Pacific Verge
$3,000.00
Artist: Lori Bagnérès
Medium: Mixed Media
Artist Statement:
“Pacific Verge is about that strange, silent feeling of standing at the edge of the world. Initially captured on the rugged west coast of Canada, this work explores the physical and emotional thresholds where mind, body, and land intersect. The word Verge means two things here: it is the literal edge where the land hits the ocean, but it is also that mental feeling of being right on the brink of an emotional shift. I wanted to capture the sheer scale of this coastline by making the human figure look tiny and distant. It visualizes what it feels like to be surrounded by nature – in this context the Pacific Rim National Park near Tofino, BC – yet still feel a bit isolated or “out of place” within it.
Artist Biography:
Lori Bagnérès, a visual artist born in Ontario, and living in North Vancouver, completed her MFA in contemporary art from École Nationale des Beaux Arts de Grenoble in 1993. North Vancouver is also where she maintains her full-time studio practice, and various mixed media techniques in acrylic, cold wax and oil, Venetian plaster and image transfer are explored. Lori shows her work in public and private galleries throughout B.C. and Ontario and her paintings are held in corporate and private collections throughout Canada, the US, Europe and Australia.
Her work has been placed in public institutions such as St. Paul’s Hospital (Vancouver), Lion’s Gate Hospital (North Vancouver) and The HOpe Centre (North Vancouver). She is currently represented by the following galleries in BC and Alberta: Gallery Merrick in Victoria & affiliate Ashdale Gallery, North Vancouver alongside Elevation Galleries in Canmore AB & Fernie, BC. She is also represented by the North Vancouver Community Arts Council and the online gallery Artsper based in Paris, France.
Lori’s art seems to be deeply rooted in capturing the essence of landscape, evoking both visual and emotional responses from the viewer. Her use of mixed media techniques adds layers of texture and depth to her work, inviting the audience to not only see her landscapes but to feel them as well. This decade-long focus on trees as a subject matter reflects her deep exploration of life’s complexities. By using these trees as a metaphor, she invites viewers to contemplate the cyclical nature of life and find personal connections within her art.
Processes:
To move beyond a basic, flat photograph, I build up the landscape using tactile materials. I start with a rough base of Venetian plaster and layers of acrylic paint to mimic the raw texture of the coastal rocks and sand. I then transfer my photograph into the piece, embedding the landscape and the solitary figure directly into the plaster and paint. In the final process stage I apply hazy, translucent layers of cold wax medium mixed with oil paint to add an ethereal quality to the work—acting like a physical veil. These physical layers create a literal “fog” over the scene, echoing the thick coastal mist of the Pacific and the soft, selective way our memory works over time. By burying the figure, beach and sky under wax, Pacific Verge blurs the line between a real, physical place and a deeply personal, emotional landscape.
How I Got Here:
I live and work in the lower mainland of Vancouver, surrounded by the rugged beauty of the West Coast of Canada. As a mixed media artist, I have always been quietly obsessed with places of transition—especially the shorelines where the land abruptly hits the ocean. My creative philosophy is simple: I believe the landscapes we look at outside are deeply connected to how we feel on the inside.
For a long time now, my work has been focused on capturing the raw, physical environment around me. In the past, I explored this through a theme entitled “Living On The Edge” looking at the stark beauty of coastal trees that survive on the very brink of the shoreline. To me, these edges represent a mix of resilience and strength. I balanced that with a companion theme, “Island Time,” (a duo-exhibition in 2025 at Gallery Merrick in Victoria BC with Kathy Bradshaw – an encaustic based artist) showing our individual interpretations of coastal landscapes. The show was all about the slower, stiller rhythm of life out here, where time loses its urgency and forces you to slow down.
Instead of just taking a photo of these edges of the Pacific West Coast, I aim to physically build them. In the layering of the image my challenge is to be deliberate about making it all look like one cohesive piece—so the viewer doesn’t know where the paint starts and the image ends. Working with these foundational materials allows me to add a more personal, hands on, human voice to the work. I’ve always been inspired by this mix of the camera’s eye and the artist’s hand, turning a physical Canadian coastline into a raw and dreamy, emotional space.”
