The two main showrooms at the Two Rivers Gallery (2RG) each feature a new exhibition of abstract art. Both feature a series of large-scale paintings.
One of the exhibitions is entitled A Piece Of The Ground, A Piece Of The Sky, by Scott Bertram, on display now in the Canfor South Gallery.
The other is entitled Unapologetic - Romantic Notions Of A Modern Woman, by Sara Robichaud, on display now in the Canfor North Gallery.
"As if solving a formula, painter Scott Bertram has been setting creative challenges for himself for a number of years which he then works to resolve," said 2RG curator George Harris. "His recent artwork has borrowed from Gothic traditions of painting that tend to be hard-edged and lack perspective and accurate proportions. Bertram sources random amorphous elements from these historic paintings that he brings to his own work as ready, formal elements that he then uses compositionally to create depth and dynamic play within his paintings. Working through this process over the last few years he has set and reset parameters that restrict him in his choices, variously establishing frameworks and dismantling them. Bertram's abstract paintings blend painterly exuberance with measured control that evolve from series to series revealing glimpses of the artist's process and a body of work that is compelling and playful."
Reflecting on Robichaud's work, Harris said the paintings "reveal a remarkable sensitivity to her medium as she uses her artwork to process her experience of the world around her. Though Robichaud's work is abstract, a loose narrative often emerges amongst the play of colour fields, space and pattern. Often very personal, her work deals with the corporeal, using organic forms that evoke bones and organs, which speak broadly to aspects of our shared humanity. She explores her experience of being a new mother, expanding the reach of her enquiry to consider the historic role of women in general. Incorporating the imprint of vintage lace as well as those of objects drawn from her own domain, she juxtaposes forms through which we can compare a changed world."
Both of these artists are, coincidentally, from Vancouver Island.
Robichaud grew up in North Bay, Ont., studied at Queen's University in Kingston followed by a Master's degree from the University of Victoria, and now lives in Nanaimo. She will hold an artist's talk at 2RG on Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the exhibition, and she will conduct a one-day workshop Oct. 10 in the abstract form of painting.
Bertram got his Bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia-Okanagan, then his Master of Fine Arts from NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art & Design) University. He now lives in Comox with frequent forays to Toronto.
Each of these exhibitions will be on display until Oct. 11.
