Artist Statement

REGINA COUPAR STUDIO

DR. REGINA COUPAR
BA, MTS, D.Min

Doctoral dissertation available online or by downloading the pdf. file from the University of Toronto T-Space. Here's the Link!

THE MINISTRY OF ART

ARTIST STATEMENT

Painting was my first love. At sixteen I would borrow my father’s pickup, drive to secluded locations and sit on the tailgate as I painted waterfalls and Dutch Elm trees. Art and I had a simple relationship then; I responded to natural beauty with no expectations beyond mere gratification offered by the act of painting.

Now, as I try to come to grips with my mother’s death from Alzheimer’s disease, I return to the simplicity of that relationship to help me from falling into the darkness of depression that can slowly but steadily squeeze the joy from life. Art is healing; it reminds me there is still beauty in the world.

Making art restores my ability to see it.

CHASE GALLERY, HALIFAX, 2018

Wounding and Healing

As part of my own healing process, in this series I examine the relationship between wounding and healing.
Wounding has many sources: physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual… It may take the shape of a crisp slash that can be sutured, or it can leave larger holes that we can try to mend in other ways.
Some wounds are so deep and so pervasive that they may leave fissures, no matter how hard we try to erase them.
Finally, despite our best efforts, our wounds may leave behind a scar – a reminder of our wounding – that we may decorate to mark our healing.