When Jessica Thomas got the nod to put together the first exhibit for the Showcase Gallery this year, she decided to challenge herself.
One of the Cariboo Artist Guild’s newest members, Thomas opened the gallery last year with an exhibit that was a broad introduction to who she is as an artist. For Interesting Places, however, she chose to do a study of the subjects she finds the most difficult to paint - landscapes.
“I’m fascinated by the way a painting can look more alive than a photo because it captures not just what it looked like but also what it felt like to be there,” Thomas said. “I’m practicing the parts I find difficult, like trees, rocks, grass, and water, basically all of it. Someone told me recently that landscapes and trees can be characters, and I guess I’m searching for that.”
Thomas received approval to put on the show in January and said she spent most of the month painting non-stop. She enjoys the pressure the deadline created and the chance to work on multiple pieces at once. Overall, she said the results of her work has been promising.
The landscapes depicted in Interesting Places are based on a series of pictures she took of the Yukon, Chasm and the Horse Lake Forest Service Road. Thomas has done her best to capture “the character of a place” using her acrylic and house paints.
“Art is alive and in motion. As Paul Gardner said, a painting is never finished – it simply stops in interesting places.”
Interesting Places will be displayed in the Showcase Gallery until the first Tuesday of March at the South Cariboo Buisness Centre. Anyone interested in learning more about Thomas is invited to check out her podcast Art Horse or email birdstrips@gmail.com.
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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