Transmutation
Experimental Imperfection • Valerie McRae
My Journey from Forest Serenity to Disturbed Emotionalism • Kate Matthews
and Imaging New Worlds • Richard Armstrong
Life is a struggle. Broken bones, shattered marriages, career challenges are all events that involve transformation.
These pivotal times in our lives have led us, each in our own unique way, to transmute, or to change our outlook on life.
Valerie McRae has had to let go of the unending quest for quilt making perfection, where every stitch has to be “just so”. She has embraced her inner child and now lets the needles fly at will, trusting her inner vision to enable her to transform her “designer quilt mindset” into something much more fun and relaxed. With new materials and collaborative input from others, her Trial of Experimental Imperfection is well under way.
Fracturing her elbow has given new meaning to the expression, The Show Must Go On. With gritted teeth and ample determination Valerie will have new work ready for the Sept 9 opening.
Kate Matthews “Broken Heart Series” portrays the pain of hopes dashed, a partnership derailed; pain that anyone who has experienced loss of love can relate to.
But, Kate had used the crucible of this emotionally fraught time to transform her work into deeply evocative forest scenes that are full of peace, tranquility and light. She has left her dark place behind and is excited for her future. Like the forest itself, Kate is growing in multiple ways and continues on her creative journey by taking painting classes and keeping her mind open to new ways of expressing herself.
Richard Armstrong, after multiple concussions, has Imagined New Worlds and mapped his way back to coherent art creation. Neural plasticity visualized takes all kinds of different forms. Reconstructing his reality takes neural energy that is transferred onto the canvas and the page as he has been spending lots of time writing a science fiction novel, scenes of which will be included in the show.
This trio of friends and fellow artists share a common bond as we have all reacted to the major tramas of our lives by using visual art. Through our choices of fabric, paint and mixed media we have attempted to make sense of the forces confronting us. By doing so we have all transmuted into something other than what we once were.
Richard Armstrong 604-842-2791 richstrongarm@gmail.com
