Rossland-based painter Stephanie Gauvin showcased her work last Friday at Inside Out Fernie Wellness.
Capturing the beauty of sunlight casting shadows on mountains, reflections of trees on serene lakes, and even the athleticism of a skier mid-air on a snowy hill, Gauvin draws inspiration from her travels into the wilderness.
“My work represents a lot of the trips I’ve done in the last few years. A lot of them have been the result of en plein air trips,” said Gauvin.
Traditionally, plein air painting sees an artist taking their canvas into the landscape and drawing the scenery live as the light changes.
As a self-taught painter, Gauvin took to painting canvas professionally over a decade ago and has since spent days in her studio, recreating the essence of the outdoor landscapes.
Describing her paintings as examples of lifestyles — bikers, skiers, small town cityscapes — Gauvin said that while she is biking, she often finds herself painting in her mind.
When she was out biking one day with a friend, she put a stop to everything and started committing the scene to memory — as if placing the brushstrokes of the moment in her mind before she could get to her studio.
Some pieces, Gauvin said, are like going “from life to easel.”
There is a lot of warmth in her paintings, the faint outlines of an orange or red base to represent the sun’s rays showing through layers of colours painted on top.
Whether it’s the bark of a tree, the rust of the mountains in the morning or a series of trees with changing leaves that border the vastness of Fernie’s Three Sisters.
S. Kucharski
“This is what inspires me,” said Gauvin, gesturing to the landscapes that surround her.
Gauvin’s work has been for sale at Clawhammer and her pieces will be featured at Fernie Wellness until January 10.
A new show will be put up for viewing at Inside Out Fernie Wellness over the next few months.