OPENS Aug 19th - Sept 7th
Come and look with us. Through portraits and figurative works, this exhibition explores the connection between artist and subject. Each work began with a shared moment of observation, trust, and presence, preserving a fleeting encounter. More than a likeness, these works seek to reveal the individuality, emotion, and humanity of each subject. As they meet your gaze, we invite you to pause, explore these moments, and discover the connection that extends from artist to subject, and from the artwork to you.
EVENTS:
Artist pARTy: August 22nd, 6-8pm. Please join us!
LOOKING OUT, LOOKING IN
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The figure paintings represent my west coast life. Beach , Snow , Ocean and community,, a classic Legion party. The subjects are a mix of family and friends that complete my left coast life.
The Face Changer series represents change of emotions. How everything can shift in a split second, a smirk to a laugh , quietly listening to untapped rage. combining the viewer's motion to interact with works emotional change makes the viewer part of the work.
ARTIST BIO:
Matt Vyner is an emerging acrylic painter based on Bowen Island, British Columbia. His long term passion for skateboarding and snowboarding have had a strong influence on his artistic style. Matt's recent expansion into multi dimensional paintings has opened a new door of his work. Using bright and bold colours to create a dream-like feel is a common theme in his paintings. . .
Matt Vyner Artist Statement
Stuart Slind
Artist Statement
What makes portrait painting so fascinating to me is that as an artist you are first of all dealing with all the complexities of art as a craft. By which, I mean using a set of learned techniques that one has spent years in developing. This is the technical side of art, which has to be (unfortunately) very precise in rendering a realistic portrait. After this you are faced with a greater challenge. What are the important details of the sitter that will convey their uniqueness as an individual. What parts do I focus on and emphasize? Would greater detail add to the painting or would it be a distraction and how do I bring the various elements into a comprehensive whole?
If that isn’t hard enough you are also attempting to render the more ephemeral spiritual side of the person. Trying to see them as something that is greater than the sum of their parts.
A uniqueness that is theirs alone.
ARTIST BIO
Stuart Slind is a Canadian painter who currently lives on Bowen Island. He paints landscape, still life and portraits. He Studied at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and the Seattle Academy of Realist Art. His work explores themes of intimacy and connectedness to the world around us. The style and mood of his paintings are rooted in the artistic traditions of northern Europe.
He has exhibited at the Bau-Xi gallery in Vancouver and Toronto, as well as galleries across Europe.
Heather Wilkinson
Artist Statement
Painting in mostly watercolour and some acrylics and oils, Heather discovered that painting moments of beauty..faces, flowers, landscapes, abstracted landscape was something that gave her great satisfaction. Sharing these with others has also been a great joy for her. She started at age 64 with watercolour, mostly portraits, and was surprised and thrilled to find a gift there that she hadn’t known before. During Covid time she painted many flowers and landscapes. In Mexico she painted oils and a participated in a group mural project. Most recently she has studied abstracted landscape acrylics and plein aire painting in France with Alison Watt. In 2024, she studied watercolour, in Venice, with Watercolourist Mary Whyte.
ARTIST BIO:
Heather is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists has exhibited her paintings at the Federation’s Granville Island Gallery online exhibitions many times.
She has exhibited at Whytes Gallery in Comox, oftentimes at the Pearl Ellis, at the Comox Valley Art Gallery Christmas event and Comox Community Centre. Her paintings have also been exhibited at various restaurants and cafes (Mudsharks, the Naam, the Hub, Broken Spoke, The Bayside and others) and she currently has several paintings on display at Comox Avenue Dental and at Dreamlife Mattress Company on Ryan Road in Courtenay. In Mexico, Heather has participated in many Art walks and in local exhibitions at the La Manzanilla Gallery and Galeria Amiga in Melaque.
By Madi Boniface for The UndercurrentLooking Out, Looking In is the latest exhibition at The Hearth Gallery on Bowen Island. Thi show features portraits by artists Stuart Slind, Matt Vyner and Heather Wilkinson and explores what we observe about each other, on and below the surface. The exhibition will be up from August 19th to September 7th. The artist party is August 22nd from 6pm-8pm.
Stuart Slind is a Bowen Island artist who specialises in portraits. Unlike many other portrait artists, Stuart often conjures the subject of his paintings from his imagination, sometimes combining the features of multiple different people to make up one face. Stuart creates these pieces using oil paint and often references historic figures or features. Through this process, archetypes emerge, organising the chaos of humanity into the organized template of the face.
His work concerns itself with perspective, looking at both how we see each other and how we see ourselves through others and our art. Stuart invites you to pause and consider the brush strokes that make up these visages and remark on the time, energy and struggle that goes into each piece.
Matt Vyner is an emerging Bowen Island artist who creates energetic abstract pieces. Matt’s art work draws on pop art and comic books; it features bright colours, dynamic compositions and geometric shapes. His paintings take on an almost 3D element as he uses creases and multiple canvases to fracture and distort his paintings. For this show, Matt ventures into the world of portraiture and creates remarkable faces that shift and morph depending on how you look at them. Each tiny change creates a big emotion. Matt’s work operates as a form of augmented reality as features and expressions are exaggerated and exist simultaneously on one figure. He hopes that viewers are energized by his works and are reminded of the fun of creating art.
Heather Wilkinson is an artist who currently lives in Courtney on Vancouver Island. Heather began her painting journey at the age of 63 and was inspired to create portraits after painting her great niece. For Heather, painting is born out of a great love for her subject matter. She endeavors to connect to each face, landscape, flower and object she paints. She explores these various personalities through the mediums of water colour, acrylic and oil paint. In this upcoming show, Heather’s portraits demonstrate the various people that she has encountered on her travels. She invites the viewer to connect with the personality and presence of the people in each painting, especially their joy and humanity.
Come see these three artists as they tackle portraiture in their own distinct styles. What draws us to each other and how do we see ourselves in others? Look outward and inward in this exhibition at The Hearth.