Is Maggie White seeing red, feeling the blues or just plain rockin' it?
It appears to be all three as the Port Moody painter opens an exhibit of new and retrospective works at the Port Moody Arts Centre on Thursday.
Forthe show, White will install 50 watercolour, acrylic, oil and charcoal images - most of which have never been displayed publicly - from about nine series. There are landscapes and florals and pigeons, "you know, things that are West Coast-ishy," said the English native who has called Port Moody home for 32 years.
White credits her grandmother - a well-known artist - for guiding her future career, often leading the child on field trips to sketch and paint. And the art gene was passed down, as both White's mother and daughter also like to create but prefer to use clay astheir medium, she said.
Looking back over 25 years worth of paintings, White can see how her style has evolved. Back then, she was more exact with representation; however, over time, the designs -especially with the rocks and shells series - have become "more spare and personal. The rocks are more abstract. It's more about the shapes and colour and texture."
A past president of the Port Moody Art Association and a former regional director of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, White said she has also changed her painter's stance since a recent car accident. These days, White uses an easel rather than bending over a table.
As well, White feels her time has become more relaxed with her retired husband at home. In the past, she kept a 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule in the studio, "which is always a good discipline to have," the art instructor said.
The opening reception for Maggie White'sSeeing Red, Feeling the Blues & Rockin' Itis Thursday, April 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Port Moody Arts Centre (2425 St. John's St.). The display closes May 8. Visit pomoarts.ca.
