Collaborating with Nature

David Antonides is Painting in the Rain -

A short documentary by Frank Lee (remastered)

Canadian watercolor painter David Antonides embarks on an experiment to incorporate the rain and other natural elements into his large-format painting of a Vancouver fishing dock. As the cotton paper endures the effects of rain, wind and sun, what transforms most is how the boating community and passersby think of fine art. The filmmaker Frank Lee accompanies him on this adventure. Today the short film finds its final and remastered version.

David Antonides paints large-format watercolors. His approach creates a depth, weight and drama not normally associated with such a transparent and fragile medium. Many of his paintings capture the urban landscapes of cities including Vancouver, Berlin or New York in dark, intense tones, while suggestions of cabs, skyscrapers, and bustling crowds wash through white space tinged blue or vibrant orange. Nature or maritime motifs such as Traverse now appear more often in his artwork.

Being a passionate sailor, David has docked at the fisherman’s harbour for extended periods of time. Years later, as a tribute to the shifting coastal weather, he decided to paint a nautical work entitled Traverse. Onlookers commented that the battered painting was an ideal metaphor for Canada’s declining fishing industry.

In Painting in the Rain David returns to challenge the elements and orchestrate the effects of nine days of weather into this artwork. Knowing the dock area is accessible to the public day and night, he moves the 8’ x 8’ (245 x 245 cm) mounted paper outside after several weeks of preparation, and affixes it to the railing of Dock C in order to invite nature to collaborate in his work.