Fraser Brinsmead: New Works
to
West End Gallery, Edmonton 10337 124 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5N 1R1
Fraser Brinsmead, "Muttart - Urban Geometry," 2020
acrylic on canvas, 30"x 30"
There is this beautiful reflecting pond on the roof of Edmonton's Muttart Conservatory. I have long been intrigued by how the paving tiles' joints are visible below the shallow water to create this fascinating geometric display of lines and reflections.
As our eye is drawn to the larger scale, we see the lines converging on the Macdonald Hotel visible across the river, which has now become the composition's, very heart.
Fraser Brinsmead
Fraser Brinsmead was born in the small community of Lac la Biche to a physician father and a musically gifted mother. He moved to Edmonton along with his parents and siblings in 1956. Fraser's first glimpse of "the big city" affected him quite deeply, and his passion for art and music turned into an architectural career that has now spanned over three decades. During this time, Fraser always tried to imbed a sense of place into his renderings. The building was the focus, but the people and landscape had to create a believable story. This approach subsequently laid the groundwork for the journey to many exhibitions as a painter and, in 2017, to retire from his architectural practice.
As an architect, Fraser has always been keenly aware of city life's incredible richness and vitality. His paintings are home to people oblivious to being watched, people who play, work, and live in an urban context. They are familiar scenes into which the viewer might feel compelled to join in, hear the sounds, feel the crowd, breathe the smells and experience the light. Many works hint at a deeper story that will entice the viewer to elaborate, while others have layered themes that reflect the complexity of modern living.