Abstract landscapes and artistic eploration
Vancouver-based artist Stephen Dancey paints abstract landscapes that typically end up being more abstract than landscape. His art offers an abstract interpretation of the terrain of the Pacific Northwest, drawing inspiration from the coastal islands, mountains, and waters of western Canada. Usually starting with a natural landscape and transitioning into abstraction, Dancey’s paintings invite viewers to connect with something familiar and recognizable before being drawn into the more abstract, textural, and tactile elements of his work.
Rooted in personal experiences and spending time in the places that inspire his work, Dancey’s focus is less on depicting picturesque scenery and more centered on his expressive interpretation. For Dancey, paint is both a physical presence and a reflection of his creative process. His exploration of the physical qualities of paint, its textures and colours, gestural marks and expressive accents, adds depth and dimension to his paintings. The many layers he applies create a rich, complex surface, allowing a kind of history to develop on the canvas that encourages viewers to spend time with his paintings, discovering new details and subtle shifts in the surface as they explore the work further.
Rooted in personal experiences and spending time in the places that inspire his work, Dancey’s focus is less on depicting picturesque scenery and more centered on his expressive interpretation. For Dancey, paint is both a physical presence and a reflection of his creative process. His exploration of the physical qualities of paint, its textures and colours, gestural marks and expressive accents, adds depth and dimension to his paintings. The many layers he applies create a rich, complex surface, allowing a kind of history to develop on the canvas that encourages viewers to spend time with his paintings, discovering new details and subtle shifts in the surface as they explore the work further.
Artistic journey
Stephen Dancey has a BFA in Visual Arts from the University of Victoria. After graduating, he moved to London, England, where he entered the workforce and put his art on hold. Later he trained in magazine design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and worked in that field in London.
During a summer holiday in Cornwall, he visited the Tate St Ives and other local galleries, and was deeply inspired by the art he saw, as well as the Cornish landscape and beaches. This inspiration led him to quickly create a series of small acrylic on paper studies upon returning to London, capturing his artistic vision for future work. Only two works survive from this time, Gwithian 3 and Gwithian 4, named after Gwithian Beach in St Ives Bay. Dancey’s current work continues to be informed by this initial inspiration.
After moving to Vancouver, Dancey continued to work in arts-related fields, first running his own graphic design business and later, with his wife, managing two dance studios and an annual dance festival. During this time he refined his artistic vision through photographing landscapes and seascapes in preparation for returning to painting in 2024.
Gwithian 3 (left, 5×6 inches) and Gwithian 4 (right, 3×5 inches), both 1997.
After moving to Vancouver, Dancey continued to work in arts-related fields, first running his own graphic design business and later, with his wife, managing two dance studios and an annual dance festival. During this time he refined his artistic vision through photographing landscapes and seascapes in preparation for returning to painting in 2024.
Land acknowledgement
Dancey acknowledges he is creating art on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. Many of his paintings are inspired by these lands and he is committed to engaging with the land and its history in a respectful manner, recognizing the landscape’s profound cultural significance.