Sandra Brewster. Hiking Black Creek, 2018. gel medium transfer, charcoal, acrylic on wood, Overall (three panels): 335.3 × 406.4 cm. © Sandra Brewster 2020/17
The title of the work is Hiking Black Creek, created in 2017 by Sandra Brewster. A gel medium image transfer, charcoal, and acrylic on wood measures 335.3 by 406.4 cm.
This large photographic artwork of a Black couple outside in nature is made up of three large panels, like a triptych.
The two figures fill the left side of the foreground; a woman on the left and a man on the right. Standing in front of a forest scene, the couple is cropped just below the hip.
While the work is mostly black and white, the artist has painted the couple's shirts in colour. The woman’s long-sleeved shirt is yellow and the man’s long-sleeved shirt is orange. Both figures are looking towards the camera and the viewer.
The woman has short, dark hair and wears a brimmed, polka-dotted hat. Her eyes and most of her face are obscured in shadow. She has a neutral expression, caught in a moment. Both of her arms are down at her side.
The man is slightly taller than the woman. His hairstyle is a short, trimmed afro. He wears thick-rimmed, rectangular glasses and is smiling widely. The man has a white handkerchief tied around his neck, and dons a collared top, buttoned all the way up. His sleeves are rolled up to the forearm.
Behind the figures, large rocks and a scattering of branches and small twigs make up the mid-ground. Farther behind, the background comprises a forest made up of mostly thin tree trunks, branches, and leaves.
Found in the We Are Family section of the exhibition, Hiking Black Creek shows the artist’s parents hiking during their first year in Canada together. The two are monumentalized as giant figures holding space in the natural landscape.