The use of enamel and Masonite to make Chevron Blue was not coincidental. The contrasting properties of these materials – the irregularities of the hardboard and the smoothness of the enamel – allowed Kenneth Lochhead to experiment with textures, an interest he shared with the other Regina Five artists. In Chevron Blue, Lochhead’s gestural abstraction has become more structured, and the use of a rich deep blue foretells the exploration of colour he pursued in the following years. This painting is a prime example of the work that attracted international attention to the practices emerging on the Prairies in the early 1960s.

As the director of the Regina College School of Art, Kenneth Lochhead played a major role in fostering a dynamic art scene on the Prairies in the 1950s and 60s. His most significant initiative was to bring in major artists and art critics to lead the summertime Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops. Lochhead’s own practice saw a series of changes in just a few years, evolving from figurative representation to gestural abstraction to colour field painting. During his long career, he explored many different styles and techniques and taught at several Canadian universities.