When Patricia Mansell was planning for her September exhibition at Art 10 Gallery, she envisioned the show would focus on birds of prey. Then she took a walk on the beach and something else fluttering in the wind caught her eye.
“I started getting out to the beach because I just love the absolute joy of the calm and the therapy of being on the beach,” the Nanaimo-based painter said. “And then, just watching the grasses, I thought, ‘That’s lovely.'”
Although she normally specializes in wildlife painting, Mansell found herself instead inspired by the Island’s seaside grasses.
“It’s just beautiful watching them bend and reform as the wind dies down,” she said. “And with the beautiful backdrop of the ocean behind, it was a pleasure walking along the shores and just drinking it in.”
For the month of September, Mansell’s new exhibition, Wind Dancers, comes to Art 10 Gallery. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7.
“‘Wind dancers’ is actually the term given to grasses with sort of slender stalks and arching stems that blow about in the breeze down by the ocean,” Mansell explained.
WHAT’S ON … Opening reception for Wind Dancers by Patricia Mansell at Art 10 Gallery, Nanaimo North Town Centre, on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m.
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