French show coming to Studio 2880
Cher French opens her latest art show this afternoon.
French, who is sometimes known by the moniker “Cfree”, has a widespread presence in the local art world and that gets enhanced with a solo exhibition opening today at the Studio 2880 Feature Gallery (2880 15th Avenue).
“She brings this whimsical, bright, colourful imagery,” said Lisa Redpath, program manager for the Community Arts Council, proprietors of the arts complex. “She’s quite prolific. I’m very impressed by her many styles and the volume of her high-quality work over the years. She seems like an endless source of artistic inspiration.”
It is always a mixture of visual effects when French shows a collection of her work. Sometimes cartoonish and childlike, sometimes dark and brooding, sometimes with flourishes of steampunk images or zen tangles, sometimes clearly realistic and sometimes abstract, her work routinely grabs the eye and compels the viewer to walk right up for a closer look.
Her works have been featured at Ridge Side Art, at the annual Studio Fair show and sale, in the artistic window display at SpeeDee Printers, she is an active member of the PG Artists Workshop group based at Studio 2880, and she is the artist featured in the year-long display throughout the fifth floor of City Hall.
Redpath was well aware of French’s reputation and the way the paintings were popular with viewers, but she also surmised that French was the kind of artist who would embrace the new way exhibitions are launched at Studio 2880. Now, the artist starts their show off with a live demonstration at the Feature Gallery so the public can watch the process and talk freely with the artist as it is underway. French was game. “The new format is working out fantastically, having the live painting demo on the opening day,” said Redpath. “Our last artist, Geoff Brasier, really took to it. He actually came back to the gallery a few times during the run of his show. That connection it makes with the public, and the confidence it gives the artist makes it a real win-win.”
French’s work will be up at the Studio 2880 Feature Gallery until Oct. 9. The show opens today at 2 p.m. with French on-site doing live artwork. At 5 p.m. refreshments will be served. The painting and mingling continues until 7 p.m.