Leslie Potter
Saskatchewan artist speculates about future landscapes.
Leslie Potter, "Future Landscape: Arizona Night," 2019
mixed media collage on canvas board, 18” x 24”
One day, Saskatchewan artist Leslie Potter began to wonder about the different places he’s visited and what they might look like in 200 years – or even 2,000 years.
“Perhaps it comes with age, but I have been thinking about what a future world would look like,” says Potter, born in 1947 and raised on a farm near Biggar, Sask.
Potter, who earned an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan in 1993, is best known for his large outdoor sculptures, but decided to explore his idea in two dimensions.
Thus was born his Future Landscape series, included in his solo show at Art Placement in Saskatoon from July 15 to Aug 29.
“These works are concerned with our place and direction in this world,” says Potter. “I rarely depict human activity, but that doesn't necessarily preclude it. I am just acutely aware of our invasiveness as a species and our neglect as caretakers of the Earth.”
For instance, Arizona Night, a vibrant and whimsical painting, evokes what might be a starry night and a flat, warm-hued desert.
Leslie Potter, "Future Landscape: Mexico", 2019 mixed media collage on canvas board, 24” x 30”
mixed media collage on canvas board, 24” x 30”
Another work in the series, Mexico, has an apparent horizon line that suggests a landscape, with a cerulean sky and a foreground composed of textured squares that deny with any sense of regular perspective.
“I’m not really a painter’s painter,” says Potter, explaining that he collages together chunks of other paintings that he has failed to resolve.
While painting was his early love, he somehow gravitated to sculpture for most of his career. The show’s title, Retrouver, which Potter translates from the French as “I find myself again,” refers to this return to those roots. ■
Retrouver: Future Landscapes & Artefacts is on view at The Gallery / art placement in Saskatoon from July 15 to Aug. 29, 2020.
PS: Worried you missed something? See previous Galleries West stories here or sign up for our free biweekly newsletter.
the Gallery / art placement
238 3 Ave S, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 1L9
please enable javascript to view
Tues to Sat 9 am - 5:30 pm
