Blog Posts

Frances Patella: The Oak Savannahs of High Park

9/13/2015

Throughout history, people used fire to clear land for farming. During my childhood in Italy, these fires sparked my interest and later I photographed the fires racing across the Italian landscape. Controlled burns are used to protect and nurture the Oak Savannahs. The increasingly urban nature of the Golden Horseshoe has squeezed these rare landscapes into specially designated areas, including High Park in Toronto. Fire is integral to these ecosystems, stimulating the germination of savannah species and controlling invasive ones. The fires quicken the decomposition of scruff; add nutrients to the soil, and the heat absorbed by the ground acts as a catalyst to germinate oak acorns.

My work investigates time and transformation in the landscapes of the endangered Oak Savannahs of Southern Ontario. I reference Marshall McLuhan’s, “all-at-once-ness” by using multiple photographs and double exposures to investigate the morphology of these rare environments. The short video highlights the controlled burn of 2014 in High Park, Toronto, just behind Grenadier Restaurant.

Controlled Burn, High Park, Toronto
Video, Frances Patella

Frances Patella, Area 7 High Park, 2014 mixed media 30 x 36 inches

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Meet the Artist

8/21/2015

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Happy to announce our new series of stories about the artists of Propeller! This blog will be a chance for you to get to know our artists; to have a look into their studios; and hear about how and why they make art. Our first blog will be about Frances Patella, who, in addition to being a fabulous artist also works incredibly hard in her volunteer role as co-chair of Propeller.

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Frances Patella: The Oak Savannahs of High Park

Meet the Artist

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