A profound love and respect for nature and the environment influence Liz Menard. She is interested in natural and manufactured landscapes and the native and invasive species that struggle to survive and thrive in these environments. Menard has long been fascinated by watersheds and the development (natural and unnatural) of these special places. Protecting, retaining and sustaining environmental biodiversity is critical and a recurring theme in her work. She remains optimistic as long as we continue to work together to protect, care for and nurture our environment. Her ideas and concerns are expressed in her etchings, relief prints, artist’s books and clay pieces.
The focus of this exhibition is Toronto’s Don River Watershed. She explores the watershed on foot, from the train, in her canoe and sitting in her own backyard.
Liz Menard is a printmaker, book artist and arts educator, endlessly curious about how our relationship to nature shapes our sense of place and our sense of self. Resiliency in nature and society is a recurring theme in her work. Watersheds, such as the GTA’s Don River Watershed, have provided endless opportunities to explore her recurring themes in print, books and clay. Menard has exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally. Menard’s work is held in many public, post-secondary libraries, private and corporate collections.
The selection of drawings in this exhibition shows earlier themes related to the main panel The God of War (2026), William Lottering’s reaction to recent political conflict and aggression. Over three panels, The God of War shows a moment of attack. A missile charges over a mountainous landscape where a volcano is erupting. From his stage the artist, wearing a spiral shell helmet, recognizes the projectile, while a female figure behind him sees a machine-like bird – or is it a fighter jet? – attacking a family standing on a bridge, from the air. On the artist/warrior’s palm, the lines of fate suggest a questionable outcome.
William Lottering grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has been living and working in Ontario since 1991. Early in his career, Lottering was a sculpture instructor at the Pretoria Art, Ballet and Music School and then taught at the University of Pretoria and Tshwane University in South Africa. Later, William defected to the broadcasting world, for a decade as radio announcer and producer at the SABC. Here he produced art programmes, wrote scripts, read news on national radio, conducted interviews, did voice work for TV, produced documentaries and directed more than 200 radio dramas for Radio Suid-Afrika. During this period William was also an arts critic on radio (RSG) and for INSIG (INSIGHT), a South African news magazine.
