Last summer, Reza Doust went outside his Coquitlam basement studio and pitched his easel on the sidewalk.
He hadn't painted landscapes in 35 years and thought, since he lived in such a pretty neighbourhood — one that he and his family had resided in for the past 20 years — he would capture it on canvas over the course of several months as part of a new series.
Doust painted the large detached houses and manicured front yards of the people who lived around him on Baker Drive, a road that links Como Lake Avenue with Thermal Drive. He painted the intersection at Como Lake, Baker Drive elementary with its glorious mountain scene to the north, and his truck parked in the driveway.
His plein air presence caught the attention of many of his neighbours, who came out to inquire about his skill, and of students walking home from surrounding schools. "The younger kids were very excited," he said. "They asked me, 'Where do you live?' I said, 'I live right here!' We got to know each other very well."
In the 30 or so pieces he painted in the summer, fall and winter, the colours shift from bright hues — the clear blue sky, the freshly cut green grass — to oranges and browns on the autumn trees to darker shades.
And then white.
The snow storm that struck the Lower Mainland in December and January was especially gruelling for residents along Baker Drive — often referred to as "Blizzard Heights" — who had to shovel out from what seemed to be nearly double the amount of snow compared with the rest of central Coquitlam. The city snow plow packed up the white stuff so high on the street sides that sometimes only the roofs could be seen peeking above them.
The final image in Doust's collection is of the snow finally melting and of the road coming to light. "It was an interesting time to see it all change and to document it," he said.
On Wednesday, Doust will open his exhibit — aptly titled Painting the Neighbourhood — at the Silk Art Gallery in Port Moody, a display that runs until Feb. 28.
It's a small show given his international stature.
Doust started his art training — at the age of nine — in Esfahan, the historical capital of Iran. By 14, he was enrolled in the School of Fine Arts and working primarily with oil paints and inspired by the style of Vincent Van Gogh. A year later, Doust held his first solo show, at the Iranian & American Cultural Society, and at 15, his pieces were named the best at the National Exhibition for Young Artists in Tehran.
After he graduated with a bachelor of fine arts from Tehran University, Doust exhibited around the Persian Gulf region and Europe. But, to escape ongoing violence and persecution in his country, Doust and his family escaped in 1993 to Kuwait where he opened up contemporary art galleries. Four years later, they immigrated to Canada.
Doust last exhibited in 2011 at the Sultan Gallery in Kuwait and, last year, one of his works was featured at the Evergreen Cultural Centre as part of a Coquitlam 125 collectors' show.
Doust has a strong charitable side, too: Each Friday, he travels to Vancouver's downtown eastside to volunteer with low-income residents at the Carnegie Community Centre. An image of one of the alleys he passes by weekly is included in his new neighbourhood series.
• Painting the Neighbourhood runs at the Silk Art Gallery (2419 Clarke St.) from Feb. 1 to 28. Doust will be on site on Saturday at 3 p.m. and will demonstrate his skill on Feb. 11 from 3 to 5 p.m. Call 778-355-5399.
jcleugh@tricitynews.com
