Emerging Artists in Oil showcases the work of three young painters who are bringing fresh perspectives to one of the most traditional forms of visual art. All from Richmond and Vancouver, the featured artists use their work to show us what the world looks like through their eyes.
Each of the artists represented here focuses on a different subject, but there are several features that bring their work together. The most readily apparent similarities are stylistic; each of the artists uses expressive, painterly brushwork and bold colour palettes. All of the paintings on display represent familiar objects or scenes that have been visually amplified beyond nature.
The paintings also consistently amplify the world thematically through the use of creative imagination. In this exhibition you’ll see fantasy versions of Canadian cities, larger-than-life still lifes, landscapes that present unconventional perspectives, and bodies turned inside-out. These paintings blend the everyday and the strange in ways that allow us to see the world in new ways.
As the first formal exhibition for all three of the young artists displaying their work here, the opening of Emerging Artists in Oil represents an important milestone for them. It marks a big first step in a career in the arts. It also has allowed them to develop sophisticated ways of talking and writing about their work. They have learned how to show their audiences why their art matters.
