Peter Hoffer portrays trees and invites the public to take a closer look at their posture, details and expressions. The Canadian artist, originally from Ontario, has not abandoned painting or the classic subject of landscape, which he revisits from his contemporary perspective. Inspired by 19th century vernissages, the dripping of the early abstract expressionists and deeply rooted in the artistic tradition of landscape painting, Peter Hoffer shares with us in this interview his processes and his vision of the future.

The trees that Peter paints are not a copy of an existing geography. Sometimes he paints from photographs, but most of the time these trees are reminiscences. However, whether they exist or not, he sees his work as more about technique, about how he perceives the world, rather than the reality of the world itself. A few kilometres from Montreal, Peter has a cottage in the middle of the forest, which has become his lair, a place where he loves to paint. When he gets started, he starts by painting with oil on wood, then the more creative part begins: he applies touches of acrylic paint and several coats of epoxy varnish, which he makes himself. This process was inspired by the varnishes used in the academic painting salons of the 19th century, a way of embellishing paintings and conserving them.

For the artist, it is a question of staging evocative landscapes, which will awaken memories, dreams, a feeling of déjà vu in each one. But at the second reading, if we see more than a landscape but a true reflection on art, the representation of nature and the painting as an object in itself, then he will have succeeded in his wager.

See all the works of Peter Hoffer