In the 1960's, Service studied at the Glasgow School of Art and earned a BA from the University of British Columbia. In 1972 after living in Eastern Canada, Scotland and Venezuela, she settled permanently in Vancouver. As well as participating in numerous prestigious artist workshops and residencies across Canada and in New York, she worked alongside other professional artists from Canada, the U.S and Britain early for over a decade (1980 -1991) in the eminent Emma Lake Artist's Workshop in Saskatchewan. Pat Service first became well known for her impressionistic prairie landscapes which were inspired by this experience. A survey of her works was presented in a solo exhibision at the Mendel Art Gallery in 1997.
Vancouver -based painter Pat Service, uses bold colours and minimal elements to create playful lakeside scenes of isolated landmarks. The abstract configurations include bodies of water, little cabins, small groups of trees, docks and boats. Reminiscent of New Image paintings, her large canvasses manage to be both non-specific and engaging at the same time. Colour fields of thin glazes provide the primary impact while her symbolic depictions conjure easy going naratives of summer vacations.
Like Cezanne, she is able to describe an object with one simple brush stroke and her strokes are some of the most intriguing, soft but rough, energetic yet still. "With a wonderful light motion of the brush, you can have a yellow moon in the sky; with another quick gesture, in the water, there is a canoe" Service says.
She borrows from Fauvisim with her candid way of referencing nature. She uses colour as an emotional force. The palettes of her skies range in mauves, turquioises, pinks, yellows and of course blues. These abundant pastels would make even Mr. Matisse himself blush a little.
 GEM
(Sold)
30" X 36"
Acrylic on Canvas
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GLACE
50" x 40"
Acrylic on Canvas |
