'Prom Dress'
Glenda Leznoff
'Just Like a Dream'
Connie O'Connor
'Strawberry Moon'
Lisa Penz
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Painters Glenda Leznoff, Connie O’Connor & Lisa Penz's gestural & lyrical abstractions explore our romanticization of the past, place & dreams & how that influences our current reality.
Glenda Leznoff is a mixed media/collage artist & writer based in Vancouver. Her current work is inspired by wedding dresses, bouquets, love & the essence of summer gardens. After her mother's passing, Leznoff uncovered her 52 year old wedding dress - faded but still elegant, evoking a sense of innocence & optimism. In a world bombarded with stories about war, starvation, racism, & the devastation of climate change, Leznoff desires to connect to a time when we believed everything was possible, & to remember the best of times like a shimmering mirage. Her paintings are abstract & loose in style; collaging petals, seeds, leaves & rice papers with paint, charcoal & ink. The subtle suggestions of tulle, lace & flowers invite viewers to lose themselves in something dreamy & romantic, if only briefly. Leznoff revels in the fleeting ephemeralness of beauty, because it's what makes life exciting & extraordinary.
Connie O’Connor is a Vancouver based abstract artist. A former Nort Shore resident & West Vancouver high school teacher, her life changed in 2006 when a breast cancer diagnosis shifted her path. However, cancer opened new doors as her recovery plan included meditation & art therapy, leading to healing & an artistic career This collection of contemplative abstracts invites viewers on a journey to explore dreams, memories & time. Working intuitively, O’Connor starts with words on the canvas – mantras, dates, names – then she adds layers of paint, charcoal & other media in a dance with line, shape, colour & texture. Each canvas travels through drama & peace, much like the dream experience itself, as our brain sorts through the day’s events & washes away the detritus. O’Connor’s expressive work connects on a visceral level, allowing viewers to discover what emotions & memories lie beneath the surface for themselves.
Lisa Penz is an expressive artist based in West Vancouver. Her recent paintings explore themes of stability & the idea of "home" through the lens of the North Shore’s coastal landscapes. Penz draws upon her observations of the horizon of the ocean, seeing both constancy & change. The horizon line is always there, unmoving, but the ocean is never the same—its mood shifts with the weather, light & time of day. In her seascapes, Penz focuses on this balance. Employing a combination of expressive brushstrokes, texture building, moody colours & fine details, she captures nature’s dynamism anchored by a sense of stability, symbolized by the constant horizon line. Living on the North Shore, a place shaped by the ocean, Penz reflects on our relationship with nature & its influence on our emotions. Her art invites us to feel the unpredictable power of the waves & wind alongside the sense of belonging & home.
Artists Talk
Watch an engaging conversation with the artists as they share insights into their inspirations, processes, take a tour of the exhibition.
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