Artists Marlene Lowden and Christy Sverre are the right fit for a combination show at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre, titled Respond and Reflect.
Although their styles are different, they complement one another, particularly in their love of abstract painting and colour. Both were bubbling over with enthusiasm at their launch on March 19.
Lowden is a self-described painter, yogi and optimist at heart.
On a Lowden piece titled Tenacity, viewers could catch a whiff of the not-yet-dry oil paints that she uses. It's all fresh and new, and although Lowden has been painting since she was a child, most people know her better as a broadcaster and as the voice of Coast TV, her former job. During her stint on the air, she travelled to artists' studios and galleries on the Coast to interview them; now it's her turn.
Transitions is one of Lowden's striking pieces rendered in a soft palette of colours with depth and imagination. Another is titled A Mystery, but there's no mystery in what it represents. The image hints at a bud unfolding - the mystery of life and growth. One of Lowden's goals with her art is to help people feel connected to the planet. She blends her art with her yoga practice and offers workshops for others to experience that communion. Find out more about her workshops on www.marlenelowden.com.
Sverre also works in symbols. Her paintings are a visual journal of her many years of travels and living overseas, especially Malaysia.
"We see so much while travelling," she explains. "I've tried to capture the visual cacophony of India, in this one."
She points to an acrylic dotted with representations of a journey: a parrot, rice and calligraphy. Another painting depicts a streetscape crammed with symbols standing in for houses and humans. Closer to home, the painting Across the Sound refers to Howe Sound but it is overlain with beaded necklaces, evoking a symbol from Asia. More about Sverre's art can be seen on www.christysverre.com
The show is up until April 20 and can be seen during open hours at the Doris Crowston Gallery of the Arts Centre in Sechelt.
