Skip to content

Exhibition at Raintree Studio in Qualicum Beach

Greg Swainson and Jan Byers will be hosting an exhibition together this weekend
49007parksvilleRaintreeExhibition-lc-sept2
Greg Swainson

Greg Swainson and Jan Byers, who will be hosting an exhibition together this weekend, said working together on a show makes it seem a little less daunting.

“It’s not just you that’s exposed,” Swainson said. “It’s a little like wearing your heart on your sleeve. You have a real passionate investment in the time you’ve spent creating it.”

Byers said not everyone sees a scene or a moment or a movement the same as an artist does.

“When we paint something, there’s a reason we’re drawn to that,” Byers said. “If someone sees that, and it speaks to them, then that’s a reward.”

The exhibition will be at Swainson’s studio Raintree Studio and Gallery (5101 W. Island Highway, Qualicum Beach) as part of an end of season show. Swainson said it’s one last weekend to get their paintings, which they’ve been working on for the past year.

Swainson and Byers’ exhibition starts Friday, Oct. 21 with an opening reception from 4-8 p.m. and continues on Saturday and Sunday from 12-5 p.m.

All paintings at their exhibition will be 20 per cent off for the show, and Swainson and Byers will also be donating 20 per cent of their sales to Haven House.

Swainson said since 2006, he’s always had a charitable component to any show he’s been involved in. He said that the exhibition last year had a good response, but they’re not aiming to raise a certain amount this year.

“After doing this for 30 years, I find you can’t set goals because I find you’re constantly surprised by the result. Not necessarily disappointed, but you’re surprised to see more of a result than you anticipated,” Swainson said.

Swainson said last year, he wanted to do a show, but he didn’t want to have one on his own, so he asked Byers.

“We just decided we would try and see what happened,” Swainson said.

Swainson said he’ll have about 40 pieces on display which will all be watercolours.

“They’re not photographic in nature, but they are true representations of the subject matter,” Swainson said.

He also said his goal is always lots of colour,  adding that it’s “nothing insipid or soft looking.”

Byers, on the other hand, said she has been experimenting with her work in the past year. She said while her pieces are usually acrylic on canvas, she’s been working on a new component as well.

“I’ve been working with acrylic on wood panel, so I’m exploring that right now,” Byers said. “I’m finding that very exciting, but it’s going to be a mixed show of acrylic on canvas but also abstract acrylics on wood.”

For more information on the artists, visit www.raintreestudio.ca or www.janbyers.ca.



Lauren Collins

About the Author: Lauren Collins

I'm a provincial reporter for Black Press Media's national team, after my journalism career took me across B.C. since I was 19 years old.
Read more