Thursday, February 4, 2016

February Showers Bring Pre-Shrunk Flowers


We're leaving winter behind and heading right into Spring in the gallery today. All this rain has to be good for something, right? Let's head to the garden! We're happy to bring you some of the "budding" works from the 2016 Pre-Shrunk show! (Don't forget you can see more works online here)

Let's start our garden promenade with these pieces by artist Paulette Melanson. Acrylic on board, the photos really don't do these pieces justice. Their colour is complex and layered, working from the beautifully rendered flowers into the abstracted garden backgrounds.

Paulette Melanson, Aster, 4"x5"
Paulette Melanson, Echinacea, 4"x5"


Next up we have works by artist Denise Cormier Mahoney from her series Flowers of Old. Created using acrylic paint, fabric collage and gold leaf these photos also don't do the work justice. When the light enters the gallery these pieces just glow! As Robert Frost said, "nature's first green is gold", and Denise's work captures that sentiment beautifully.

Denise Cormier Mahoney, Flowers of Old 1, 4"x5"

Denise Cormier Mahoney, Flowers of Old 1, 4"x5"
Next up we have work from artist Christa Specht. Christa built up the surfaces of these lovely floral pieces with fibre paste and gesso to get a fantastic texture for her pen and watercolour drawings.

Christa Specht, Blackberry Blossom, 4"x5"
Christa Specht, Iris 1, 4"x5"

We also love these paintings by artist Robin Jensen from her series The Making Hand, that feature some beautiful floral backgrounds along with her making hands. Can you spot the garden pollinator in one of Robin's pieces?


Robin Jensen, Roses, 4"x5"
Robin Jensen, Floral, 4"x5"
 Speaking of pollinators, we have this un-bee-lievable mixed media piece from artist Amber Solberg! Made from washi paper, embroidery thread, watercolour, backed fabric and flour paste. The texture is spectacular in this special piece.

Amber Solberg, Space Bee, 4"x5"

We'll end our garden tour with this oil painting by artist Briana Corr-Scott. Briana will be having a show at the gallery in May, so check in with us to see what she's been growing! 

Briana Corr-Scott, Orchid, 4"x5"