Saturday, October 19, 2013

The Avenue Gallery - Exhibition Announcement - LUMINOUS

 
 
The Avenue Gallery is thrilled to announce
 

LUMINOUS

 
The solo exhibition of landscape painter
 

Bi Yuan Cheng

 
October 27 - November 7, 2013
 
 
Opening Reception 12-3pm on October 27
 
 



LUMINOUS: radiating, or reflecting light - the iconic quality of Chinese Art Master Bi Yuan Cheng's landscapes. His crisp brushstrokes and warm colour palette set the mood for an awakening; an awakening of the spirit in nature, and in all of us.

Cheng's paintings bring the longstanding tradition of Chinese landscape painting to our West Coast shores. He reaches back in time to the Tang Dynasty where the purpose of landscape painting was not to reproduce exactly the appearance of nature, but rather to grasp an emotion or atmosphere so as to catch the rhythm of nature. Cheng departs from this tradition in his embracing of the bold colours of the Pacific Northwest, resulting in a body of work that is, uniquely, both of a Chinese tradition and a Canadian environment.

The bold beauty of Cheng's canvasses delight and enchant.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The Avenue Gallery Feature Artist - Gordon Scott


 
 
 
Gordon Scott Schmaltz was born and spent most of his youth in Calgary, Alberta. After spending fifteen years in the Caribbean, he returned to Canada and relocated to Victoria in the spring of 2013.

Early experimentation in a range of mediums - watercolor, ink, charcoal, and photography - has led to his back painted acrylic on glass technique. He feels the use of glass panels, combined with vivid acrylic colors, has finally allowed him to fully express himself and create unique, contemporary, visually pleasing art.

Gordon's work has been heavily influenced by the sights experienced during his time living and traveling outside Canada. From the stunning azure Caribbean Sea and its vibrant coral reefs, to the contrasting colors and layers of peeling paint that cling to the aged Massachusetts mill buildings. It has all found its way onto his glass panels.

His process requires forethought and patience as the process of painting occurs in reverse. Highlights and dark areas take on special meaning, and colour needs to be applied contrary to traditional order. Using the glass much the same way as he would a canvas, multiple layers of acrylic paint are applied throughout the development, and the outcome can at times be unpredictable. Glass can be unforgiving, yet he is drawn to the technique for many reasons. In particular, the added depth and vivid color, combined with the polished contemporary appearance, makes glass his medium of choice.

Work is done primarily on 6mm glass panels. Many pieces utilize reclaimed glass, providing the condition and dimensions allow. Once completed, the acrylic paint is sealed to protect the piece from moisture, and finished with a frameless mounting system. This allows the art to stand off from the wall approximately one inch, which gives the artwork a floating appearance.
 
 
 
 

Saturday, September 28, 2013

The Avenue Gallery Welcomes: Deborah JLambson

Jewelry Artist Deborah JLambson




The Gallery is pleased to welcome jewelry designer Deborah JLambson. 

Deborah Lambson began her artistic journey in British Columbia, Canada. From an early age her surroundings stirred her need to translate texture, color and spirit into something to be held, viewed or worn. Over the coming years she dabbled in varied media but nothing struck her soul quite as deeply as the art of lampwork or flamework, [the art of making handmade glass beads] That was in early 2005 and she claims that the magic is as potent today as it was the first day she lit the torch.
The romance with glass led Deborah to start a business supplying other designers as well as her with handmade glass beads. The business was named 'Sweetwater Designs’ in memory of her father.
As a teenager, the family of 8 moved from Vancouver Island to several hundred acres of pristine land on a remote northern corner of British Columbia. There was an underground stream of crystal clear water that bubbled up out of the earth year round and because of that, the ranch became known as the 'Sweetwater.'
Deborah and her husband now reside temporarily in Israel and she sells her jewelry designs under her own name. Love of family roots run deep and influence much of what is created in the artist’s studio. Deborah tells us that the raven that sits everywhere was drawn by her grand-daughter and approved by her grand-son.
"He oversees all and keeps a close eye on the details of my work...as all good ravens do."






Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Avenue Gallery Feature




PAT BENNET

 

Weaver and sculptor, Pat Bennet, works out of Salt Spring Island.  She brings us large, beautiful, voluptuous woven vessels.  Her work directly engages with international traditions of old.  Weaving, being one of the earliest technologies known, is a choice medium for Bennet whose baskets seduce viewers with their curves and colourful charm. 
 
Pat Bennett graduated from Ryerson University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Design.  For more than twenty years Pat and her late husband Ken pursued careers as wood sculptors.  After moving to Salt Spring Island, British Columbia in 1993, Pat became interested in the world’s oldest craft of basketry.  Since then she has focused her creative talents on weaving sculptural vessels.
 
After the technical skills had been mastered, Bennett had a desire to challenge the traditional notion of a basket’s purpose: to gather, hold, or carry possessions.  Her design process evolved into one that supported creative expression rather than traditional function.  The combining of her extensive experience in wood sculpture with traditional weaving techniques sparked an exploration into a new realm of design possibilities.
 
Each piece begins by creating a hand sculpted wood form that suggests the shape for the vessel.  This unique form allows the artist to create a sense of movement within each piece.  It is a blending of architecture, imagination, control, and freedom.  Exotic and domestic hardwood, each with their own natural richness of colour and striking grain characteristics, provide the colour pallet for each form.  The range of colour in the reed is achieved through a hand dying process.
 
 

Saturday, September 14, 2013

The Avenue Gallery Artist Feature - Angie Rees

Angie Rees, from Calgary, Alberta has been with The Avenue Gallery only a short while. Despite this, her works are flying out the door each week. Visitors to the gallery are easily won over by the charm Rees imbues in each and every one of her characters. The best part? Angie's punny titles!

"These paintings are based on my daydreams – weird and wonderful imaginings that occur with startling frequency inside my head. I’ve learned how to tap into this place by watching the way children - my own son in particular, so easily suspends his disbelief and goes for an adventure"






Monday, September 9, 2013

The Avenue Gallery New Artists

August brought with it thirty days of beautiful weather and a selection of beautiful new artwork by Susie Cipolla and Kimberly Kiel. Respectively from Whistler and Saskatchewan, the work of these two women could not be more different, but both have found an avid audience here in Victoria, BC.









Saturday, August 31, 2013

The Avenue Gallery - Artistic Pairings Aug 2013

Mother Nature blessed us here at The Avenue Gallery today for "The Colour of Summer" August 2013 Artistic Pairing. Artists Crystal Heath and Angela Morgan (first image below) brought their easels out into the beautiful sunshine and stopped passersby in their tracks as they works both separately and collaboratively on various paintings. More comments below:


The Colours of Summer were evident in the pallettes of the artists:



Fresh fruit, fruit juices and Italian soda were available for parched gallery visitors:


Crowds gathered to watch the process of paintings unfold:


This collaborative work, painted by both women, was created from start to finish in just 2 hours!



Inside the gallery, the entire front room was dedicated to the work of Angela and Crystal. Visitors couldn't stop commenting on how joyful it all looked!