RICHARD COLE: "Recent Work," Feb. 23 to March 6, 2013, Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB

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"The Quiet of a Mountain Lake"

Richard Cole, "The Quiet of a Mountain Lake," 2012, oil on canvas, 54" x 84".

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"Larch"

Richard Cole, "Larch," 2012, oil on canvas, 30" x 66".

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"Larch Trees"

Richard Cole, "Larch Trees," 2012, oil on canvas, 30" x 52".

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"Path to Banff"

Richard Cole, "Path to Banff," 2012, oil on canvas, 36" x 72".

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"The Quiet of a Mountain Lake"

Richard Cole, "The Quiet of a Mountain Lake," 2012, oil on canvas, 54" x 84".

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"The Boy Who Paints," Book Cover

Richard Cole, "The Boy Who Paints," Book Cover.

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RICHARD COLE: Recent Work

Feb. 23 to March 6, 2013

Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB

By Dina O'Meara

Landscape artist Richard Cole doesn’t consider himself an illustrator. But the urge to tell a coming-of-age story based on his childhood blossomed into a collaboration with K. Jane Watt, a writer and fellow resident of Fort Langley, B.C. Six paintings he did for their book, The Boy Who Paints, will be displayed as part of this exhibition, along with other recent landscape works. Both bodies of work show his deft use of perspective as well as soft, layered brushstrokes that add movement and energy. In the book, the young hero, illustrated as a paper cutout from an old dictionary, feels compelled to paint despite discouragement from his family. The boy’s confidence is shaken but it eventually renews when he starts seeing colour in everyday objects. “It’s kind of about me, but it’s also about the artist’s journey and our struggles with confidence,” says Cole. “It is a continual journey to find inspiration.” A graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, the 44-year-old father of two says the book is about overcoming problems by opening one’s mind to new possibilities – a lesson everyone can take to heart.