Fans of the art of Elizabeth Evans have not seen much of her lately. It’s been five years since her last show at Westwind Gallery, although she is one of the Eleven Equal Artists who showed at last August’s Power of Paint.
A joyful Evans is back on the scene again, prolific in a new style. She will open a show at the WOW Gallery in Gibsons on Saturday, Oct. 15 with an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Rheumatoid arthritis kept her down for a while, and now with improved health, she gave herself permission to try something different.
“I got rid of all my small brushes – anything under one and a half inches,” she said. Along with the brushes, the painstaking attention to detail was gone too. “I was taught to use my whole arm when painting. Freedom of movement gives freedom of expression.”
These days she does not want to miss a day of painting, so much so that, using her bigger brushes and a clean, swirling stroke, she has produced 30 new works in one month.
“This style gives me freedom and the joy to work on it,” she said.
Evans paints from memory – she never uses photos – so the new work might take her back many years to when she lived on a farm and was inspired by fields of wildflowers. A new piece, Field of Dreams, suggests those very wildflowers and nudges toward the abstract. A New Day is a portrait of a sunrise, an exercise in colour and light.
Evans has been an award winning professional for 40 years, she’s a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and she had what many artists envy: a mentorship by Arthur Lismer, one of Canada’s Group of Seven. Her paintings have entered collections all over Canada, including having one of her paintings presented by Mayor Drapeau of Montreal to Prince Rainier of Monaco.
WOW Gallery (Sunny-crest Mall, Gibsons) is also showing a few of her previous works: detailed maritime renderings of rocky shores and boats, a collection of bird images and a series of gorgeous huge flower images. “Get them while they’re here,” she said. Once these are gone, those particular styles won’t be replaced.
The opening reception is from 2 to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 15 and all are welcome. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and listen to the dynamic vocals of Verna Chan, who will be there with accompaniment.
