Artist Spotlight: Kathryn Amisson & Yuan Cheng Bi

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Kathryn Amisson, "Peaceful Retreat," 2019, acrylic on canvas, 48" x 72"

Yuan Cheng Bi, "Lake Louise in May," 2019, acrylic on canvas, 40" x 60"

Kathryn Amisson and Yuan Cheng Bi have created two amazing collections of artwork that depict the sweeping vistas of Western Canada. From the sandy coastlines of BC to the Rocky Mountains and rolling Prairie fields. Their paintings remind us to stop every now and then. Take a deep breath. And enjoy the abundance of life.

Amisson and Bi have are well established in the Canadian art scene as landscape and seascape artists - their paintings are in private and public collections in Canada and around the world. They both have a grand scale approach to their subject matter and an ability to use light, composition and colour to impart drama, majesty and emotion in all their paintings.

Known for her paintings of rolling waves and the churning sea with its constantly changing shape, Amisson began to explore what options the big skies of the prairies and foothills had to offer. Her mercurial skies and undulating prairie fields have become her signature style and widely celebrated. Not one to become complacent, Amisson began pushing the boundaries of her artwork and began to stylize and abstract her paintings to create ethereal landscapes that mesmerize and capture our imaginations.

In comparison, the dazzling confidence with which Bi paints his landscapes is a result of an inherent understanding of Chinese calligraphy. No matter what the subject — rock, trees, snow — he “writes” it with the brush tip. The ability to convey organic form at any scale, whether a pebble or a mountain range, is essential to Chinese painting. And his years of sculptural work, carving and moulding clay, have provided him with a powerful sense of form. The resulting paintings breathe confidence and a contained strength.

Neither artists' paintings could never be mistaken for anything derived from a photograph. While their subjects may appear “realistic,” a glance at their colour choices will tell you that their paintings are artistic inventions concocted from a blend of memory, imagination and experience.