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.