By David F. Rooney
Whimsey and beauty are key features of the three new exhibitions opening this Friday evening at the Visual Arts Centre.
The three women showing their work at The Centre are clearly productive and highly accomplished artists.
Keisha Treber, the young local artist who is rapidly making a name for herself (click here to see how Kamloops — the city where she has lived since she finished university — perceives her work and click here to view her website), has a raft of mostly large works in the main gallery, as well as pieces of jewellery and some brand-new and “completely different” acrylic paintings on glass.
Treber describes herself as a “romantic dreamer.” That label is well deserved but there is an underlying mystery to some of her images, in particular her new work entitled Darling. This acrylic painting hints at the depths within her that many of her near-monochromatic renderings of the female figure fail to do. Keisha’s take on the female form in all its glories is always sensual and technically well executed. It is instantly apparent that this show, Muse, is aptly titled for one of the goddesses is clearly with her.
A divine finger has also touched Calgary potter Darlene Swan. Her Bowls of Life exhibition is both gorgeous and humourous. This Calgary-based artist has been creating pottery for more than 30 years and her high levels of skill has been acknowledged by the Alberta Foundations for the Arts, which recently added one of her pieces to its permanent collection. (Click here to see more of her work)
The third woman with an opening at The Centre is Canal Flats painter Paula Cravens. A skilled portraitist, Cravens show, Figuratively Speaking, is aptly titled. With a keen eye for detail, particularly inner details, Cravens’ work is joyous and almost unrehearsed. I particularly liked her portrait of a young girl selling lemonade called Little Miss Sunshine. (Click here to see more of Paula Cravens’ work)
These three shows open with a public reception at the Visual Arts Centre at 320 Wilson Street beginning at 6 pm on Friday, July 8. You will not want to miss this!
In the meantime, you can see a selection of four representative works from each of these highly accomplished artists below:
