press release
Andrew Olscher Exhibit There is that old saying that goes, "April showers bring May flowers." In budding gardens around the county this spring will undoubtedly be no different than last, but this year joining nature in celebration of the season, Gallery on the Lake, near Buckhorn, will present a special exhibit of contemporary, expressionistic eco-scapes and landscapes by Canadian artist Andrew Neil Olscher.
Olscher, who lives near Stoney Lake, says that he hopes to bring a new perspective to local viewers who may be more familiar with traditional wildlife art. His large, brightly coloured and often highly textured canvasses have been shown and collected locally and internationally. "Having a contemporary style that moves a little closer to the abstract than reality gives me an opportunity to reach a lot more people. I find it very satisfying when two different people can look at a large painting of garden flowers and one tells me it reminds them of wild flowers they saw in a local garden and the other says it reminds them of their Caribbean vacation. To me that is what art is all about – having the freedom to interpret what you see and hopefully seeing something new every time you view the same painting," explains Olscher. At the show, which opens May 22nd and runs until June 11th, you can expect to see large canvasses of wild gardens and giant sunflowers that the artist says are often favoured by interior designers and corporations. Andrew also plans to show some smaller pieces that can accommodate just about any size of available wall space. "I really love working on the large pieces because they give me the freedom to use staining, large palette knives and brushes to create a really dramatic work, but finishing a smaller piece that can draw a viewer's eye into a smaller space can be just as challenging," he says. "My paintings are meant to celebrate nature and that's why I often use the term eco-scape to describe them. I don't really like to think of my work in terms of making a social or political statement. Hopefully my paintings bring some of that vivid, outdoor colour, texture and light indoors. In these troubled times I don't think being in tune with the beauty of our natural surroundings is such a bad thing," Olscher concludes. Gallery on the Lake is located 3 km east of Buckhorn on the south side of Highway 36 and is open seven days a week from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. You can meet the artist on Saturday, May 22nd from 12:00 to 5:00 pm. For more information: Tel: 705-657-1108 Fax: 705-657-7166 Toll Free: 1-888-242-7475 E-mail: info@galleryonthelake.com