Arriving at last Wednesday’s Opening Reception at Port Moody Arts Centre rather late I found myself talking to Vancouver artist Jeff Wilson, and didn’t have time to pay attention to the other two shows that evening. I’ll pop back down soon – that’s the advantage of arranging to have an Arts Centre open two blocks from my home.

Jeff lives and works in the heart of Vancouver’s gritty Downtown Eastside. He photographs ‘the urban landscapes and the eclectic mix of people who live and work in the neighbourhood. Then, rather than try to capture the moment there and then in paint, he uses these spontaneous images as the basis for his striking realistic paintings, rendering them in bold, energetic colours. I loved the Impressionists and their practice of painting in situ and have frowned on folks who ‘cheated’ by taking a photograph. Silly me. I have to say that Jeff Wilson’s paintings, others of which I’ve seen before in this gallery, really grabbed me and I walked around the emptying space photographing his work (with permission). Read his Artist’s Statement for his explanation of his methods and intentions.

I enjoyed meeting Jeff and his wife and hearing about living in the downtown eastside and some of his adventures as an artist. He has enjoyed Art Residencies in Shetland and Glacier National Park, BC, as part of Canada’s 150th Anniversary Celebrations. I believe there is a residency coming up in Saskatchewan. That will surely provide him with a totally different set of ideas for paintings.

The Art Centre’s main gallery is a very good setting for these paintings. Do pop in there one day before April 26th and enjoy these striking images. You might even want a colourful slice of Vancouver in your home!

The link below is from the East Side Culture Crawl website and gives a good biography of Jeff.

https://culturecrawl.ca/artists/jefwilsonart

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