Gallery Exhibits Feat. Brent
“Nothing like a room full of passionate art enjoyers”
Artist’s talk and exhibition, Madrona Gallery and Oak Bay Beach Hotel - May 4th, 2024
Details: Madrona Gallery is excited to announce its partnership with Victoria’s award winning Oak Bay Beach Hotel to showcase a selection of contemporary and historic fine art.Guests and clients alike are encouraged to visit the hotel and enjoy this newest installation, which can be found in the Grand Lobby, The Snug, The Dining Room, and throughout the mezzanine level. The most recent exhibition was installed March 2024, with installations rotating quarterly. The current exhibition includes work by gallery artists Brent Lynch, Nicholas Bott, Collin Elder, Shawn O’Keefe, and Hashim Hannoon.
Recap of the night: “I was a bit surprised by just how many people showed up to the event. It made for a really great time, having so many people being interested in the arts and enjoying each others presence. I was left excited to get back to the studio and to share my art in a more intentional way in the future.”
‘Legendary Elements, Two Artist’s Journeys’ March 9th to the 15th, 2024
Details: Focusing on the elements, air, water & earth, Mike & Brent showcase their artistic talents & scope of subject matter. Combined, Mike & Brent have almost a century of experience and Adele Campbell Fine Art is proud to host their first joint exhibition at the gallery.
Recap of the show: “ Whistler is known for its mountains and skiing. So yes, Mike and myself, painted a few snow cover peaks but the unique aspect of this show was its focus on all aspects of the area: swimming at lost lake or peering into the starry skies. Locals and visitors alike seem to revel in the contrast between the warmer and colder months, as it spoke to their experiences on the west coast.”
‘Passages’ October 21st – November 1st, 2021
Details: The Avenue Gallery, Oak Bay, Victoria, BC Canada. This pandemic kept me close to home. For the last few summers the boat was my escape vehicle. Travelling by boat was all about deciphering passages. These paintings were inspired on these trips. The sea and surrounding land heads speak. Space, depth, distance and warnings are their language. The read and the approach is important. You got to love the primordial sea as an ancient metaphor. Passages; the act or process of moving through, under, over, or past something on the way from one place to another.
Recap of the show: “ It is always neat to see how people connect to my paintings. Some inspire stories, others emotions or even a lively conversation. It is this relational element that artists really don’t get very often as they labour over their canvases but really make the process worth it.”
‘‘Under the Big Sky’’ October 11th-22nd, 2019
Details: The Avenue Gallery, Victoria BC. Canada – ‘Under the Big Sky’ a series of sky-scape paintings that took me on a trip into my past with the assistance of my favourite song writers and poets. The series became a homage to the literary artists that had an impact on me in my formative years. I found myself humming and even singing songs while out painting under the big sky (this offering are all plein air studies done off the back of my place in Nanoose Bay) I became fascinated with what songs or poems the sky studies evoked. At first there seemed to be no connection but as the work developed It became clear that these tunes were effecting and reflecting the work. I couldn’t tell you what came first the image or the song but it didn’t matter as the process took on a life of it’s own…
Recap of the show: “ There was something magical that captured the audience’s imagination during this show. The mixture of music and art, was the perfect combination to really get people talking. It really was a success and I have to say I was very grateful for that. “
‘Signs’ March 16th-18th, 2019
Details: An exhibition of new works ‘Signs’. I suppose I’m always looking for signs one way or the other. A landscape painting is not just a recording but should be much more. Nature calls to us endlessly. The natural environment that supplies us with our next breath is a powerful reminder of our place in this universe. The idea of the physical world as a reflection of the ‘unseen’ or ‘spirit’ is as old as the hills and a sentiment that rings true with me. I love being outside but there’s more to it. As for myself, through the drama of land and light…’signs’, we are directed into a greater reality.
Recap of the show: “ The show was a true celebration of the seen and unseen beauty of nature. Lucky for me, there are lots of people on Vancouver Island, who share in the appreciation. This made the event really fun, as I got to meet all kinds of people, ranging from ancient fisherman to young business brokers. I am sure I heard a few tall tales but I shared a few as well, thats part of the fun.”
‘Exterior Paint’ August 9th – September 4th, 2018
Details: The TOSH Art Gallery in Qualicum Vancouver Island, BC is hosting an exhibition of my ‘en plein air’ work created over the last few years. There will be some large studio canvas on display as shown below. The landscapes studies were painted on location from southern Vancouver Island to Cape Scott plus a few Rocky Mountain studies.
Exterior Paint, – Most of the paintings in this exhibition were painted on location. The larger canvases were not. Their beginnings were inspired by the smaller ‘en plein air’ sketches, or studies (En plein air is the art-speak term for field studies and direct painting in the outdoors) I love being outside and get out of the studio every chance I get. I was always interested in life drawing, introduced to me in first year art school, and the natural extension of that is plein air painting.
Over the last ten years one of my favourite places to visit is Alert Bay. The beautiful Cormorant island and the Namgis first nations people were introduced to me by a friend, Terry Shepherd who had family there. Al West, hereditary chief and carver is an elder of the Namgis and the family. I painted his portrait a few times as seen here on his front porch. The large portrait painting was composed around his carving shed.
Beau Dick, (1954-2017) is one of the best known carvers on the west coast. Sadly he passed away last year. He was a leader of the community, wonderful story teller and a great looking character. This portrait was done four years ago. I was blown away by his powerful transformative masks. His art and the artist are inseparable and so it is in this portrait. I never guessed that a few years after this portrait was done he would not be with us.
St. Josef Bay, Cape Scott – last year my son and I made a trip into Cape Scott and we were not disappointed. It is a strange and wonderful corner of the world.
Recap of the event: “Qualicum isn’t known for its night life but I was pleasantly surprised with the number of people who came through the doors. I am not surprised as the space is beautiful, as hertiage buildings often are. Add a piano player to the mix, some wine and cheese and The Old School House, transforms into a swanky gallery with all the bells and whistles.
