PEACE PORTAL

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​Freedom is what all people seek, and as a Canadian looking to build a career as an artist in America, James Verbicky’s freedom took the form of a rarely awarded “Extraordinary Ability” United States Green Card; the US Citizenship and Immigration Services defines this document as befitting one who has risen to the very top of a certain f ield,” as proven by “sustained national or international acclaim. Obtaining it was a decade long struggle and the artist’s series Peace Portal (2020/2021) renders the emotional high of real autonomy into vivid color, powerful handwork and iconic imagery.

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Early in his life, Verbicky frequented the border crossing Peace Arch, known by locals as Peace Portal. “The name was always ironic to me, because crossing the border was the absolute opposite of a serene experience... I was always filled with anxiety. Would I be welcomed or turned away? This really drove home the reality that nothing is promised to you in life...After I got my green card, my anxieties evaporated. I no longer feared crossing the border and Peace Portal took on whole new meaning. I was free to move anywhere I chose, in a way that many people take for granted”.

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Now as Verbicky creates these new paintings, he paints them on the f loor of his studio in order to reach all angles. He includes angel imagery in some, which symbolizes his desire to fly over invisible lines we call borders. He uses boxes to symbolize being locked in, then utilizes oil bar to explode outwards, a release. These pieces are definitely some of the artist’s most intuitive works. Unlike some of his more structured works, Peace Portal comes from a place of emotion and memory.

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