Avis Rasmussen
Rheinland ‘Plein Air’ Paintings
October 1 – 22, 2011
At 2260 Oak Bay Avenue
OPENING RECEPTION
SATURDAY OCTOBER 1, 2011 1PM-5 PM
Avis Rasmussen in attendance
Elizabeth Ely, harpist; Karel Roessingh, pianist
Avis Rasmussen is a Victoria artist and print-maker of national significance who carries a West Coast narrative to her 'plein air' painting. Rasmussen completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction in painting in 1979, and her Masters in Art Education in 1982. She has been advocating her whole life for the arts community in Victoria through a variety of organizations, in her capacity as a mentor to a younger generation of artists. Rasmussen has won international status at the Pretoria International exhibition (2000); at the International School of Drawing, Painting, Sculpture exhibition in Montecastello di Vibio (2003), and at an international exhibition in Hastings, New Zealand (2006). Her paintings are in collections, both public and private, world-wide. Rasmussen attracts collectors with an interest in her narrative approach to colour and light. Her most recent Rhineland Plein Air Paintings explore the narrative of sites from Zurich and Strasbourg south along the river through Speyer, Heidelberg Schloss, Rudesheim, Mainz, Coblenz, Cologne, and finally the Amsterdam canals.
Avis Rasmussen travelled on water, on the new river boat Felicity, along the Rhine River. Taking her eye in July, 2011, to the places along the river, an ancient trade corridor, one of the heartlands of Europe; she returned to places she visited at the beginning of her artistic life. From past travels during commutative times, fair Rhineland riverside, or a city monument, the embankment and canal, river industry, cathedrals, this where a Canadian artist paints the reminiscent old world. She has worked to capture the architectural shapes under summer sunlight and shadow. Through Avis Rasmussen's eye you can see how these places are distinguished in a completely refreshing way, and translated into painted form.
Roland Rasmussen