Interview with Doris Purchase (DF) on the occasion of her show, Dim the Lights at Propeller Art Gallery by Emese Krunak-Hajagos EK-H)
Doris Purchase in front of her work. Photo: Joseph Muskat
EK-H: How did you get the idea of using picture frames as the main elements in your show?
DP: I have been exploring and working with frames, wire, and what is normally hidden in paintings for several years now. I had been collecting frames that were shaped, oval or round for several years knowing that one day I would use them for an exhibition. When I decided that I would use these for Dim the Lights, I knew what the title would be before finishing the pieces, just as I had visualized the exhibition in my mind. The rounded frames became the theatre, and the cassetta frames became the stage.
Doris Purchase, Memoirs – Belleville, mixed medium, 16 x 16 inches
Doris Purchase, Memoirs – Pablo, mixed medium, 17 x 30 inches
EK-H: What is hanging from the frames reminds me of dream catchers. Are they really dream catchers or something similar? Did dreams inspire you to create these pieces?
DP: Yes, dreams did inspire me to create these pieces as well as personal memories. I like the idea that when someone is standing in front of these pieces, they will invite a dreamy state of mind. All the pieces are memoirs and are inspired by a memory of my first time being behind the stage in a theatre.
Doris Purchase, Memoirs – Gold, mixed medium, 20 x 26.5 inches
EK-H: The other objects hanging from the frames are jewelry or little bags. What do they symbolize?
DP: What is hanging in the pieces are little canvas bags (filled with framing nails) representing the theatre curtain mechanisms. The rose hook is my emblem. It’s the initial item that inspired me to expose the “behind the scenes” in my work.
Doris Purchase, Memoirs – Mini, mixed medium, 8 x 10.5 x 3 inches
The symbolism for me is the weight of the canvas. I was a classically trained oil glaze painter and the weight I feel is due to my transition from painting to creating assemblage work.
EK-H: As the title suggests light is a focal point in the show. Light is a central element of our life. How do you interpret it?
DP: A dimming light for me is a time to let others take the stage. It could also allow one to see one’s own dream.
EK-H: I found it very interesting that visitors can control the light. How did you come to this idea? Do you want to invite guests to be part of the creation of the artwork?
DP: The act of dimming the lights has many meanings in this exhibition. Just as in a theatre, before the movie or show begins the lights on the side walls dim to darkness. That is when dreaming and imagining happens. I wanted these pieces to act as conch lights to the installation, projection, collage performance piece by Jim Kroesen who performed during the West Queen West Art Crawl on the evening of June 19th.
Doris Purchase, Memoirs – Anton, mixed medium, 13 x 23 inches
Personally, they dim for a dear artist friend who passed away. The lights are doll house lights which I wired so that they could dim. Inviting people to dim the light, if they choose, was my way of letting go, while opening the curtains to allow others in to interpret as they wish.
EK-H: How is the show going? Did you get any feedback from visitors? What are the most interesting comments? Did any of them surprise you?
DP: Surprisingly many visitors have taken the time to write longer than usual responses, thoughtful and quite poetic such as: “they speak to me of the most profound enigmas of our human condition metaphorically nuancing archetypes such as shrine, light and dark, the proscenium arch of theatre where all human life can be played out.” Another shorter comment was simply: “They make me dream”
I love the exhibition in the north gallery and I’m so proud that my exhibition with Jim Kroesen’s installation can be amongst these artworks. Peter Shoebridge & Keijo Tapanainen are top notch! It feels like my pieces are conch lights down the hall to the sculptures and carbon cutout figures.
Installation view of Dim the Lights | Doris Purchase and POSE/ CUT/FORM | Peter Shoebridge & Keijo Tapanainen at Propeller Art Gallery
Images are courtesy of the artist and Propeller Art Gallery.
*Exhibition information: Doris Purchase, Dim the Lights, June 18 – July 6, 2025, Propeller Art Gallery, 30 Abell St, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sat, 1 – 5:30pm, Sun 12 – 4pm.