"Mademoiselle, the Bear and the Landscape"

“Mademoiselle, the Bear and the Landscape” brings together four Canadian artists.

Join us for a meet and greet with the artists on October 2nd, 2014 at the Bow Valley Club (upstairs from the Stephen Lowe Art Gallery at Bow Valley Square) between 4pm and 8pm.

Danny McBride is known for his portraits of "Ladies in Hats”. His unique figurative style embodies an aesthetic ideal that comes from within. It’s all about the expression, a quiet smile, a flirtatious curve of the lip, a penetrating gaze. Each mademoiselle takes on a character that, according to Danny, “gives people a sense of well-being and something to spark the imagination”.

Constance Bachmann explores portraiture of a different sort. Her animal series paintings of bears and dogs embrace a freedom of expression and playful illustration. Layers of colour and texture are loosely applied to panel or canvas with a palette knife. As Constance works to balance the positive and negative space, she moves away from detail and traditional influences, towards a more contemporary portraiture style.

Ontario artist, Joseph Pearce, seeks tranquility or drama in his expressions of Canadian wilderness. Each painting is a response to the land taken from personal experience. An avid canoeist, Joseph begins with reference photographs taken on one of his numerous canoe trips at Algonquin Provincial Park. Back at his home studio, he puts his inspiration on canvas. His signature “luminosity” is accomplished through careful colour selection and overlapping layers to achieve what some have termed “calming moments of escape”.

Richard Mravik, in his artistic approach, seeks to emphasis the connection between art and reality. His paintings are executed in a hyper-realistic manner with meticulous attention to the detail of light and colour. Using traditional painting techniques, his paintings often surpass his photographic references. In his most recent body of “snow paintings”, Richard has pushed his art to the height of realism, allowing the viewer to experience the stillness of winter morning, feel the warmth of sunlight on skin, or see the light reflections dance on snow and water.

Join us for a meet and greet with the artists on October 2nd, 2014 at the Bow Valley Club (upstairs from the Stephen Lowe Art Gallery at Bow Valley Square) between 4pm and 8pm.