As a self-taught hobbyist landscape painter, Peggy Heger LeDuc entered painting as a way to relate to home in San Francisco. In 2009, she and her husband were living there with their young daughter, and without any close friends in her neighbourhood, she turned to art.
“I had many books about the Group of Seven,” she told SPIN. “I began to paint their paintings. They became my first teachers. It took some time but I got braver, I got skills and I eventually went out on my own.”
A small piece by Lawren Harris, a Canadian painter and member of the artist set the Group of Seven, was the spark she needed to understand the process. The piece “was filled with light and I finally understood how he did it,” she said.“That was an important piece for me.”
”I like bold colour and I need to find a way to express how I feel about a place,” she added.
Now Heger LeDuc completes one painting per season, with her longest taking a full year. That piece now hangs above her fireplace. She has also streamlined her technique, using photos for reference, rather than painting outside.
“I’m not a fan of plein-air because it’s itchy… the ground, the plants, the insects. I like to use pictures and my imagination when starting a new painting.”
She first uses charcoal to sketch her work and notes the colours and feelings she wants to incorporate in her art.
“I then move to canvas where I make an underpainting using my Transoxide Red,” she said. “It is so rich and warm. I use layers of translucent acrylic colours to complete the painting.”
While Heger LeDuc will paint vistas if requested, she finds most inspiration in zooming in.
“More and more I am going towards examining things close up… I love getting in close,” she shared. “It allows me to play with shapes and variations in colour and light. I think this might be my direction. I might also start incorporating the darker side, the wilderness and imperfections.”
To find her art, visit the Artzone Exhibition in Vertical Cafe, as well as her website.
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