A local artist is having her work on display at the Fernie Arts Station from Feb. 25 to Mar. 28. Summer Breeze uses acrylic paint to create abstract realism paintings of the nature she encounters.
“I paint wonderfully colourful abstract-realist paintings, primarily in acrylic inspired by nature, the forest and the mountains. I love to use bold colours and colour combinations separated by intricate line-work and patterns,” said Breeze. “I’m most inspired by nature and it’s definitely reflected in my work. I’m also really intrigued by pattern, stained glass, mosaics and quilting.”
Breeze grew up in Ontario, but moved to British Columbia over a decade ago.
“I’m originally from Windsor, Ontario but moved to B.C. in 1998. Before moving to the Elk Valley I called Kitimat, B.C. home for over 10 years. Now I live in Elkford, after a brief stopover in Fernie, and I’m falling in love with the area,” said Breeze. “I’d been living on the North Coast for a long time and I was craving change. Both of my siblings already lived in Fernie so I decided that would be a good start.”
Like many of the other local artists, the arts community has left a positive impact on Breeze.
“It’s great. So many artists and such variety, it’s really cool to be a part of it. I love all the initiatives in town to incorporate art whether it’s the Banner Project or the dumpsters,” said Breeze.
While she has only recently become a full-time painter, Breeze has been painting all her life. Over this time her art has evolved into what will be on display at the Fernie Arts Station.
“I’ve painted for as long as I can remember and I took a lot of classes as a kid. I’ve pursued art as a career since around 2006 and full-time for the past few years,” she said. “I’m not totally sure as it’s constantly evolving. I have a background in computers and digital animation and at some point I think it and my traditional art background somehow merged.”
Along with the animation and digital creation skills, Breeze has used and often plays around with many other mediums.
“I’ve dabbled in all sorts of mediums. In university I used primarily oil paints but at some point switched to acrylic I think because of their opacity and of course drying time,” she said. “I still play around with watercolours and I go through phases with using a sketch book. I’m slowly getting back into using oil paints again as well.”
The grand opening for the exhibit will be at 7 p.m. at the Fernie Arts Station on Feb. 25.
“My upcoming showing is titled ‘At Home in the Woods’ and is exhibited at the Fernie Arts Station. It opens this Thursday and runs until March 28th.”