Gordon Greenhough

Into the Spotlight

Opening reception October 4 2014.

The Pearl Ellis Gallery invites the public to attend an exhibition of Gordon Greenhough's paintings. The exhibit runs from September 28 to October 19 and showcases over twenty original watercolours on paper and seven acrylic canvases.

Gordon has been painting for over forty years primarily in Alberta and British Columbia. His water colours are a reflection of his solitary nature and deep appreciation for the quieter moments of life.

Since moving to the Comox Valley in 2004, Greenhough has taken his inspiration from images and scenes close to home. The Lazo Marsh Conservation Area has been a favourite muse. His work often shows a fascination for wetlands, plant growth, and the ferns and mossy areas of the forest. At different times of the year these scenes take on very different characteristics: colour, lighting and accessibility. This exhibition is primarily a compilation of his work done over the last four years. The most recent works are done with acrylic paint moving into a more impressionistic or abstract style.

Gordon says his intention is to draw the viewer into a particular space and share an experience or make a connection in some intimate way. "The contrast of the grand open skies of the foothills and the dense rain forests of Vancouver Island has enabled me to appreciate the play between light and shadow. I especially value the way a heavy canopy opening can spotlight a tiny leaf or send a shaft of light through to the forest floor."

The reflections in water and the challenges this provided in water colour painting inspired Gordon to create a number of harbour scenes in addition to those of the marshes and waterways. The textures of rust and peeling paint, the effects of salt water, sails and heavy rope influence his desire to precipitate pigments and stain paper in rich colour.

Gordon is a graduate of the University of Calgary where he pursued a career in the Fine Arts and Education. For 25 years Greenhough has shared creative enthusiasm with the young people of the Calgary system. More recently, Gordon has shown his work in Qualicum at the Old School House (2011), in Parksville at the Macmillan Arts Center (2011), and in Courtenay at the Comox Valley Art Gallery (2012). He showed his work there with two other local artists: Tony Martin and Clive Powsey.

The public is invited to the Pearl Ellis Gallery to meet and talk to the artist on Saturday, October 11 from 2 PM to 4 PM.