The work of Genevieve Amy, spotlighting her love of the natural beauty which surrounds her, is featured at Parkside Art Gallery until April 18.
“A New Rodeo” is not her first show, but as the name implies, it’s new ground and a new set of circumstances.
Amy has been a resident of Deka Lake since 2009, and it’s where she draws much of her inspiration. Sweeping skyscapes, which are her everyday view, enthral her, and are the focal point of many of her paintings.
With no formal artistic training, Amy forged her own way, trying different mediums before settling on watercolours.
“In my late forties, I realized that to be good, I had to concentrate on one thing, and I went to watercolours.”
She worked from photographs, and her work was extremely detailed, and the process, demanding.
During the past four years, Amy has drifted to acrylics and dropped the photos, working from what she sees, feels and remembers. She has also begun to shy away from the need for detail, which once ruled her style.
“It’s a big change, and it’s very liberating.”
The shift in thinking has drawn her to explore abstract painting for the first time in her life, and she’s excited about it.
“I’m really enjoying that. It’s a different way of thinking about why I’m painting.”
Her show at Parkside is a timeline of her artistic progression from watercolour to abstract, and snapshots of the things in life she admires most.
Expect to see country landscapes, trees, flowers, and even goddesses, which reflect her spiritual side. Prior to moving from Port Coquitlam to the Cariboo, Amy practised aromatherapy and reiki, the metaphysical form of healing with the hands.
Her love of horses was part of the draw to the Cariboo, and they show up frequently in her paintings. Sometimes they are not so obvious, but if one looks carefully at any of Amy’s paintings, they will find hidden images worked into the swirls of line and colour.
To see her paintings on show in the openness of the gallery is more than exciting for Amy.
“I was just stunned speechless about seeing my pictures hanging in the gallery. It makes them look so different. I’m thrilled.”
Amy’s work is displayed in the foyer, main gallery and in a portion of the hallway and can be viewed during gallery hours, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. The gallery is located at 401 Cedar Ave in 100 Mile House.
