Fairmont Pacific Rim is thrilled to present a solo exhibition of artworks by notable Canadian painter Jack Shadbolt presented in the Pacific Gallery.

“Inspiration for the artist is probably less in dreaming than in visualizing extensions from tangible possibilities.” – Jack Shadbolt

Shadbolt is known as one of Canada’s most innovative modernists, and he developed a unique visual language of abstract forms that were rooted in his observations of nature and the West Coast landscape where he lived and worked. The works on display in this exhibition showcase Shadbolt’s ongoing exploration of form through the natural world, using gesture, repetition, and experimentation. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a panoramic seven-panel work titled Morning Deck #2 (1980), which depicts the view from the artist’s home and studio on Hornby Island, British Columbia. This piece reflects the ambitious scale of Shadbolt’s iterative process, as adding multiple panels to a work allowed him to fully realize the potential of his subject matter.

In 1930, Shadbolt met Emily Carr, an artist whose work had a profound impact on him. Along with the Surrealists and early Abstract Expressionists, her work helped shape his artistic vision. In the late 1930s, Shadbolt began teaching at the Vancouver School of Art while pursuing his own studies in New York, London, and Paris. He even represented Canada at the Venice Biennale in 1956! After serving as an unofficial war artist during WW2, he returned to his teaching position at the Vancouver School of Art. There, he became the head of the department and influenced many young painters. Over the course of his career, Shadbolt created an incredible body of work that helped define a regional aesthetic of nature-based abstraction.

Shadbolt’s exhibition will span the hotel’s second floor in the Pacific Gallery from March 15, 2024 till May 15, 2024—bridging Fairmont Pacific Rim’s ongoing commitment to the celebration of art.