Dennis Magnusson loves long walks, but not necessarily on the beach.
The artist prefers somewhere with flowers, so he can snap a photo to work with later.
“I’ve always liked flowers and I think starting out as an artist you kind of change flowers and they’re still flowers … flowers are very forgiving,” he said.
“I like the colours,” he added. “Nature’s finest work is flowers … flowers are the epitome of nature.”
Magnusson came to be an artist after a career in the tech industry, when nature clubbed him over the head.
“I was in the business for many years and had interest in art but the career kept me very busy until the whole industry collapsed about 10 years ago. I was one of the many, many people left unemployed,” he explained.
He tried a couple of other jobs until it dawned on him.
“I decided I was retired one morning,” he explained. With an interest in art, Magnusson chose to take a drawing course. Suddenly he was hooked.
“I wouldn’t go back for all the money,” he said. “I can create finally. I can do something that is unique to me. A lot of people paint but when I paint I produce something that’s very unique to me. It’s my interpretation of something.”
“Dennis’ paintings are so distinctive, completely different from most floral paintings,” said Gillian Hanlon, owner of Peninsula Gallery. “They have a very contemporary air.”
“We like to show a variety of different artists with different styles of painting,” Hanlon added. “Magnusson’s passion for painting flowers definitely comes across to the viewer.”
“What makes my paintings I think good, are I always use a dark background and that makes the colour jump right out, and I use deep shadows. There are shadows within the flower, and I exaggerate them a little bit,” Magnusson said.
His bright and bold interpretations will be on display at the Peninsula Gallery in Sidney. Meet Magnusson during the first Art Encounter of 2011 and see his works on Jan. 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. Learn more online at www.pengal.com.
reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com
