Back 1

About Back 1

This contemporary minimalist painting of a swimmer is by Pat Service.

Highly regarded as one of Canada’s finest landscape artists, in her decades long career Pat Service has also explored other genres and subjects. This series of paintings are part of a group she called ‘Bathers’ inspired by witnessing the swimming lessons of her baby grandson. Service is experimenting with simple form and colour here. The perspective—showing us only the back of each person feels intimate and immediately engages the viewer.

“Swimmers have always been a favourite subject matter for paintings. In this case, the innocence of the young person is protected by the back view, and there is the simple colour palette to repeat, skin colour, hair colour, bathing suit straps, and background.” Pat Service

Pat Service acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of B.C. and later studied art at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. Service’s work is held in private collections in North America, Britain, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Pat Service is represented exclusively by the Oeno Gallery.