by Beth Stewart, The Beat Magazine 2025
The Root of Wisdom at Westland Gallery marries the work of two disparate yet ultimately complementary artists. Ottawa artist Clara Kim’s work with its frenetic brush work reveals recognizable forms, whereas Guelph artist Christopher Cape’s work is understated and ethereal. Together, they offer a respite from the day-to-day with a giant serving of the natural world.
According to Kim, the title of this joint exhibition is a nod to poet William Wordsworth. She is likely alluding to his piece “The Tables Turned” as, in it, he advises “Let Nature be your teacher/ She has a world of … Spontaneous wisdom”. Nature as teacher is certainly seen in the work of both artists.
Kim’s work with its colourful birds, bears and other beasts is contained in the front gallery. Most of the pieces are quite large. She depicts her animals in a style that she says is influenced by both ancient Korean arts and contemporary western sensibilities.
Through the ages, Korean art has been naturalistic, favouring the beauty of raw materials and natural patterns. Kim takes these traditional values and extends them with modern materials and approaches.
To this end, Kim employs a variety of tools and materials in her oil and acrylic paintings including knife scratching, and ink crayon, and pastel drawing. This is clearly seen in her abstract backgrounds and in what Westland Marketing Coordinator Anna Wilson calls the “evolution” of Kim’s mark making.
(Clara Kim’s oil and acrylic piece on canvas, “My World”. Image courtesy of Westland Gallery.)
In Kim’s “My World”, the bear stands firmly on calligraphic shapes and is backed by abstract forms. In her “Rainbow Raven #2”, colourful lines meander playfully as flecks of similar hues dance across the blackness of the bird’s plumage.
(Clara Kim’s oil and acrylic on canvas piece “Rainbow Raven #2” Image courtesy of Westland Gallery.)
Christopher Cape’s plein air landscapes occupy the upper gallery. Bold and mysterious, these works shun detail in favour of colour, reductionist form and evocative titles. They avoid obvious telling and beg for individual interpretation.
(Christopher Cape’s oil on cradled birch “Before the End”. Image courtesy of Westland Gallery.)
On the other hand, his “Take Flight”, with its stacked birds, bucks the non-representational trend while still embracing its pastel colouration and a limited depth of field.
(Christopher Cape’s oil and acrylic on cradled birch, “Take Flight”. Image courtesy of Westland Gallery.)
Titles stand out as integral to Cape’s art. His are evocative. To what end does “Before the End” refer? What happened “Moments Before”? What does “You Remember More than You Know” mean?
Happily, for the artists, there are lots of red dots to be seen; a few pieces have already gone to their forever homes.
“The Root of Wisdom” continues to October 25, 2025, at Westland Gallery, 156 Wortley Road. For more information, visit https://westlandgallery.ca/
Reviewed by Beth Stewart
For information about Beth Stewart’s art, visit https://bethstewart.ca/
The Beat Magazine 2025 