Exhibition · Abbozzo Gallery · Toronto
On view November 6-28, 2026 Opening Reception: November 6, 2026, 6-8PM Abbozzo Gallery is pleased to present ATLANTIC, an exhibition of new works by Katharine Burns that brings a fuller sense of the Nova Scotia coast into her sustained exploration of the ocean. Born and raised in Halifax, Burns has spent a lifetime observing these waters, developing a familiarity that continues to yield unexpected encounters. In ATLANTIC, she expands her views to include the surrounding coast, grounding the paintings in the landscape she knows as home. Together, the works consider how a place becomes part of our lives, even as its appearance changes with every return. For Burns, the Atlantic holds the accumulated intimacy of time spent beside and upon the water. Excursions along the shore and out to sea have sharpened her attention to its fleeting transformations and deepened her appreciation of its capacity to inspire awe. A shift in light can renew the appeal of a familiar view; the brief translucency of a wave can leave an impression long after it has disappeared. Her paintings give lasting form to these encounters, conveying the ocean’s physical vitality through the closeness of sustained observation. The nostalgia running through ATLANTIC grows from this continuing relationship, as memories of the coast meet the immediacy of each return. While many of Burns’ earlier paintings tightened the viewers gaze to concentrate closely on the water, ATLANTIC frequently widens the frame to include the surrounding landscape. Granite ledges establish the viewer’s footing, giving the paintings a more distinct geographical grounding. The shore becomes an active part of the encounter, determining how close we can come and where our gaze can travel. Through these compositions, Burns gives greater expression to the coast that has shaped her practice. In Lumina, the viewpoint brings us close to the surface, as if we are leaning over the edge of a kayak, where light catches the shifting contours…