Messages in the Landscape

Doug van Hemessen

January 2005

Landscape portrayed in art always carries meaning. But the meaning is not always obvious or clear and elements in a portrayed landscape can send ambiguous messages.

These images explore the intended and potential meanings of found and created messages in the landscape. Doug van Hemessen is an artistat- large, focussing his attention on the subtle-yet-profound. He breathes interest into the mundane and reveals underlying ironies in our lives. His work is positive and playful, soft but bold, and curiously reverential. It builds layers of meaning that draw the viewer in – to their own reflections and revelations. The photographs emerge from his perception of pattern, place and irony, and the character and position of photography in the scope of fine art.

Van Hemessen grew up in Toronto and London, Ontario. He bought his first camera at sixteen and followed the photographic path, with some detours, since then. His photographs have appeared in numerous publications and he currently lives near Owen Sound.