Kathleen Frances Daly Pepper

The vibrant work of Kathleen Frances Daly Pepper depicts the Canadian landscape in all of its multi-hued diversity. This work, Catskill Mountains, had a pedigreed exhibition history prior to entering the important private collection from which it comes to auction for the first time. It is a stunning work that shows off Pepper's skill with colour and pattern. Hot greens and reds in sunlight complement bright orange and blue, yet the shadows are deep and cool, balancing the palette and creating harmony in the work. Our vantage point as viewers is especially interesting: we are up above the buildings the artist has chosen to depict, looking down on their multi-hued rooftops from a position in a shadowed spot, thus the scene is in sunlight while we are in shade, an artistic treatment which serves to enlighten the vista in a very literal way. There is a sense of an even brighter light on the trees in the furrow between the mid-ground hills as they roll up and away from the buildings, further emphasizing this feeling of brilliant light. The face of the more distant hill is depicted in golden yellows and browns, which cool to purples, blues and deeper browns as the hills recede into shadows on their sides and in the rolling distance. The overall effect is one of tantalizing, sparkling light.