A vague idea and a lot of desire. That’s what motivates Bev Byerley to go to her easel.
Once there, she draws a rough outline with a big brush and some dark paint and puts the music on.
“From that point on I’m on automatic pilot,” the painter says. “I usually work at night and go to bed when I’m too tired to work anymore. It’s only in the morning when I go downstairs and have a look that I realize what I did the night before. When people ask how long a painting takes, I guess I should say at least 2,000 songs.”
A selection of Byerley’s recent work is on display at Whyte’s Framing & Gallery until June 13. Byerley will be at the gallery to meet people and talk about her work on Sunday, May 27 from 1 to 4 p.m.
A longtime Valley resident, Byerley is perhaps most well known for her acrylic landscapes. “I love the Comox Valley,” she says. “I walk nearly every day and no matter how often I’ve been somewhere I’m always inspired by what I see. The water, the clouds, the light, everything is always changing.”
And so is Byerley’s work.
Over the years she’s developed a unique approach to stylized impressionism. Her flowing shapes, intricate designs and imaginative forms create a distinctive and memorable interpretation of the West Coast landscape.
The exhibit of more than 20 paintings at Whyte’s includes fresh images of the Fifth Street Bridge and various views of the Courtenay Airpark. The latter are where Byerley’s creativity really shines.
The foreshore detail is incredible: grasses flow with the wind’s current, piles of driftwood create an intricate puzzle and, I promise, after viewing Byerley’s clouds you’ll never look at the sky the same way again.
“I love the beauty and texture of the brown woven tangles in the winter rainforest, the crazy shapes and patterns of things revealed on the beach at low tide and the colourful depths seen through layers of opaque cloud formations,” she says. “Each element works together as part of a bigger design.”
One painting, The Peace of Point Holmes, has a special meaning for the artist. As a kid, Point Holmes was a family destination where Byerley and her brother could run wild on the beach. Later it became the halfway point when she rode her bike between Courtenay and Comox.
After her mother, Marie Gronsdal, died in 2010 Byerley often found herself returning to Point Holmes. “I was looking for a dark, little place to hide away and found myself on a bench surrounded by a windswept tangle of wild flowers and weeds with a view of the ocean,” she says. “It was a place to grieve and to heal.”
“I spent 21 nights at the hospital with my mom during her last three weeks on earth,” Byerley continues. “It was the most heartbreaking and horrible time of my life but I wouldn’t have done it any other way. As hard as it was to be there, I could not imagine leaving her by herself.”
One day the hospital chaplain told Byerley that there were others who were dying but for various reasons didn’t have anyone to be with them.
“That’s when I heard about hospice volunteers and thought how wonderful that perfect strangers would give their time and energy to sit with people like my mom, and be company for them, whether they knew it or not, so they wouldn’t be alone during their last days and hours.”
When Phil Whyte suggested donating part of the proceeds from Byerley’s exhibit to the Comox Valley Hospice Society, she readily agreed.
The show at Whyte’s marks a turning point for Byerley. After an eight year focus on Valley landscapes, she’s going to start a series based on the fairy tales she heard and read as a child and in, in turn, read to her children.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” she says. “I’ll start with pencil drawings and see if they develop into paintings. I’ll still do landscapes, I’d never give those up, but it will be fun to explore something different.”
In addition to her large landscapes, Byerley is also exhibiting a selection of lino cuts and art cards at Whyte’s. For more information about Byerley or her work visit www.bevbyerley.com.
Whyte’s Gallery & Framing is located at 1225 Lazo Rd., a short distance from Comox. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Whyte’s is planning a series of monthly art exhibits and welcomes inquiries from interested artists.
