Two Vancouver Island artists have teamed up for a colourful art show at the McMillan Arts Centre (MAC) in Parksville.
Dianne Nelson and Marina Wright were paired up for their exhibition and realized they had a mutual appreciation for colour and nature, so 'Coastal Colours' was a natural title.
“I’m driven by a connection to my environments where I’ve lived," said Nelson, who lives in Campbell River, but has resided (and painted) everywhere from Saskatchewan to Ontario to Australia.
Wright says she sticks to nature themes. Her paintings are based on the places she loves, such as the local forests and beaches, and the Gulf Islands.
“Sometimes when I’m looking for subject matter, I just know that I want to paint a certain scene if I come upon it," she said. "Other times it’s a bit harder and I usually take reference photos and bring them back to the studio."
While living in the Northwest Territories, Nelson was introduced to painting with acrylic on silk during a workshop for the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik.
“I thought ‘this makes so much sense’," said Nelson, and added silk is portable, easy to store, light and does not need to be kept behind glass. “There are so many good things about it, plus I loved the way the silk reacts to the paint. I use acrylic paint on the silk. It’s made especially for silk but since it’s acrylic it spreads really fast and it holds its colour forever."
She found painting on silk completely different from using a canvas and not overly "forgiving", but loved it anyway.
“My subjects are trees," Nelson said. "I’ve always been really, really fascinated with fish. I love fish. All different varieties. I love animals and I love birds.”
Nelson will also incorporate humans into her work when they are interacting with the natural environment, such as a surfer or a boater.
Her view of Quadra Island and Cape Mudge are included in many of her recent paintings. When she moved to Campbell River in 2016 she fell in love with the ocean and its stormy skies.
Wright holds a degree in biological sciences and is always looking to expand her knowledge of ecology.
She has an appreciation for the creatures and landscapes of her home and enjoys painting them. Two of her paintings in 'Coastal Colours' were painted partly in 'plein air' — outdoors in the elements.
"One thing I love about painting is you’re always improving, especially when you’re starting out," Wright said. "So you can see your progression. Unlike a lot of other types of work, you get to finish projects, so there’s like a feeling of finishing a canvas painting and moving on to the next one and closing a door completely."
Nelson says anyone starting out painting should not worry too much about the rules of perspective or constructing something according to reality.
“Don’t be a slave to the rules," she said. " You can think outside the box. Use your dreams a little bit. Also invite the observer to discover their own connection."
Most of the works by Wright were painted over the course of the last year or so. While she prepared for the art show, she looked at the paintings she had gathered.
“I was just looking at them and thinking about them," Wright said. "And thinking that this is the past year of my life — like moments of it, so that’s pretty neat to see."
'Coastal Colours' will be at the MAC (133 McMillan St.) until July 28.
