Acclaimed artist Greta Guzek presents her 10th anniversary exhibition, Clarity, at West End Gallery. Known for her bright and playful depictions of the West Coast her paintings capture the spirit of coastal life. Imbuing each painting with a sense of wonder and charm as she brings the viewer with her on a joyful journey around windswept shores, charming seaside cabins and through groves of the ever-present local arbutus trees.
In the muddy waters of humanity, it is in the natural world around me that I find clarity and accord; peace to pursue the endless, joyful inspiration evident in this landscape.
Join for the opening reception Saturday May 19 with artist in attendance from 1 to 4 p.m. at West End Gallery, 1203 Broad St.
Clarity runs May 19 to 31.
New paintings by Pierre Giroux are a romantic study of interior spaces, light and the passage of time, also at West End Gallery.
I’ve always had a great interest in the rooms of times past and their associations with the people they’ve touched and surrounding environments they’ve shaped. From a staircase discovered in an abandoned farmhouse in southern Ontario to a window inspired by an Italian villa in Tuscany, this is what moves me to paint. I’m drawn to spaces. –Pierre Giroux
Visit westendgalleryltd.com to learn more.
The Avenue Gallery features artist Pavel Barta May 14 to 21.
Barta was born in the Czech Republic. He worked as graphic designer and in a publishing house in Prague. During that time he started to consider an “escape” from computer art and became interested in “hand-made art”. He used wood, clay, paper, and metal to create miniature sculptures. Each miniature sculpture is original and unique as he does not use molds or patterns.
“The best reward I can get is to know that thanks to my art someone’s day became brighter,” Barta says.
His first exhibition took place in Prague in 1996. and moved to Canada the following year. Here he became interested in using stone and bronze in his sculptures.
In 2007 he started to work with fibreglass to create large scale outdoor sculptures seen throughout the province. Pavel recently finished two public art projects: Installation of 16 sculptures in the new foyer of Kelowna General Hospital, and also entrance signs for Village of Clinton.
The Avenue Gallery introduces Julia Reimer and Tyler Rock from May 22 to 29.
When Reimer was introduced to the craft of glass blowing she immediately knew she had found the right form for expressing her creativity. She says, “I was always drawn to the muted luminescence of river ice on bright brisk days in winter. So, when I had a chance to combine the essence of light, colour and movement with a material, it was a perfect fit.”
Julia grew up and still lives in a small prairie town nestled in the foothills of southern Alberta. Her aesthetic, based on the simplicity of light and form, is derived from this environment of crisp prairie light, gentle hills and windswept grasslands.
After first studying glass blowing in 1996 at the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD), she has continued her studies through travels to Scotland, the United States, Spain, France and Hungary where she acquired a knowledge of design and traditional European glass making techniques. She completed her course work at ACAD in 2000 and now owns and operates Firebrand Glass Studio with her husband, Tyler Rock.
Her original design and meticulous craftsmanship have been recognized through several awards and scholarships, such as the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2008 she received the first ever RBC and Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery national glass award. In 2002 she was chosen as an Artist in Residence at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. As well, her sculptures are featured in the publication 500 Glass Objects. Most recently, she was commissioned by the office of the Prime Minister to create a gift for the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Her work has also been selected for the 2009 Cheongju International Craft Biennale as well as the official Cultural Olympiad, at the Museum of Vancouver.
For the past 20 years Rock’s studio practice has been focused on vessel aesthetics and the exploration of the intrinsic properties of glass as a material. Increasingly his interest within form and design in the glass blowing studio, has turned to the creation of sculptural objects that explore models and model making as a form of artistic inquiry.
Rock, who hails from western Canada, has been an instructor in the Glass program at the Alberta College of Art and Design glass program since 1995. He has served as the head of the Glass program at ACAD and as president of the Glass Art Association of Canada. He has taught workshops and lectured at schools, studios and institutions in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France, Spain, and Japan.
Rock’s work has received recognition from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Alberta College of Art and Design and the Canada Council for the Arts. He has exhibited work extensively in galleries both in Canada and the United States. Rock’s work can be found in many private, corporate and public collections in Canada including the private collection of the Premier of Alberta, the offices of the Prime Minister in Ottawa and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Artist Robert Bateman explores early career with 20 rare original works at the Robert Bateman Centre through June 10.
A series of over 20 never-before-seen paintings from Bateman’s impressionist past comes to Victoria, exploring his earliest works from 1942 to 1965.
Bateman’s Beginnings, shows the rich depth of Bateman’s artistic talents that have spanned his entire life. Taking a deeper look at Bateman’s impressionism, cubism and abstract landscapes, the exhibit highlights his long journey into nature realism. From early childhood doodles, to impressionist landscapes and abstract wintery scenes, he has always painted what was close to his heart: the natural world.
Ernestine Tahedl R.C.A: Music Reflection Emotion run May 19 to June 1.
Tahedl has been exhibiting for over 50 years. Music Reflection Emotion is her first solo exhibition with Madrona Gallery and features a collection of large-scale gestural abstract paintings inspired by classical music.
An artist will be in attendance for the opening reception May 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the gallery, 606 View St.
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