Triangle Lake

About Triangle Lake

This colourful abstract expressionist painting is by the award-winning artist Milly Ristvedt.

The view of a triangular-shaped rock from her waterside studio inspired the colour and form of this engaging abstract landscape by Milly Ristvedt. The Canadian artist painted Triangle Lake during a time of creative exploration with both layering and transparency, juxtaposing hard-edged geometric shapes like triangles with expressive gestural markings. Colour, as always plays a key role in this visual language—the palette here is an earthy mix of burgundy and black with brushstrokes of turquoise, celadon, white and red.

“I made test pieces on raw canvas to see how things might work. It takes time before you get the right feeling so that you can hit the road and get started. All of those gestural works have to be planned out very carefully, otherwise, you’re just spinning your arms in circles.” Milly Ristvedt

Milly Ristvedt was born in British Columbia and studied at the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr University). She held her first solo exhibit at the prestigious Carmen Lamanna Gallery in Toronto. In the late 1960s, Ristvedt shared a studio with famed Canadian painter Jack Bush, met art critic Clement Greenberg and was inspired by American painters Jules Olitiski and Frank Stella. Her work has been included in many publications. She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2004 and honoured with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. She has won seven Canada Council awards and two Ontario Arts Council awards and has had over 50 solo exhibitions and has been part of countless group shows. Ristvedt's work can be found in major public collections throughout North America including the National Gallery of Canada.

Milly Ristvedt is represented exclusively by the Oeno Gallery.