Visually Linda Anderson’s paintings have a textural feel somewhere between pointillism and stained glass. She has created a process where she uses only vertical brush strokes and the effect, if viewed up close, looks like square pixels of colour.
“It creates a whole new dynamic of movement,” said Anderson. “Even though it is directional your eye moved through the painting.”
She’s on to something. From her research so far she hasn’t found anyone painting in quite the same manner and she calls it “a bridge between realism and abstraction.”
But, you would never know it from a distance. She selects the same landscapes and subject matter she would paint with her more traditional methods, but applies a grid to those she wants to become vertical art.
She first used the technique while teaching an art class. She wanted the grid to help the students focus on the value structure of their work. The grid keeps the brush strokes uniform in width and through glazing of the piece with transparent acrylics different hues and values are created.
The process starts with a tonal under painting, the grid is applied and the downward strokes used to apply the paint. The result is impressionistic painting full of life and light. It’s not what you see initially but what you see later.
Anderson grew up in Sooke and started out her creative life as a commercial artists before switching to fine art. She attended art school in Victoria, took courses from everyone and joined the Federation of Canadian Artists to gain access to the top instructors.
“Having the life of an artists is a wonderful feeling where you get to paint and create something that is you, and to come up with something uniquely you is amazing,” said Anderson. “I’ve captured colour the way I see it, it’s unique to me and I’m really pleased to come to it.” (www.vertical-art.ca)
Anderson’s painting in her vertical art style will be shown at the Coast Collective Gallery at Havenwood in Colwood from July 3 to 14. She is sharing the space with Sidney artist Odette Laroche (www.odettelarochegallery.com). Anderson said Laroche’s paintings are “big and strong.”
“I stuck to the smaller works as they stood well beside hers.”
Bold Living Paintings show between 12 and 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday at the gallery located at 3221 Heatherbell Road in Colwood. More information at: www.coastcollective.ca