Dawn Stofer—painter

“I have always made marks to make sense of things, be it ideas, or responding to the visual world. I like to put things down and see what emerges,” says painter Dawn Stofer.

Dawn’s paintings are more suggestive than descriptive, portraying landscapes, interiors, still lifes, people, and animals in semi-abstract ways, featuring bold colours, big shapes, uncluttered lines, and simple compositions. “I’m not going in for the details of things. I’m after the essence,” she says.

But simple doesn’t mean easy. To create her apparent simplicity, Dawn employs a sophisticated set of aesthetic skills and knowledge.

Dawn says that when she’s painting, she feels like she dissolves. When she steps back and observes what she’s created, her analytic mind kicks in to make visual assessments. “Part of my process is problem solving—looking at a piece and figuring out what’s working, what’s not, why, and what needs to change.”

These abilities were developed during formal studies in art at the Universities of Victoria and Calgary, numerous life classes, mentorship in England and the south of France, and years of painting experience.

Dawn also creates dog portraits, both on commission and on her own initiative. “These truly are portraits. I want each one to be clearly that one dog, not just any dog that looks similar. The dog should be looking the viewer right in the eye so that you feel you’re looking at each other. There is such a deep bond between humans and dogs; that’s why I enjoy doing dog portraits.”

For Dawn, all her work is, at its core, a love letter to nature. “Nature is who we are. Humans are not separate from the animal kingdom, from the trees, or the earth. We’re creatures; we’re part of things,” she says.

Contact: It is best to contact Dawn via her website

See Dawn’s work on Denman: a limited selection of her work is available at the Denman Craft Shop