Kirsten Brand

Update: Kirsten Brand in 2020
The Chapel Gallery was looking forward to the opening of Kirsten Brand’s exhibition “Renewal” on Saturday
April 18th. As a result of the pandemic and the temporary closure of The Chapel Gallery, curator Jill Ehlert has created this extensive online exhibition. See "Renewal" at the following link: http://jillehlert.com/kirsten-brand

Beloved St Mary’s Lake, Oil on canvas, triptych 24x72 in, 1997

Explorations: Past, Present and Future
Kirsten Brand at the Gage Gallery,
May 8 - May 26, 2018
Reception: Saturday May 12, 1-4 pm.

Kirsten Brand’s artistic explorations began at an early age. Her parents were classical musicians and supported their daughter's burgeoning creativity. They framed one of her first remarkable watercolours - painted at age five in 1950. The inscription, written by her father, praises “Kirsten’s awareness of colour and freedom of expression".

By age 16, Brand was conducting art classes at her Vancouver home. Her neighbours, artists Charles Stegeman and Francoise Andre, encouraged her painting career. In 1961, Brand won the William Townsend scholarship and attended the Banff School of Fine Arts. In 1963, Stegeman began teaching at the Chicago Institute of Art. He invited Brand to study at the Institute. Already enrolled in a nursing program, Brand reluctantly declined the offer.

Drawing #6, Gouache & ink, 14x14 in, 1982

Drawing #7, Gouache & ink, 14x14 in, 1982

Brand’s busy nursing career included leading groups in music and art therapy. During this time, she continued taking art classes and exhibiting, experimenting with watercolour, oil paint, acrylic, oil pastels and charcoal drawings. From 1978-1981, she attended the Victoria College of Art (VCA). Her teachers included Jack Wise, Fleming Jorgensen, Jim Gordaneer and Bill Porteous.

Brand recalls painting outdoors with both Jack Wise and Fleming Jorgensen. Jorgensen encouraged a playful experimental approach to painting and conducted watercolour classes in Ross Bay Cemetery. Jack Wise asked his students to “leave your egos at the door” and created a meditative atmosphere in the classroom. Brand fondly remembers Jack Wise and his “finding a rock” exercise. After finding a rock, he asked his students to visualize climbing around that pebble. Their investigative journey began, exploring all the cracks, crevasses, contours and colours of the chosen stone. The students recorded their findings using gouache on thick cotton rag papers. “We had a wonderful time," she says, "creating unique and imaginative works.”

Dancing Squares, Acrylic on canvas, 36x36 in, 1982.

Transition, Acrylic on canvas, 36x36 in, 1991.

Bill Porteous was a supportive and inspirational teacher, recalls Brand. He encouraged explorations of mediums and methods. Charcoal, graphite and paint were used for figurative and abstract works. Life drawing included live models and statuary. Instruction in abstraction focused on colour theory, and the integration of shapes, forms and colour to create balance and harmony.

“Kirsten was a very enthusiastic and focused student,” recalls Bill Porteous. Her instructors noticed her potential to excel as an artist. Looking at Dancing Squares (above) Porteous notes a similarity to Joseph Kyle’s “overall geometric abstractions” that focused on a complete viewing experience instead of individual elements. (Kyle was Director of the VCA at the time.) Nine years later in Transition Porteous sees Brand’s shifting focus from abstraction into landscape. “Her current artwork is very detailed and layered,” he says, “the natural elements of flora and fauna are arranged in coherent compositions derived from sustained observation.”

Reflecting Something Higher, Oil on canvas, diptych 30x60 in, 1999

VCA’s director Joseph Kyle was Brand’s third year instructor. (Kyle’s powerful originals appeared at the AGGV’s "Beyond the Edges: Art & Geometry” exhibition.) He encouraged his graduating students towards geometric abstraction. For these classes, Brand recalls spending hours measuring out grids for her pen on paper abstractions. When completed, these precise linear drawings produced unique optical effects.

Joseph Kyle’s son Paul Kyle is an international art dealer based in Vancouver. Pure abstraction is the main focus of his gallery Elan Fine Art. Viewing Drawing #6, he praises the work as having the essential qualities of great art: sensitivity, coherence, elegance and honesty. “Good art improves with viewing and takes time to reveal its mystery and meaning,” he says. An artist must have genuine vision and advanced technical skills to reach this level, he adds.

Breakwater Series #2, Oil on canvas, 30x30 in, 2006?

Breakwater Series #8, Acrylic on canvas, 16x20 in, 2006

Kirsten Brand is much inspired by the Salish Sea and inland lakes. Her family cabin at St Mary’s Lake on Salt Spring Island offers water views and reflective pools. In the Breakwater series, the jutting pier and rough hewn boulders are viewed from many angles. Ocean vistas recall the glistening stillness of a summer day.

Bloom, Acrylic on canvas, 36x40 in, 2012

Spring Moment in Abkhazi Gardens, Acrylic on panel, 24x30 in, 2012

Bloom (2012) is another transitional painting, with the ghosted form of a woman emerging from a gigantic bloom. “This was a time when I felt like I was coming into myself, emerging as an artist,” she says. The beauty of local gardens shines through in Spring Moment in Abkhazi Gardens, completed the same year.

Ocotillo in Bloom, Acrylic & Chalk Pastel on paper, 10x10 in, 2015

Palm Oasis, Acrylic & Chalk Pastel on paper, 10x10 in, 2015

For the past 15 years, Brand and her husband have explored the Southern US. Each spring, they meander through Georgia O’Keeffe country, the Sierra Nevada, Joshua Tree Park and Sonoran Desert. The sweeping vistas, dramatic mountain terrain, and blooming desert ignite Brand’s sensibilities. “I am always delighted by the life and colour found in a desert landscape,” she says. Visit Brand’s website at Studio 222 to see a wide range of artworks by this prolific and talented artist.

Desert Spring, Acrylic & Chalk Pastel on canvas, 40x60 in, 2017

Small Desert Treasures #2, Acrylic & mixed media, 12x12 in, 2017

Butterfly Oasis, Acrylic on canvas, 24x24, 2017

Calling all Bees, Acrylic on canvas, 24x24 in, 2018

Using a camera to capture the scenery, she takes meticulous care in the studio to reinvent the visual experience. An expert colourist, she strives to reproduce the exact values of the flora and fauna. Many layers of paint build up the cropped compositions that allow the eye to focus on details of the plants and flowers. Looking closely at a large painting like Yucca in Bloom, reveals a range of shapes, forms, tones and textures that heighten visual interest.

Victoria Bloom #2, Acrylic on canvas, 24x24 in, 2018

Yucca in Bloom, Acrylic on canvas, 30x24 in, 2017

The artist paints most days in her light filled studio to the sounds of classical music. She finds solace and inspiration in the myriad gifts of the natural world. Kirsten welcomes your interest in her artwork and can be reached at: [email protected].

Her website, studio222.ca, shows the diverse range of her artworks, many in collections in North America, Australia, Germany, Holland and England.

Explorations: Past, Present and Future continues until May 26.
Gage Gallery is located at 2031 Oak Bay Avenue.
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11am-5pm.

Kirsten with husband Ross Brand at the opening on May 12, 2018. Ross offered ongoing support for Kirsten's art career.
Sadly, Ross died in January of 2020 at age 78 after a short illness. He is much missed by family and friends.

Web Design, Content and Selected Photos
by Kate Cino

Kate previewed arts events for 18 years at Boulevard magazine.
She has a History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from UVic.