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Qualicum Beach artist painting the makings of a story

New artist at The Gallery at Qualicum Art Supply
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Barbra Regamey McDonald holds up one of her mixed-media pieces which are now on display at The Gallery in Qualicum Art Supply in Qualicum Beach. — Adam Kveton

A new artist at The Gallery at Qualicum Art Supply hopes to start people off on a journey with some of her work, now on display.

Barbra Regamey McDonald has been fascinated with faces and people since childhood, and that fascination included sketching and painting portraits of family and friends.

Since retiring from graphic design and moving to Qualicum Beach in 2009, Regamey McDonald has been painting more, and exploring new mixed-media combinations.

Moving away from watercolour and pencil, this work (created in the past couple years, and some as recently as a few weeks ago) includes conte and watercolour, as well as some ink. This creates a light but colourful result with well-defined lines, Regamey McDonald said.

Much of the subject matter itself continues to be focused on people, and in Vancouver Island settings. However, sometimes it’s just a part of a person that Regamey McDonald includes in her work, she said.

For instance, one of her pieces, a view of French Creek out the door of a person’s car, includes just their forearms as they exit the vehicle.

The painting gives clues, she said, but no specific answers as to what’s happening.

“Somebody has stopped, maybe on holiday, maybe not… and something caught his attention, whether it’s the landscape or a heron,” she said.

“He’s got out of his car. He’s not taking his binoculars with him because (whatever he’s looking at) is obviously close by.”

The painting also includes a safari hat.

“What kind of guy wears a hat like that?” she asks.

A painting of a couple walking along Long Beach in Tofino with their car full of baggage not far behind inspires similar questions, she said.

“I guess what I’m trying to do (with these paintings) is generate some question about what’s going on in a lot of them,” said Regamey McDonald. “Some of them are just faces that interest me.”

The Gallery at Qualicum Art Supply is located at 206 First Ave. West in Qualicum Beach.

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adam.kveton@pqbnews.com