Grimsby Public Art Gallery, November 25 - February 24, 2026

The environments we inhabit are constantly changing; often so gradually that transformation slips past unsolicited. What feels stable or familiar today carries with it traces of alterations, quiet reminders of how the world continues to evolve. Stephanie Fortin’s new body of work grows from this awareness, offering a meditation on presence, process, and transformation within the living systems of The Arboretum at the University of Guelph.

Working closely within this environment, Fortin engages with trees and natural elements found on site: particularly black walnut and sumac, rich in tannins combined with rust-derived iron to develop colour markings. Using textile sources from thrift shops and donations, methods similar to frottage (a technique where a texture or surface relief is transferred onto another material by rubbing over it), and slow, site-responsive processes, her works register traces of an evolving landscape.

The resulting works bear the impressions of time and weather—dampness softening a print, wind shifting a fold. These marks are not accidents but evidence. Evidence of duration, of proximity, of materials acting on their own terms. Fortin’s practice is one of attentive participation rather than control, allowing the living world to inscribe itself onto the fabric.

In Field Notes, Fortin invites us to slow down and attune ourselves to the subtle moments of colour, decay, renewal, and our relationships with the natural world. Each work holds the memory of a specific moment that continues to shift with time, offering a record of the present while reminding us that even what we think of as now is already in transition.

Curated by Alexandra Hartstone

Images: Laura Findlay

Special thanks to The Arboretum at the University of Guelph and arborist Kellen Wood for their generous support and expertise.