The Brandel family artists are bringing a range of artwork to TOSH in October with their first-ever group showing that features two unique father-and-son works.
The family exhibit, made up of pieces by local artists Merv (father) and Dawne Brandel (mother), as well as their adult children Shayne and Jaime Brandel, has been a while in the making, said Merv.
“We sort of jumped at the chance, because we’ve been thinking about it for a while, and it was just time to do it,” he said.
The show will have paintings by Merv, Dawne and Shayne, whose styles range from hyper-realism to semi-abstract, said Merv. For Jaime, the show will be the first in which her photography is displayed in a gallery setting.
Perhaps the largest pieces in the show will be two, 11-foot paintings done by both Merv and Shayne.
The pair began working on the first of them without any idea of what they might eventually create, Merv said.
“We started just painting abstract shapes,” he said. They eventually found of a photo of an elephant swimming underwater and chose that as a focus, with Merv applying his hyper-realistic style to draw and paint it.
“And then Shayne (who paints in a semi-abstract style) came along and he started putting abstract forms over top of the elephant and on the elephant,” Merv explained.
Midway through, each artist’s attention bled into the other’s style, with Merv working on the squares and stripes and other shapes in the painting, and Shayne working on the realistic parts.
What came out was a unique combination of the two, with a cooler palette on the realistic side, and a warmer, more colourful palette for the abstract portions.
The second large painting would focus on a carousel.
“We’re all over the place,” said Merv with a chuckle.
The exhibition runs from Oct. 2 to 28 at TOSH in Qualicum Beach, with an opening reception taking place Wednesday, Oct. 4 starting at 2 p.m.
For more information, go to www.theoldschoolhouse.org/.
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