Coquitlam painter Amy Thompson has always enjoyed escaping the hustle and bustle of city life with summer trips up to Widgeon Falls.
But it was during a visit two years ago that the Dr. Charles Best secondary grad saw the rural landscape in a different way.
Thompson had snapped a few photos of the area near Pitt Lake and, when she returned home later and downloaded her digital images, she magnified the glacier waters to discover new layers of colours and patterns. "It was almost like I was looking at an abstract painting," Thompson said.
A 2008 graduate of Emily Carr University of Art + Design, in Vancouver, Thompson began to interpret her scenes for a new acrylic series. Tomorrow (Thursday), she will unveil her Waters of Widgeon Creek collection in her first solo show at Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam).
Thompson will display five pieces - measuring 48 by 64 inches each - in the Maillardville facility's Leonore Peyton Salon, until June 6. And she hopes the paintings "will give people an appreciation for the beauty that we see in nature. There's more than meets the eye: There's detail to be seen when we take the time... and see what's at our back door," she said.
Meanwhile, also opening on Thursday night in the Atrium Gallery is Last Night I Dreamed, an oil on canvas series by Ann Willsie, and in the Mezzanine Gallery is the mixed media collection Tag, You're It! by Joy Kirkwood.
Kirkwood is the facility's artist-in-residence and will host a community banner workshop at the opening receptions as well as on Family Day at PdA on April 19, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
