The artist's world is all topsy-turvy and painter Geoff Brasier is completely mixed up.
The local creator didn't know which of his directions to focus on for his latest exhibition, so he is including a little of each. He honed his craft on acrylics, at the beginning, but in the past few years he has also tried his hand at colour-enhanced photographs, watercolours (especially the goache style) and others.
Then there is subject matter. His first two exhibitions were themed and both of them centred on scenes from the seashore. But he has much wider interests than Maritime views.
Now, all of these possibilities have a place. His new show is entitled Mixed Up for all those reasons.
"It has everything," he said. "There are stones, a galaxy, a pink peony, a scene from the forest fire."
The dramatic yellows and oranges of the flames are the biggest visual departure for those art viewers used to seeing his muted blues and greys of seaside scenes. It also represented a different starting point for putting his brush in the paint to initiate a painting.
"I was thinking that everything else I do could come from any time period," Brasier said. "I wanted to do something that captured this place in time in British Columbia, and what was more emotional than what people are going through with these fires?"
He and his wife went for a walk at the exhibition grounds to see the hundreds of evacuated horses being kept there. Brasier recalled a time in his childhood when his family lost their belongings and almost their lives in a disastrous flood at their English Channel home.
"That kind of disruptive tragedy is not foreign to me," he said.
In fact, two of the paintings in Mixed Up had their origins in the wildfires. The other less obvious one is the image on the exhibition's posters. It is a copse of poplar trees. Brasier was getting a better view of passing air tankers when he spotted the sunlight tricking his eye. A thicket appeared to be a curtain of trees when in fact they were more widely dispersed. Brasier set to work painting what his eye saw instead of what the reality was. Effects of the light are, after all, the artist's main preoccupation.
Those curious about Brasier's techniques and thought processes can come chat with him about it when he launches Mixed Up today. He will be painting live at the Studio 2880 feature gallery from 2-7 p.m. that day, so passersby and visitors can watch and chat. Refreshments will be available from 5-7 p.m.
It's the second time Studio 2880 has had their featured artist working live on site. The first was painter Jim Savage earlier this summer and Brasier is now on the schedule because of that event. He went to see Savage's work and got talking with Community Arts Council project co-ordinator Lisa Redpath, who curates the gallery.
"I just jokingly said 'do you have any holes in your schedule where you need an artist to do a show?' and she got a funny look on her face and said 'why yes, but it's really soon, are you ready?' so I had to work my butt off to get things done. But a little pressure never hurt," he said.
"I love putting the fear of the deadline into artists," said Redpath, laughing. "We are excited about our new format, adding that demonstration component, the live painting, so we were happy that Geoff had the inventory to do a show and was also agreeable to setting up his easel in here on opening day. People really love the interaction, seeing the process; it really stimulates conversation."
Most of Brasier's paintings will be for sale, as well as the attached artisan gift shop loaded in local creations. Mixed Up will be on display until Sept. 4.
