Until a couple of years ago, Lisa Danesin was creating “very representational” watercolour paintings, and now she’s just won second place in a competition for her abstract piece Seven Years.
The competition was the Arrowsmith Chapter FCA Fall Show, juried by signature members of the Federation of Canadian Artists.
Danesin said painting abstract is quite a bit different from what she used to create.
“The thing with abstract is you don’t plan them ahead of time, so they’re very much about responding to the marks you’re making, rather than having a set plan,” she said.
Her inspiration for the piece was a beautiful yet somber poem her daughter showed her about loss. She used mostly acrylic and some water soluble crayon, and then rubbed, rather than brushed on, a bit of colour. She said she loves the creative process of painting, including working through the angst to arrive at a finished piece.
Therese Johnston took third prize in the juried show with her mixed media piece she called When Living Was Easy.
The painting depicts a cluster of colourful little buildings, a theme Johnston has been painting for about 10 years. She grew up in the Prairies surrounded by these types of little houses, she said, and she’s visited places in the East that also have similar architecture, like Prince Edward Island. The memories in her mind help her to begin the paintings, she said. The name of her winning piece refers to the place she created in the painting.
“It just seems like our life is so busy now and I just like to go to places where you don’t have to rush out and fight traffic,” she said.
Johnston is a signature member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, which means she’s a committed artist with consistent superior ability.
The pieces in the fall show were recently exhibited at the Art Worx Gallery in Qualicum Beach. Danesin’s work is still available from that gallery, and Johnston’s winning piece was sold.
For more on Danesin and her art visit www.silverdog.ca.
First place in the local FCA Fall Show went to Leslie Gregory, who also received an award of excellence. Other awards of excellence in the show went to Chris Kazeil, Denise MacDonald and Barbara Ann Scott.