Northern Renaissance

A solo exhibition by Robert Blair Porter 

I doubt there are many artists who can provide a succinct answer to the question of why we do what we do. It is irrational, and the tangible rewards seldom compensate for the time and effort spent. Yet at some point one’s natural creative urge becomes an obsession which consumes the artist. The need to reify their inspirations becomes an urgent necessity. Over time it dictates the way of seeing, interacting and integrating with the world and a mode of thinking. 

The artist’s initial quest is to find the mediums and style to create an aesthetic that is in sympathy with the internal visions. When I was studying at art college the aesthetics that interested me the most were those of the Northern Renaissance and the early Baroque period. I learned the materials and methods of those artists but eventually my peripatetic lifestyle made their use impractical, so I developed my own techniques, across different mediums, to create an aligned aesthetic that works for me.

Creative inspiration is not enough. In my opinion the Art manifests during the production of the work, the artist’s wrestling with the limitations of the materials to reproduce the vision. It is unexplainable, like magic, and continues to enthrall me, as it always has.

Date: 9 December 2023 - 30 April 2024

Venue: Saharos Chiang Rai Original Pork Blood Soup 

About the artist
Robert Blair Porter , born into a military family in Kingston Canada in 1951. After leaving the navy I spent 4 years travelling around the world, then returned to Toronto to attend the Ontario College of Art from 1975 to 1979. Upon graduation I received a scholarship to study painting in Florence, Italy from 1980 to 1982. Then continued my travels, eventually taking up residence in 7 different countries as well as spending time in many more, until eventually settling down in Chiang Rai, Thailand, the city of Art, where I live contentedly with my wife, sons and grandchildren.