FUEL: Gary Blundell at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington

Pentimento Fine Art Gallery is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition of the latest works by Gary Blundell, FUEL at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington.  The opening reception is taking place this Sunday May 27, between 2 - 4 pm.  The show runs from May 27 through to June 24, 2012.  If you are looking for a way to spend a summer afternoon why not head east to Bowmanville and visit this exciting exhibition!

FUEL

"The work of Gary Blundell reveals a life-long exploration of observed patterns in the landscape.  His paintings embody these patterns found in rock and earth, etched by countless eons of wind and rain, receding ice, and by the intrusive hand of man.  In his large oils, done on wood panel, it is the artist's hand that transforms material.  "I use a router to tear into my surfaces and acrylic plasters to build them up.  They mimic how the land is transformed over time by human activity."  The paintings exude rich and vibrant colour, pulled from the varied palette of the earth itself.  In a recent series of "Figure" paintings depicting hanging portions of locally raised or caught moose and deer, the artist equates the patterns and transformations of animal flesh to that of the earth.  As does the surface of the earth, the body erodes, deteriorates with time, eventually revealing the underlying structure of bone and sinew.

In May 2011, Gary visited numerous collieries in North and West Yorkshire, England.  He came to know the people, the miners who drew their life sustaining "Fuel" from the earth.  A remarkable series of "Coal" paintings resulted.  We see the patterns found at the feet of the miners, illuminated by their lamps as they wander the underground.  A trained Geologist, Gary completed an Hon. B. Science in Earth Sciences from the University of Waterloo.  He and his partner, artist Victoria Ward, live in a cabin in the woods near Gooderham, Ontario.  As seasons shift, snow and ice recede to reveal new patterns in soil and rock, a continual reformation; the artist's own backyard providing source material, "Fuel", for his creative vision."

This exhibition has been curated by James Campbell.


The Visual Arts Centre of Clarington
143 Simpson Avenue,
Bowmanville, Ontario
905-623-5831
www.vac.ca