NEW BEGINNINGS!

Beginning in September, Pipi and Lesley will be dividing the space into two working artist's studios - with Lesley Fountain Studio on what is currently the gallery side, and Pipi Home Decor on what is currently the studio side.
 

The gallery will be officially closing on August 31st, so please make sure you get down to take advantage of some of the bargains as we offer a final blowout sale on much of our artwork between now and the end of the month.

Both Lesley and Pipi are really excited about the new directions they are heading! It will be a great opportunity for both to spread the wings they have grown over the past year and a half. Pipi is focusing her full attention on designing and creating her gorgeous tableware, and has some great ideas percolating, and Lesley's focus is on facilitating creativity in others through workshops, open studio drop in time, classes and special art events. Both are excited to continue working right next to each other.

We would both like to thank each and every one of you who have supported us at the gallery by attending events, shopping in the gallery, taking workshops or just generally talking enthusiastically about our space and encouraging others to come and see for themselves. It has been a fantastic experience for us running the gallery, and we couldn't have done it without all of you. We love our community and feel so grateful to be continuing “the dream” in our beautiful Cowichan Bay locations.

Please keep your eyes on this blog and our Tangerine Dream facebook page for news and updates about the launching of Lesley Fountain Studio and Pipi Home Decor. We can't wait to re-open our doors in September and both have lots of exciting plans cooking!

Thanks so much to each and every one of you for being a part of our amazing time as Tangerine Dream.

Lesley and Pipi

A little cross posting - new abstracts by Lesley

 Fall at the Foot of Thee

Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee? - U2

A post about Lesley's new abstracts on her studio blog - http://lesleyfountain.blogspot.ca/

Nomads and Homebodies - July 29th - September 14th

  
Some folks love to roam the world and some are content cosied up by the hearth at home. This month we are featuring the work of Sue Bayley, Nomad Artist, and Lesley Fountain, self identifying Homebody. The one commonality of these two artists is their love of colour. Both artists enthusiastically embrace it as they express their outer and inner worlds.

Sue Bayley -  Nomad Artist

"Much of my art is inspired by my nomadic life traveling the world working in environmental conservation.  Landscapes attract me but I find I am always circling back to paint wildlife: animals are my muse - powerful shapes, ancient wisdom.  I give them voice - “See Me, Feel Me, Hear Me” and in many cases “Protect Me”. Ten percent or more of all my art sales are donated to conservation projects. Recently, my painting, “Jelly Feast” was used by the Ocean Foundation to raise money for a community turtle sanctuary in the San Blas Islands of Panama.

I use colour for its emotional impact, I do not try to make my subjects exactly life like, my camera does that. But to demonstrate the essence of the animal or place with an expressionistic style.  Exploring colour is part of my nature and a major component of my creative process. Often a large part of my painting is done with my hands deep into pots of creamy acrylic paint. I love the childlike feel of the paint running from my hands as I dance the colours across the canvas. My whole body is involved in the creation of my art, as I dance around the studio; hands, trowels, spatulas, house brushes and a variety of tools splashing a riot of colour onto the canvas. The energy that I create as I dance with the paint transfers to the canvas to give spirit and life to the work. Often I am laughing at the expressions and antics of the creatures in their natural environment, and I want my paintings to convey that joy and humour. They should bring smiles to you, the viewer’s face.  In a moment I want to grab your attention, say - ‘Watch, explore and wonder at the magical natural world.’

I have always had a gypsy soul; wandering the world and following a creative life. First as a ballet dancer, then in music and film production but always an artist. My backpack has few clothes but there is always a mobile art studio in there! Raising my three sons in Whistler and later Vancouver gave me a home base where I worked in film production as a location and production manager. I never stopped painting and I had many exhibitions and my paintings are in many residences in both cities. When my youngest left home, I did too! I have been travelling the world working on marine conservation projects in the tropics. I always return to BC for the summer and work with whale watching companies in the Gulf Islands or on Vancouver Island.  My paintings are in galleries in France, Hawaii, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, various Caribbean Islands and now Cowichan Bay. My art can be seen at the Salish Sea Gallery, Fentiman Avenue, and Tangerine Dream Gallery and Studio.

The birds are all part of my "Avians with Attitude" series.  The ‘Punk Pelicans’ are from the beaches in the Baja where I spent several winters. The eagles are inspired by the birds at ‘The Raptor Centre’ on Herd Road. The crows are from all over the valley.  The puffins are from my travels in California on my journeys to the Baja. Turtles are one of my favourite subjects and part of a larger series of paintings of marine wildlife including whales, tropical fish and dolphins. As I have taken hundreds of underwater photos when working on marine conservation projects, I have lots of inspiration for new paintings.

Facebook Art Page - Nomad Artist - Sue Bayley's Paintings
Website - www.SueBayleyArt.com

 Lesley Fountain - Homebody 

Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, art has always played an important role in her life, and early experiments with finger paints and papier mache led to painting on silk, cotton, canvas, wood, ceramics, paper, and clothing. She began exhibiting and selling her work while living in Britain in the 1980s. After returning to Canada in the 1990s she continued painting and began creating large papier mache sculptures and mixed media artwork. She taught children and adults through continuing education classes in community centres, as well as workshops in her home studio.

In the late '90s Lesley moved to California and discovered the limitless creative power of art software. She created artwork using Corel Painter software and a pressure sensitive drawing tablet. After seven years in the US Lesley returned home to Canada, and now lives in Mill Bay on Vancouver Island. In 2012 she wrote and published the book The Passionate Life - Creativity, Connection and Community, which profiles twenty-two Cowichan Valley women passionately pursuing the lives of their dreams, and in 2013 she published the follow up book, The Passionate Life II, which tells the stories of fifteen more women. 

 Vibrant colours and a spontaneous, contemporary style characterize Lesley's work. She enjoys working with the combination of hidden and exposed, images and text, and densely layered colours and textures. Her paintings are painted in the intuitive painting style and are comprised of many layers of paint and texture. Her recent graffiti series (she has named it Kind Graffiti) features quotes, words and song lyrics over layers of stenciling, stamping, scratching and spray paint. Her mixed media banners - created on hardware store roofing paper - feature acrylic paints, shimmering metallics, oil pastels, collage elements, and embellishments of braid, charms, milagros, tassels, sequins and found objects.

Lesley is co-owner of Tangerine Dream Gallery and Studio in Cowichan Bay, BC, and teaches workshops in intuitive painting and mixed media at her studio, Shine Art Studio, in Mill Bay. 

Graffiti Workshops - Free Form Creativity with Amazing Results

This past Saturday I taught another "Graffiti style" painting workshop. I often notice when I begin my workshops with a very short preamble and then a "let's get started, choose some paint" that some of my students develop a bit of a deer in the headlights look. I like to get stuck in - in my mind the learning is in the doing - and I am always delighted to look around 10 minutes later and see the students happily applying paint using all kinds of tools, including their hands, smearing, stamping, and dripping colour randomly. They are in the zone - not thinking and planning, just experimenting. Not having a plan is exhilarating! Often times the "mistakes" (there are none, in my opinion) turn out to be favorite areas of their paintings! Other times they simply offer up the opportunity to make new choices. It's just paint! It's just canvas! There are no rules! (Deer in the headlights looks again.)

My graffiti style evolved after an evening in my studio after a particularly trying day with a person I have a challenging relationship with. I was working very quickly, grabbing paint and tools and making lots of loose and loopy marks. I did not have any intention for the painting, I just wanted to get my feelings out. This painting was the result:

I was really delighted with the process and the result, and in the following weeks created these other paintings using the same technique. I call it Uplifting Graffiti!:

These are the paintings my students created in Saturday's workshop. The process includes layers of dripping, stamping, stenciling, etching, lettering and spray painting:

My next Graffiti workshop will be held Sunday, August 24th, at Shine Art Studio in Mill Bay. Please contact me if you would like to register! 

 

tangerinedreamgallery@gmail.com

Ladies Paint the Blues

On exhibit until July 25th - the work of local artists 

Carolyn McDonald, Julie King and Bernadette McCormack

The palettes of these three talented artists feature our favorite Tangerine Dream colours: blues and oranges! Each woman's style is unique, and the combined effect of the three together is quite magical.

Carolyn McDonald grew up in a small town in the countryside of Jamaica. Her "Jamaica series" expresses so well the luscious colours and gentle rhythms of the tropics. Carolyn's paintings invite the viewer to "fill in the stories of special places that may seem familiar and yet hold a sense of mystery."

Julie King was born and raised in England, and worked in London as a designer and colourist before moving to a small island in the Caribbean. There she was inspired by the colours of the tropical waters and began painting seascapes in oil pastel. Today Julie lives in the Cowichan Valley and works primarily with acrylics and watercolours. Her work is textured and multi - layered in vibrant blues, creams and purples.

Bernadette McCormack is from Lamont, Alberta. A long time traveller, she began her painting journey after a trip to Mexico in 1992. Bernadette also spent time in the Caribbean - she lived for a year in Santo Domingo. The Caribbean is a common thread with all three women! The inspiration of Lauren Harris and Ted Harrison, combined with her multicultural background and her love of travel lends an indigenous feel to her work. "Love, life, and patterns found in nature are my immediate inspirations. My paintings are created to remind people of the beauty that is within and around us."

ENTER OUR DRAW TO WIN A DALE NIGEL GOBLE PRINT!

Artist Dale Nigel Goble is gifting a lucky winner a print of "Flowers" from his Canadian Postage Stamp Series. This hand signed, oversize 38 x 36 enhanced archival print usually sells for 250.00.

Draw will be held June 28th. Make sure you get in and enter to win!

MEET THE ARTISTS - Sunday May 4th 1 - 4 pm

Artists Ken Horn, Dale Nigel Goble and Andy Gifford will be in the gallery Sunday, May 4th, from 1 pm - 4 pm. Come and meet the guys. We have sweet treats on offer too, including home made rhubarb crumble!

The Boys Are Back in Town!

We are very pleased to welcome back to the gallery local Duncan artist Dale Nigel Goble and Victoria artists Ken Horn and Andy Gifford! April 26th through June 13th 2014

MEET THE ARTISTS - SUNDAY,  MAY 4th, 1 pm - 4 pm

Dale Nigel Goble's new work is his iconic Canadian Postage Stamp Collection. Dale was inspired to create this series by both the wonderful nature and wildlife we are surrounded by here in the Cowichan Valley, combined with a desire to create a series of images that would reflect this beauty in a playful, modern way. He certainly has succeeded! Each oversize 38" x 36" enhanced matte archival print is hand signed. They are a bright, bold and beautiful addition to the gallery.

Ken Horn's Japanese series -"Japanesque Girl"- includes The Rain Catcher, The Wave, and The Walking Tree. Ken says he "prefers to live in the world of the mystical and surreal" and his paintings certainly reflect that! His finely detailed works contain imagery that is quirky and charming, from boats and hinges in hair to cats in suits and birds flying from hats. Many of Ken's works are accompanied with poems, such as "The Letter", below. We also carry Ken's book Ghost Flowers.

 

The Letter

From the lawyer perhaps..

'Just been left that cottage in Dorset   

which she's always loved'.

Or a rare book she's been looking for ...

just been found in a booksellers nearby.

It's good news... I think.

A proposal of marriage .

which may or may not be good news.

But it could be bleak. 

A death !

People are always dying.

I fear it could be bleak.

The end of a romance.

Termination of employment.

It may just be of course be

the heating bill.

Andy Gifford's "Yukon Series" is his seventh series to date, and is based on his visit to the Yukon
in 2010. This series' images are based on his stay in a rustic cabin in the woods and various trips around the area, including Whitehorse. Andy explains:

"Some of the elements in the pictorial language, such as the three circles, have to do with the optics in the northern hemisphere and how they appear, either through illusion, or for a short period of time during the day, that expresses an other worldly effect."

Andy's use of recycled materials creates ridges in the pieces. This technique produces unusual effects that can appear like furrows in drapery, or wet blotches on the wall that appear as images. Andy mounts and frames his works using recycled materials as well, giving his work a rugged appearance that plays well with his subject matter.

Retro Groove - the art of Wendy Oppelt and Jennifer McIntyre

 We are so excited to welcome back Wendy Oppelt - our first artist ever in the gallery when we opened in February of last year - and fellow Victoria artist Jennifer McIntyre, with their colourful and upbeat "Retro Groove" series. Bathing beauties and Jetson's furniture, with some of Jennifer's pieces accompanied by vintage 45 records. Wendy and Jennifer will be at the gallery April 12th from 1 to 3 pm - come and meet them and see their fun and lively work!

 "The Interview" by Wendy Oppelt

About Wendy Oppelt 

The human spirit and the splendor of nature endlessly inspire contemporary artist, Wendy Oppelt. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Wendy found her way to Victoria via Calgary, AB, Vancouver, BC, and Adelaide, Australia.  She attended MacEwan University which led her to a 30 year career in marketing and public relations.  Pursing art her entire life, Wendy made the choice to follow her dream and become a full-time artist in 2010 after the passing of her father Bernie Oppelt, professional artist and performer.  It was with his tools in hand, along with a sense of reflection and self-expression, that launched her into her passion. 

Wendy’s work celebrates life. Her artistic style is expressive, using vibrant color and strong composition. Her use of textured acrylic creates stunning contrasts of bright and dark shades emphasized by a glass-like gloss to make her pieces shine like pure sun.  Deep charismatic strokes represent nature’s beauty along with careful detailing to create a unique story on canvas. Presented before the viewer are free style flowers, figures and abstract viewscapes that pull real life scenes into redefined realities of wonder and brilliance. 

I enjoy the balance of my life. Finding equilibrium is a unique experience for each of us. I have discovered that I reconnect with my surroundings and stay true to my inner compass through creating art.  I believe in staying present to life and to take each day as a gift. This is the message I want to convey to the world around me.
How often have you looked at a piece of art and quietly asked yourself, "What does it mean?" Maybe even on a subconscious level, because our brains are wired to find order and meaning in everything. An image can speak to people on many different levels, perhaps meaning something totally different than what the artist originally intended. The image becomes something that transcends the artist. It becomes universal; something "meant" for everyone, interpreted by his or her own unique and individual life experience... that to me is the magic of art.

 "Rare One" by Jennifer McIntyre

About Jennifer McIntyre

I was born into a family of artists. On my father’s side of the family there have been generations of artists: illustrators, sculptors, painters and stained glass designers. My grandfather’s studio was fascinating to me -- the paper, paints, the smell of turps and linseed oil, the paintings and illustrations in progress.

Fortunately, my parents fostered my interest in art. As a teenager I attended the Vancouver School of Art Saturday classes and the Banff School of Fine Art. At the University of Victoria I trained as a teacher with a specialty in Visual Arts. I started teaching high school when I was 22.
Of course, once in the classroom I found that there were huge gaps in my knowledge. I added courses in Graphic Design, Photography, Ceramics, Drawing, Printmaking and Painting. Eventually I completed an M.Ed. at the University of Oregon in Curriculum and Instruction, with a specialty in Community Education.

I taught in my own classroom and also worked with many teachers in their classrooms and presented and organized workshops. I retired from my career in public school teaching after more than 30 years. For the last few years I have been teaching at the University of Victoria in Art Education and have been supervising pre-service student teachers. I have now taught Visual Arts at every grade from Kindergarten to 5th year university!

In 1991 I was named 'Pacific Northwest Art Educator of the Year' by the National Art Education Association (U. S.).

For the last few years I have been teaching part time while spending as much time as possible in my studio. I work in mixed media, acrylic and printmaking.

I have always been interested in design and have been working with pattern and colour in still life. Each painting is a puzzle to be solved: the colour combinations, contrast of darks and lights, exploration of dominance and subtlety, consideration of nuances of composition are all challenging. Of course, trying to take an original approach to the subject matter is especially important. Each painting presents its own challenges and is made up of a long ‘series of corrections’ until it is complete, interesting and satisfying.

Update! The Work of Grace Shaw held over until March 29th

Grace Shaw's beautiful painterly works are gracing our walls until the end of the month!

Her exquisite renditions of Parisian scenes and interiors make you feel like you are there experiencing it yourself. (Which I wish I was, after all it is almost spring, and what could be more lovely than April in Paris?)

Grace, who describes herself as self taught, has recently moved to Vancouver Island from the Okanagan. An active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, she describes herself as "Always chasing after that illusive light. Light which creates mystery and awe in everything it touches."