islands. The ghost village of Coldwell, which lies just outside the east boundary of the park, was home to an old railway and fishing community until the 1960s. All that remains of the village now are a few foundations, shipwrecks in the harbour including the now famous The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
What song reminds you most of Canada and Why?

Magic of BC old growth forests

2009-11-27T15:33:00.022-06:00

This fellow was our server at a bakery in a treehouse in the middle of the Kootney mountains – the owner happened to be a guy who I went to the same school. You know on a 20 dollar bill – When you look at a 20 dollar bill – look again.
Who is that in the Boat on the 20$ bill?
Haida Gwaii:Sacred Haida land... Then a timber and fishing town supplying the needs of scattered families around Queen Charlotte Islands. Most people would never sleep among the trees , some do though. They’re ancient beings and it's a magical forests. They are amazing... It’s a protected area now. The last of an ancient species. I had a dream I saw a neon stag and this is what it looked like.

Haida Gwaii 2009
28x36
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied

Above Jade Lake Selkirk Mtn Hike

2009-11-12T11:55:00.010-06:00

Selkirk Mountain Retreat 2009
30x40
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied

The Selkirk Mountain is in the central interior of BC. Reneau and I were on a hike which took us to one of the peaks which overlooked Jade Lake. We talked to one of the national park reps about the best views in the area….I think we found it.
Where is one of the best views you have ever seen in Canada?

Saskatchewan Prairies

2009-11-09T18:55:00.010-06:00

Out in the Golden Bountiful 2009
28x54
Pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied on Canvas

Smack in the middle of North America is a huge area of land which was once covered with grasses and colorful wild flowers. The French called the rolling plains of grass "prairie", from the word for a meadow grazed by cattle. The prairies are a type of grassland dominated by herbaceous plants and grasses. Very few trees grow on the prairies but when encountered it creates a staccato punctuation against the rolling,flowing,lyrical movements of the great plains.
Why is wheat production decreasing in North America?

Candaian Pulse compositions

2009-11-03T17:25:00.111-06:00

Woman of the Alberta Badlands, 2009
Bruce Thomas
48 x 60
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel, spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

The term "badlands" represents a consensus in North America: the Lakota called the topography "Makhóšiča", literally bad land, while French trappers called it "les mauvaises terres à traverser" all in all the pictorial beauty far outweigh any “bad” classification. Hoodoo’s, fossils, cati and brilliant skies are among some of the highlights of these “badlands”, different times with different eyes, I guess.

What do you like best about Canada?

Burning Plains in Memory, Saskatchewan, 2009
Bruce Thomas
30 x 40
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

This is a portrait of the nomadic life. People were always on the move. Half a million people lived on the plains and moved with the seasons. Everything had to be portable. Everything was used.

What are your thoughts on our origins as a nomadic species?

Furtile lands of Osoyoos, 2009
Bruce Thomas
48 x 60
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

One of the most important fruit-growing centres in Canada, Osoyoos produces irresistible soft fruits like peaches and cherries. Roadside stands, orchards and the main markets are picturesque. Nk’Mip Cellars is North America’s first Aboriginal owned and operated winery located in Osoyoos. Note: Not Canada’s first, but North American’s first aboriginal winery.

What’s your favourite Canadian winery?

Visions of Vancouver Island, BC, 2009
Bruce Thomas
30 x 40
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with,pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied

So many great memories of our treasured isle on our western shore, not just mine…other than the Jasper Banff highway, it was the “most beautiful place in Canada.” Answer in this journey. The Sooke, Tafino, Salt Spring they’re all great! But I found quite quickly BC meant “Bring Cash”.

What is your greatest motivation?

Calgary Script 2009
36x20
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied

CALGARY SCRIPT a wordplay:
A night out.Gates to the West from the road east...of the open roads traveled in from the Paris of the great plains. It’s from an old train trudging towards distant horizon... It’s of yesterdays and the brand new millenium. It’s born from the depths of Black Gold... Watching from its perch.... still there until dawn,by then I'm long gone.
If you could sleep anywhere in Canada where would it be?

Nella from Agawa, Ontario
2009 22x28
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with,pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin applied

Who was Nella?
She was one of the last interviews I almost did. She spoke in a tongue I couldn’t understand and said: “Nella. Nella. Nella.” She smiled at me. Then, my tape ran out. So instead I began to sketch. When the ink wasn’t fully dried and I happened to set it down on the tree stump beside me to attend to my son. The ink absorbed the grain. Nella was my inspiration for all the portraits in this show. The medium was simple and ultra-modern and her spirit encapsulated the landscape around there. Her ancient image captured an indigenous aspect.

Her Heart Is the field that grows, 2009
Bruce Thomas
48 x 60
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel,
spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied

Fertile: Producing fruit or vegetation in abundance; fruitful; able to produce abundantly; prolific; fecund; productive; rich; inventive; as, fertile land or fields; a fertile mind or imagination. One interviewee asked me: With so much fertile land in Canada how do people still go hungry?

What do we do to get food into the cities more cost effectively?

Owl with Kite at Midnight on Falcon Lake Manitoba
2009 20x24
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with,pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied

“Been on road 16 days and 11 hours. We found camp grounds but we’ll never get in there. It’s a long weekend. Yet, 2 people are just leaving: can’t believe our luck. Wanted to talk to them but they’re off.
There are two deer in our campsite. We walk into this field where a large rock juts out into Falcon Lake like our own private granite dock! Best campsite ever, and they just checked out, very cool how timing works. Night on the lake. Stars are everywhere and I see a glint on the wind… I see a white kite. Mist across late and an owl flies right through the dense air. I see the kite again—I can't figure it out—in the morning, it turns out to be some sort of weather flag. Oh yeah, this is a mystic place. In fact it actually is the site of a credible UFO sighting... Look it up under "Falcon Lake incident". 1950’s. The guy had multiple radiation burns. Quite plausible according to the RCMP report. What’s his name? Stefan Michalak… Fun place. Manitoba looks to me to be Ontario in the 70’s. Adidas shorts and mustaches.”
strong>What is your opinion on extraterrestrial life?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_Lake_Incident

Homestead near Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, 2009
Bruce Thomas
32 x 38
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with,graphite,pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied

It is the largest lake within the borders of southern Canada its one of the countries largest undeveloped watershed.. Henry Kelsey was the first European to see the lake in 1690. He adopted the Cree language name for the lake: wīnipēk… Lake Winnipeg lies along one of the oldest trading routes in North America to have flown the British flag. For several centuries, furs were traded along this route between York Factory on Hudson Bay which,incidentally was the longtime headquarters for the Hudson's Bay Company.

What is your favorite Canadian sport and Why?

Faint Memories of Maritime Fisheries, 2009
Bruce Thomas
30 x 30
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

What can we personally do to replenish our waters?

This is a memory of our fishing industry. Who is leading us to fish sustainably? I’m certain there are good things being done and I sure hope fishing is around for my kids. A guy from the Maritimes told me they have to import cod now from Europe… I heard another story that a main tourist attraction in Newfoundland was a museum to preserve the fishing practices of our Maritime ancestors… A museum! For a resource-based economy, we might need to think about how to sustain our resources and build on successful traditions.

Born Midnight on the Alberta Badlands, 2009
Bruce Thomas
24 x 36
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

This is a turn-of-the-century picture. The early days of cattle farming. The farm was the epicentre. It was the homestead. The workplace. The grocery store. The hospital. Many people were born at home.

What does that say about early Canadian settlers?

Ode to the Canadian Wild Mushroom, Ontario, 2009
30x40
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with,pastel spray acrylic and oil,pigmented resin and stencil applied

This was taken from my travel journal:
“Day 9… Still somewhere in Northern Ontario. Last night we had thunder and lighting. I did not quite expect the severity of the storm we had on Saturday either, very very wet. The kids are holding up well, Cari has her brave face on…. It is now looking to be a beautiful day and should be good for looking at plants, animals and mushrooms.”
Really, they are so interesting here, the colours, the shapes, the sizes… they’re endless. Just don’t try them unless absolutely cleared by an expert!

What is your favourite mushroom and how is it best served?

Spirit of Ontario Hardwood Forest, 2009
Bruce Thomas
48 x 60
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel, spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

This was in my field notes from interview #66: Fredrick from Ottawa, ON. A German-born, government geologist.
RE : The transformation of a northern Ontario hardwood forest by aboriginal (Iroquois) fires.
“There existed a period of Iroquois occupation when cultivation coincides with pollen evidence for transition from northern hardwoods to white pine/oak forests. Charcoal data reveal that this transition was attended by increased charcoal accumulation, sufficiently high to suggest vegetation fires. Results support the notion that Indian burning is capable of producing dramatic changes in forest composition spanning centuries.”

What do you believe is Canada’s greatest asset?

Spirit of the Grasslands, 2009
Bruce Thomas
48 x 60
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with graphite, pastel, spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

The female-exclusive laws of this Clan remain shrouded in secrecy. What happened to the men, why they have been outlawed, and how they continue to reproduce are never revealed -- According to legend, there is an all-male village known as Sheown Step that serves as a counterpart to Alma Kinan -- Despite males seemingly being outlawed from their clan, the Alma Kinan show absolutely no ill will, distrust, or an air of superiority towards men who visit.

What is your opinion of uni-sex schooling?

Crystal Waters of Lake Okanagan, 2009
Bruce Thomas
24 x 36
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

Clean, fresh drinking water is essential to all lifeforms. Access to safe drinking water has improved steadily and substantially over the last decades in almost every part of the world. However, some observers have estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability. Water plays an increasingly vital role in the world economy, as it functions as a solvent for a wide variety of chemical substances and facilitates industrial cooling and transportation.
What was the best water you have ever drank or swam in?

Revelstoke Rains, BC, 2009
Bruce Thomas
36 x 48
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied

A mist emerged
Then a downpour followed
As a planet’s lifeblood
Weather is a variable thing
Influenced by latitude
Or a change of attitude

What is your favourite quote, motto or limerick?

Prairie Salt Pelican Overhead, 2009
Bruce Thomas
28 x 36
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel, spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

The title’s words are amalgamated quite literally:
Salt deposits on the prairies appear as snow in July,
There are pelicans flitting around like bright sky,
Prehistoric birds fishing in salt lagoons ahead,
They appear to dive and swim overhead.

We stayed in what seem like a forest from the Jurassic period.
A Sask-Hydro linesman told me it survived due to its elevation (110 metres above sea level) still standing from the last ice age almost twelve thousand years ago.

If you could live at any time in Canadian history when would it be?

Decline of the Western Birch, BC, 2009
Bruce Thomas
36 x 28
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

I intended to show the beautiful botanical diversity in our country. But, instead got wrapped up in an overlooked issue I learned about in an interview: the disease in our trees… Apparently, there’s a disease that’s moving east—a fungus that makes birch trees black at the top. It’s the end of the birch. Silver, bronze and white. They’ll be gone—all of them—within 15 years. It’s like the pine beetle without all the attention but it’s a big problem.

What should we do when a species is threatened? Do we plant more birch trees?

Ballad of Early Grace, Saskatchewan, 2009
Bruce Thomas
24 x 36
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

One of my favourite scenes was the Saskatechewan Prairies. Most of us can picture the big skies and driving around the prairies and at that time of year in the summer there was a lot of diversity in colour, in texture … And in the distance, I see this farmer on a tractor. Now I’m expecting an old-time farmer. But, in fact, what I run into is an ultra modern, 21 or 22 year old farmer with a brand new pick-up truck parked further up the road. In our interview, he talks about the survival of farming. The fact that he spends half of his year in the city in order to make his family farm work… Now that could be kind of sad, but we also spoke about the creativity of farming—anticipating weather and choice of crops to get the maximum yields… somehow I feel that we are all so lucky.

How could we better support Canada’s family-owned farms?
All our Canadian farms for that matter…

Ambrose from Woburn, Ontario, 2009
Bruce Thomas
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

Ontario goes on forever. You wouldn’t believe how big Ontario it is until you drive it. We were north of the Sioux and met Ambrose. He was the town’s cab driver. In response to my questions, he said: “Canada has the most freedom. I go and walk around when I want to. The lake is close by and I fish when I want to… My favourite place is in and around Banff because the mountains are so beautiful.” We went on chatting about his work and how interesting it must be driving a cab. He said: “Well, there are 5 roads here... But, you do run into interesting folks now and again. I drove Shania Twain once. She was like Banff. Beautiful.”

Who would you like to drive around town? Where would you go on a roadtrip in Canada?

Abby from Calgary Alberta, 2009
Bruce Thomas
18 x 24
Multi-frame amalgamated monoprint on canvas with graphite, pastel spray acrylic and oil, pigmented resin and stencil applied.

Outside of a night club, we spoke of the many issues facing young people today. New peer pressures, complex sexual identities, high cost of education and the difficulties of a newcomers to the work force…Couple that with saturation of mass media ideologies concerning image and you have the high pressure social life of the teen and tween youth culture.

What is the difference between youth today and when you were growing up?

Interview #59 Pam from Thunder Bay ON

2009-10-30T15:44:00.001-05:00

Interview #119 Jerry from Louis Creek BC

2009-10-25T15:58:00.003-05:00

Interview #54 Lynne from Niagara Falls ON

2009-10-22T11:37:00.002-05:00

Interview #139 Jon from Truro NS

2009-10-21T12:18:00.004-05:00

This gentleman saw me interviewing someone from across the ferry we were on at the time.He actually screamed across to us while tossing his flip flops down from the upper deck, at which point he climbed over the railing in order to scale down to us… Immediatley the captain stopped the boat,blew his whistle and frantically pointed at him to “GO BACK!” …He then proceeded to try to give my daughter five dollars whereupon I led him back to the upper deck. Introducing me to his girlfriend he claims is the daughter of country legend Hank Snow and absolutely must interview ...She smiled,stared and said nothing.

Interview #117 Bob from Slocan City BC

2009-10-20T15:35:00.001-05:00

Interview #18 Byron from Manitoulin Island ON

2009-10-19T18:49:00.001-05:00

Interview #82 Martha and Charles from Lethbridge AB

2009-10-19T15:14:00.001-05:00

Interview #68 Terry from Winnipeg MB

2009-10-18T21:48:00.001-05:00

Interview #34 Dean from Warkworth ON

2009-10-18T21:32:00.001-05:00

Interview #103 Paul From Dokes SK

2009-10-17T20:52:00.001-05:00

Interview #56 Norm From Hamilton ON

2009-10-17T20:06:00.001-05:00

Interview #39 Milt from Spanish ON

2009-10-17T10:22:00.001-05:00

Canadian PULSE Landscape Project in Progress

2009-10-01T12:27:00.001-05:00

The examination of the present identity of Canadian Culture
Does Canada need a stronger identity?
Oct 1, 2009 – TORONTO – “Lots of Canadians braved the rain, bees and mosquitoes this summer to converse about our cultural diversity,” says Canadian Artist Bruce Thomas. Thomas and his family set out from their home in Toronto on a seven-week camping tour in search of answers for his Canadian PULSE Landscape Project: Canada’s new visual identity 100 years after the Group of Seven. “The purpose of PULSE is to create a body of work that expresses Canadians' different interpretations of our current national identity and what it means to be creative in Canada.”
“I met with people in their native landscapes and collected artifacts about their experiences being Canadian. In each case, as we discussed their culture, people began to transform. They began to link their own heritage to our collective heritage as Canadians. There was pride in every discussion.
“The PULSE project aspires to a new ethos – a dialogue on the definition of our Canadian culture. You see, the dialogue is the answer to everything,” said Thomas. “For some time now, I’ve been concerned that our culture identity has eroded. That we’ve lost sight of the tenants... That complacency, acceptance and apathy have crept into our actions. I believe each of us needs to transform and re-emerge to take responsibility for our culture. For example, to celebrate our Aboriginal foundation and its intelligence. To celebrate the Dominion and its steady industry. And, to celebrate the people and institutions that have contributed to Canada’s position as a leading world economy. [Like Dick Haskayne’s Northern Tigers…] We need to take responsibility for our culture: describe it succinctly and protect it without debasing our past.”

Canadian Pulse Project

2009-09-24T08:15:00.002-05:00