At the Gallery #2 - Vibrant and Memorable Art by Nicole Carrie
Last Updated on Sunday, 29 November 2009 08:37 Written by Norm Tucker Tuesday, 01 September 2009 18:50
Nicole Carrie's paintings come right at you and engage you with bright, vibrant, exciting colours and subjects that will keep you interested. This emerging artist starts her first solo show and sale September 3 at the White Rock Art Council Gallery in Windsor Square. Here are some of the paintings.
The above collage and its title tell us part of the secret of what makes Nicole Carrie's art interesting. This piece though, is not for sale. Nicole's paintings to date are about the everyday things and places in her life. They are part of her life. They express who she is and what she is about. They demonstrate how she feels about life and how she lives it.
'A Little Piece of Me' is a collage that "is a family memory collage - photos of my kids, fabric scraps from my wedding gown, my husband's guitar strings, Japanese maple leaves from the tree in front of our house, hydrangea petals from the bush in the backyard, hand dyed fabric from my quilting projects, chunks of painted canvas from one of my paintings, imprints of ferns, raffia stitched through the canvas...."
Imagine if you were to commission a painting from her - the scope of the subject matter would tell a story of your life. Unfortunately, Nicole does not accept commissions. She likes to paint what's around her.
In the upcoming show from September 3 to 30 at Windsor Square (19th Avenue and 152 Street, South Surrey) - http://maps.google.ca/maps - you can see landscape, gardening and abstract art that is of a professional standard and has variety, depth and an intensity that will intrigue you. Below, some of the works are featured.
My personal favourites are the abstracts, especially the three "Kaleidoscope' collages, and I think #3 is the one that intrigues and fascinates me the most. I cannot imagine ever being tired of this particular work. And I must say, the 'dancing' and 'reaching out' sunflowers look full of life and dazzling.
My sense is the artist, Nicole Carrie and her art, are underpinned with a joy and celebration of life. Words like 'kaleidoscope', 'mixed media', 'abstract', all speak to me of diversity and enjoyment of the journey. To the essential aspects of art - colour, shape, light - Nicole adds rich textures and splash and perhaps a story worth remembering. Her art is a walk on the sunny side of the street - an interest in exploring to see what is around the corner. Art like this is akin to discovery, and I suspect people buying these works will experience endless enjoyment and fascination. That's a good reason to make art part of your life.
Website for Nicloe Carrie.
PS - I'm just back from the opening - there's about 30 paintings of various sizes - a good show. Some surprises for me included how impressed I was with 'Ribbons and Reeds' and 'Reach Out'. The images here and on Nicole's site do not do them justice. These are excellent paintings. And, neither are the 'Kaleidoscope' collages well represented here. Pity. The three of them together on one wall would make quite a statement and focal point in any home or office - with engaging feng shui - and at a modest cost.