Bright colours and the midday sun mark the early anticipation of spring in local January art shows.
Sacha Barrette’s piece Ruelle Eclair de Lumiere, which translates as an alley flash of light, shows his depth of light while reminding the viewer how unforgiving the summer sun can be, illuminating everything.
Barrette has been delighting collectors in West End Gallery’s Edmonton location for three years. Gallery spokesperson Amy Boyle said they are excited to bring a collection of his work to Victoria where he’s showing this month.
“Inspired by his travels across North and South America, Barette’s colour palette is a rich combination of deep ochre, burnt orange, rich burgundy, and vibrant blue. Enticing viewers down familiar alleyways and tranquil landscapes Sacha’s paintings offer a vibrant invitation for your eyes to travel throughout the canvas,” Boyle said.
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Painter Heather Pant teases out the early sunset in her piece Spring Forward, a 40-by-40-inch acrylic on canvas, showing at The Avenue Gallery in Oak Bay, Jan. 17 to 24.
With every rough season the land reminds us to be resilient. Like the trees on a sea stack, stand tall and shine on, Pant says about the work.
Pant has been painting much of her life and professionally for the past 20 years.
“Her unique style and magnificent use of colour invite you into her mountain scenes of rivers, lakes, peaks, and waterfalls – in the majestic and inspiring Canadian wilderness,” said Heather Wheeler, owner of The Avenue.
The Oak Bay location is also exhibiting the unique woodwork of Laurie Ward, Jan. 10 to 17.
“Ward discovered a passion for the dynamic differences in colour, contrast, grain and spalting (the impressions left by fungus). It can take a long time to best understand how to turn a rough piece of wood into a form that best highlights its colour and shape,” Wheeler said.
Ward’s work highlights the natural aspects of live edge, knots and bark in all his sculptural vessels, she added.
Madrona Gallery’s walls are popping with the mixed media canvas of Megan Dietrich, including her 30-by-30-inch piece Don’t Dismiss.
Dietrich is part of Madrona Gallery’s group exhibition, Shelter, from Jan. 9 to 23, which combines specially selected works that explore the idea of home through object, location, colour, and form, said Madrona’s Brittany Scarfe.
The exhibition aims to offer unique viewpoints of home from gallery artists, encouraging viewers to reflect and rethink their own environments. It includes Dietrich with Brad Pasutti, Corrinne Wolcoski, Rick Bond, Meghan Hildebrand, and more.
reporter@oakbaynews.com
