Detail: The Cedar, acrylic on canvas, 12x16 in, 2021.

Anna B Grant presents
Alone with Trees
at the Gage Gallery June 1-20, 2021

​Alone with Trees, Grant’s solo show at the Gage Gallery, presents a unique vision of BC’s coastal landscapes. Drawn in by the lush colours and flowing textures, the viewer must interpret the subtext of these surreal environments. Visual story-telling abounds in Grant’s imaginative other-worldly vistas. We ponder our whereabouts and the events unfolding in the strange scenarios. But soon realize that the narrative thread connecting the artworks Involves relationships: to the land and each other.

Reflection, acrylic on board, 30x40 in, 2021.

Evening on Vancouver island, acrylic on canvas, 36x48, 2021.

Anna B Grant (formerly Curtin) has a Fine Arts Diploma from the Vancouver Island School of Art (VISA) and a Masters in Fine Art with a Distinction in Painting from the University of Gloucestershire, UK. While at VISA she took a course called Expanded Field with abstract painter Wendy De Gros. De Gros mentors artists and students privately, as well as teaching classes at VISA. “These new works are a culmination of Anna’s memories and sensory physical relationship to nature,” she says. De Gros views the discordant colours and unique compositions as an expression of concern for irreplaceable habitats. She applauds Grants’s technical expertise with materials and innovative use of contemporary colours.

A New Land, acrylic on canvas, 10x10 in, 2021.

The Tree, acrylic on canvas, 6x6 in, 2021.

As a child, Grant was nourished in an artistic home, and grew up close to nature. Summers were spent off the grid at Lake of the Woods (Ontario) or Sakinaw Lake north of Vancouver. For the past 30 years, she’s explored the west coast of Vancouver Island by kayak. Her favourite destinations are Kyuquot Sound and Broken Group Islands. She’s inspired by the colours and textures of land and sea. “I recall seeing a ridge of mountains at dusk,” Grant says, “glowing with a brilliant violet hue.” Out paddling, one tree can be silhouetted in the distance and thin islands stretch out along the horizon line. The artist believes the natural world is alive with an energetic force that can sustain and nurture. She brings these memories and emotions to her paintings.

Grant refers to her memories and emotions as self-generated and complex. “You have to manage yourself,” she says, “by telling yourself the right stories - so you can carry on.” This painter lives alone, she adds, surrounded by the isolation of Covid-days. Grant acknowledges that her paintings show the “strangeness of our times” but also the beauty. She wants her collectors to be comfortable with these images, as well as inspired by their visual metaphors and multiple meanings.

Two Peaks, acrylic on board, 9x12 in, 2021.

Linked, acrylic on board, 12x16, 2021

Many artworks in the show are called “pour paintings”. They are visual puzzles comprised of individual “pours” of acrylic paint. Like a chemist in a laboratory, Grant combines acrylic flowing hues in a container. The liquid is poured onto plastic sheets, allowed to dry for 24 hours, then carefully peeled off. These organic shapes with swirling veins of colour like magma are positioned on a canvas support. Her shifting shapes make reference to our changing environment. The pour pieces are tacky, so can be manipulated like collage pieces while deciding on a composition.
“I was going to call this The Sticky Show,” laughs the artist.

Alone with Trees, acrylic on canvas, 18x36 in, 2021.

​Alone with Trees is one of two large acrylic paintings in the show. The painting began as an abstraction until various shapes began to emerge. Grant’s painterly skills composed a richly diverse forest understory, tightly cropped. She positions herself as a solitary figure in the forest, looking outwards. An indistinct blue-gray horizon adds depth and suggests a distant lake. Delightful details enliven Alone with Trees. Snow berries dot the canvas and feathery ferns sport several shades of green. Grant brought ferns and arbutus leaves into her studio for visual accuracy. “I even painted a green tone on one arbutus leaf to make sure it matched,” she says.

Salish Sea, acrylic on canvas, 16x20 in, 2021.

The Cedar, acrylic on canvas, 12x16 in, 2021.

Anna B Grant joined the Gage Gallery in June 2020. She relishes being part of an arts collective that supports and inspires one another. “Art making is solitary,” she says, “so I’ve gained friends and good reasons to stay on track for deadlines.” The convivial artist enjoys gallery sitting and working on the marketing committee. Grant is excited about Gage Gallery’s move downtown to Bastion square. “The gallery will be accessible to a broader audience of art-lovers,” she says. The first show at 19 Bastion Square opens June 29. Laura Feeleus and Elizabeth Carefoot present Vivid Connections. Grant’s first solo show at Gage Gallery coincides with their last show at the Oak Bay Location. A great way to celebrate the gallery’s 7-year success is to attend this grand finale. Visitors can enjoy the hospitality while viewing the fascinating creations of Anna B Grant.​

​Gage Gallery Arts Collective,
2031 Oak Bay Ave, Victoria, V8R 1E5, 250 592-2760 
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11:00 - 5:00   
Sundays, 12:00 - 4:00. 

Artist in Attendance:
June 1, 11:00 - 2:00
June 3, 5, 8, 12, 18, 2:00 - 5:00
June 20, 12:00 - 4:00
​
Email: ​[email protected].
Visit her website here
 2017 Studio Visit here
​​Video with Efren here

Below: Opening Day June 1 and the show looks fantastic! Efren Quiroz came for a video chat. Friends brought flowers.

​​Web Design and Content by Kate Cino
Arts writer published in Focus on Victoria, Yam and Boulevard. 
History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from 
​the University of Victoria
​
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​[email protected]  250 598-4009