www.markpenneygallery.com

West Coast Troller by Rob Elphinstone
11″ x 17″ Oils on canvas, framed
$1000

This is a small ‘double ender’, a kind of wooden troller that was common among the fishermen in the area before the second world war. The small pilot house and trunk cabins gave way to larger west coast wheelhouses and increasingly larger hulled boats. These are still very seaworthy boats and it’s a great pleasure for me to see them actively fishing…. this is where wild pacific salmon come from.

Trail to South Beach by Rob Elphinstone
11″ x 17″ Oils on canvas, framed
sold (private collection)

An emotional depiction of a well known local spot. After seeing these specific locations while visiting the area many people are stuck by how well Rob’s paintings capture the essence of what it feels like to stand there. I find myself staring into the paintings in the same way I stare of into the view when I’m there.

The oil painting “Together” by Rob Elphinstone is featured on the cover of the summer issue of the Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine (CJRM).

CJRM is a peer reviewed medical journal that, since its inception in 1995, has always had a work of art with a rural theme and by a Canadian artist on its cover. They have had such artists as David Blackwood, Maud Lewis, Anne Meredith Berry and Bill Mason grace it’s covers.

The journal goes out to all of Canada’s 6000 rural doctors as well as to medical schools, hospitals and media. An on-line version of the publication is available on the Canadian Medical Association’s website.

Tofino Harbour by Rob Elphinstone
15″ x 30″ Oils on canvas, framed
$1600

Here we can see the various buildings, floathouses and boats in the bay as well as the Seafood and Shellfish processing plants that line the foreshore of Tofino Harbour. There’s always something going on in the busy harbour.

Pacific Rim Surfer by Rob Elphinstone
11″ x 17″ Oils on canvas, framed
$1000

The beaches of Pacific rRim National Park are some of the few places where you can surf in Canada. In recent years there has been a resurgence of local surf culture and growing number of surfers are traveling here to experience the cold water and large waves for themselves… you could live on the inside of the island your whole life and never see waves like these.

Lennard Island Lighthouse by Rob Elphinstone
11″ x 17″ Oils on canvas, framed
$1000

The lighthouses that dot the coast of Vancouver Island are distinctly recognizable ; anyone who has been to Cox Bay surely remembers this particular small island and ‘house.  This is a wonderfully uplifting depiction of that majestic candle left on for the fishermen and sailors approaching Tofino.

PRESS RELEASE

Fish, Ships, & Lost Treasures
Art Exhibition
March 6 – 16th, 2010

From Saturday, March 6th to Tuesday, March 16th, the Mark Penney Gallery in Ucluelet welcomes the whales with the Art Exhibition Fish, Ships, & Lost Art Treasures.
The gallery, located in Whiskey Landing, is “a place you discover by accident,” says owner, Mark Penney. “The gallery, like Ucluelet, is a real hidden gem.”
A gem of an art exhibition it will be with world renowned artists such as Canadian icon and National Gallery artist, Ken Kirkby, who was the first artist to have an unveiling in the House of Commons, Physicist and painter Rob Elphinstone, Charles Churchill Villiers and well known local artist, Marla Thirsk, are just a few of the acclaimed artists releasing new work.
Many know Marla’s work from her local mural work on the West Coast and as the creator of the ‘Art in the Gardens’ festival held each September at the Tofino Botanical Gardens, not to mention being a driving force behind ‘Artists-in-Action’ during the Whale Festival.
“I was really honored to be asked to showcase my new series at the Mark Penney Gallery,” says Thirsk. “This series, was inspired by old photographs from the 1930’s to 1960’s that my mother had. As my mum passed away 25 years ago, it will be quite a poignant moment for me.”
Modern artist Charles Churhill Villiers, son of famed inventor Amherst Villiers and relation to Lady Veronica Milner, regrets not being able to personally be at the show as he is beginning a gallery tour in England, “but my heart will be there.”
“The series that I will be showcasing at the gallery has not been seen before. I did the work, Mark printed it. I had the series framed, crated up and sent to England for an exhibition there, but it got lost in transit and traveled the high seas for awhile, before finally being returned to Vancouver Island, where they remained unopened and un-exhibited,” adds Villiers.
The irony of the exhibition’s name, Fish, Ships, & Lost Art Treasures, was not lost on Villiers.
“It seems appropriate,” says Charles. “I love Ucluelet and the West Coast…what a wonderful place to release my own lost treasure.”
Other artists include such famous names as Joan Larson, Peggy Burkosky, Bruce Muir, and more.
The Mark Penny Gallery will be open, 7 days per week, 10 am to 5 pm.
Free Admission. For more information, visit www.markpenneygallery.com for a full list/biography of artists, and a preview of some of the art.

Kunamokst, a collaborative mural project with paintings contributed by some 200 artists was unveiled recently. (recent post)

Rob Elphinstone is one of the participating artists. There are many talented artists from this region, what an interesting way to show them. Best, I felt is the meet the Artists page, a brilliant way of getting introduced to a few artists I wasn’t familiar with an reacquainted with some I hadn’t seen in some time.

Kunamokst – Coastal Inspirations Mural Mosaic Unveiling

Coast and Trees 12″x12″ Oils, plate 81 of Coastal Inspirations Mural Mosaic by Rob Elphinstone

For the last year and a half over 200 of some of Canada’s finest artists from along the west coast have collaborated to create a stunning 12 foot x 21 foot mural. The mural has been invited to be officially unveiled as part of the 2010 Winter Games. It is comprised of 231, 12 inch x 12 inch original paintings that when all the images are combined together a united image comes to life. There are no digital effects and the artists did not know each other or know what the united final image would be. It is a mural about unity through diversity – a great symbol of the Olympic ideals through art.

Kunamokst – Coastal Inspirations Mural Mosaic combines artists as young as 16 years old to artists as old as 91. Nanaimo artist, Rob Elphinstone, has contributed a piece entitled “Coast and Trees”. There are first nations artists, world renowned artists, French Canadian artists and artists from various regions along the coast. World renowned first nations artists like Roy Henry Vickers and April White contributed to the mural. As did Iconic Canadian artist Robert Bateman. Many other of the 200 artists, have been featured on the world stage as well. Special guests artists include California world renowned whale muralist WYLAND and California muralist Judy Baca.

Mural Links-
www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html

Winter Games web page
westvancouver.ca coverage of the mural

Kunamokst – Coastal Inspirations Mural Mosaic

Mural Unveiling Saturday, February 13th, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
West Vancouver Spirit Square – an official 2010 Celebration Site
West Vancouver Community Centre (Art Studio), 2121 Marine Drive, West Vancouver.
On Display from February 13th – February 28, 2010
10 AM – 5PM Daily, until 9PM Friday and Saturday.

Congratulations to all Island Artists who participated, among them: Rob Elphinstone, Elissa Anthony, Roy Henry Vickers, Gordon Henschel, Mark Hobson, Rohanna Laing, Peter Lawson, Martin Machacek, Christina Munck. What a great project

Patterns of the World, 2008, Oil on canvas 48”x36” (122cm x 91cm) by Rob Elphinstone.

Nanaimo Artist, Rob Elphinstone, Contributes to International Peace Art Exhibition at Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul, Turkey

“The Worldwide Artists for Peace International Art Action Project” was created in February 2008 as an artist initiative.

İSTANBUL, a city connecting two old continents with its wide cultural mosaics, has been chosen as the first art action exhibition location. 67 Artists from 26 countries will take part in the first Art Action for Peace, involving 7 visual art disciplines; painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, digital and performance.

Two Canadian artists will participate: Rob Elphinstone from Nanaimo and Gerard Kelly from Corner Brook, Ontario. The exhibition, consisting of visual fine arts exhibitions, video and performance, runs at three locations in Istanbul; Dolmabahçe Art Gallery, House of Photography, Istanbul Photography Center.
It begins on September 26 and runs to October 15, 2009.

For further information contact: http://afp-iaa.co.nr
Or by email: artactionistanbul@gmail.com

Details of the program can be found below and questions can be directed to:
Rob Elphinstone Phone 250-758-6344
email : robelphinstone@shaw.ca

More…

Mackenzie Beach by Rob Elphinstone
16″x20″ oils on canvas, framed.

sold (private collection)

A colorful, emotive, depiction of Mackenzie beach, and the rocks that are a distinct and identifiable landmark.

Mackenzie Beach by Rob Elphinstone

16″x20″ oils on canvas, framed.

$1000

The figures walking on the beach as well as the log establish the grand scale of Mackenzie Beach in this painting. Intertidal puddles form as the water recedes and visitors are drawn to walking along the waters edge.

Ucluelet Harbour by Rob Elphinstone

16″x20″ oils on canvas, framed.

$1000

The Lady Selkirk is known to a great many people because she’s a popular whale watching vessel operating out of Ucluelet harbour. The Selkirk, usually moored at Jamie’s in front of Whiskey Landing is part of the harbour view from the gallery. Identifiable also in this portrait is 52 steps and Neptune Packers behind it.

Tofino Docks by Rob Elphinstone
Oils on Canvas
20″ x 30″, framed
sold (private collection)

Tofino, like Ucluelet is still well connected to boating. Up until the road was put in from Port Alberni (1958?), these 2 coastal communities were only accessible by boat (and plane). As a kid I relished docklife here and up the coast. Rob’s dockside portrayal picks up on the feelings you experience standing there on the wharf.

Wild Pacific Trail by Rob Elphinstone
Oils on Canvas
16″ x 20″, framed
sold (private collection)

One of many reasons to visit Ucluelet is the Wild Pacific Trail. Spectacular viewpoints come at regular intervals along the 8 km trail on the outside of the peninsula. The light house loop segment offers glimpses of the the broken group islands, George Fraser, Crow Island, Jenny Reef and the stark contrast of an empty horizon.

Wikaninnish Centre by Rob Elphinstone
Oils on Canvas
16″ x 20″, framed
sold (private collection)

A distinct and recognizable landmark; the Wikaninnish Interpretive Centre has a very distinct roofline and is a familiar viewpoint to visitors of the Pacific Rim National Park. I recommend stopping by for pie and coffee, the view is spectacular.

Wild Pacific Trail by Rob Elphinstone
11″x20″ Oil Painting (framed)
sold (private collection)

A lively depiction of the broken group islands as viewed from the lighthouse at Amphitrite Point (the tip of Ucluelet’s Peninsula).

Long Beach by Rob Elphinstone

Oils on Canvas
11″x20″ (framed)
sold (private collection)

An actualist painting depicts the portion of an image that cannot be captured by photography, the emotive qualities of the scene. Wildly colored and heavily textured impasto is a signature of this widley appreciated artist.

Rob Elphinstone specializes in capturing the beauty of the Canadian west coast through his textured wild flowing landscapes. His art reflects the belief that our senses reveal only a shadow of what we truly experience. Rob believes that the beauty of a place is hardly ever replicated in a photo or a video. Our senses take in a fraction of what we perceive about the world. This tiny fraction is the shadow of what is really there.
Good art should not have to be about what the inner psyche experiences or displaying perfectly what is optically there but should be about the unseen reality that everyone feels. Every one of his art pieces reflects the premise that creative art stems from what is truly evident in nature rather than the shadow that can be photographed.
The term “Actualism art” is used to distinguish this art form from the emotionally based “expressionism” trend. Reality is more than just the sum our emotional impressions and the sense detection of an external scene. The realism art discipline attempts to capture the latter and expressionism the former.
Rob Elphinstone’s version of Actualism art allows that the observer can interpret the “actual” and create works that capture the essence of the observed in a fundamental way.
 The process of laying down textured brushstrokes helps capture the elusive nature so evident when we look outside. The textured brushstrokes give the paintings a unique look. This technique yields a complexity that mimics nature and that permeates every portion of the pieces he creates.  From a distance, the painting comes together through form as a coherent whole, but each portion catches the eye in a manner that draws the viewer into it.

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“… I see the Vincent influence, but your art evokes the brushwork of Soutine and I see  a distinct passionate style influenced by nature… This man’s art is going to find a huge public appreciation in the future.” – W. Matthews, a Vancouver collector

“His paintings radiate light from a hidden painful world, creating a natural atmosphere of intimacy. Combining thousands of colors in constant dynamism, sky, water and vegetation seem grouped to dance to the beat of your pulse, full of feelings and passions. His art is called “Actualism Art” as a testimony of a key reality that the author reflects in his work.”
Ricardo César Lescano Grosso, Art Critic, Argentina.

Selected Juried Exhibitions:
Artists for Peace, International Art Action, Dolmabahce State Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, 2009

Art on Record, APW Gallery, NYC, USA, 2009

VI International Festival of Experimental Art, Manege Museum of Contemporary Art, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2008.

American Sandwich, Piano Living Gallery, Lecce, Italy, 2008.
Smiles Exhibition, Royal Castle, Warsaw Poland, 2008.
NHU 25th Anniversary Fiesta, National Hispanic University, San Jose, USA, 2007.

Nuit Blanche, ACA Gallery, Toronto, Canada, 2007.
VIII International  “Dialogues” Biennial of Modern Art, Manege Museum of Contemporary Art,  Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2007. 

1st International Art Biennial of Sorocaba, Espaços Públicos da cidade de Sorocaba, Scorocaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2007.
Reflections, ACA Gallery, Toronto, Canada, 2006
Urban Eyes Art Exhibition, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo, Canada, 2006.
Landscapes and Timescapes, ACA Gallery, Toronto, Canada, 2006. 

 Global Fusion, Toronto Photographic Festival, ACA Gallery, Toronto, Canada, 2006.
Premio Internazionale D’Arte San Valentino, Vico del Gargano, Italy, catalogue, February 11-19, 2006.


 In the Footsteps of Jules Verne, Decourtenay  Galleries, Chatelet, Belgium, 2006

3º SALÃO OFICIAL DE ARTE DE CARAGUATATUBA, San Paolo, Brazil, 2006. |

LANDSCAPES,  Estense Castle, Ferrara, Italy, 2005
DIVINE CELEBRATIONS OF SPIRIT, ACA Gallery, Toronto, Canada, 2005.

TESTOSTERONE – A MAN’S TRADE, Covent Garden Fine Art Gallery, Wellington, Canada, 2005

Feature Artist, Oakleaf Gallery, Chemainus, Canada, 2005.

Open House, Studio 737, Tweed, Canada, 2005.
Feature Artist, Fat Cat Fine Art, Victoria, Canada 2005.

I know and respect each of the artists represented in the gallery, some I have worked with for many years, others have come to know me recently, through the gallery. I try not to limit the works to any specific genre, scale or medium despite my own personal biases.

It’s an absolute pleasure to admire, display, reproduce, sell artwork that I’m genuinely enthusiastic about.

Many visitors are amazed to learn how many artists are from Vancouver Island or who travel here to paint, study, vacation and sometimes to disappear for a while.

Charles Villiers seldom offers explanation of his work. He prefers to remain a bit of a mystery, leaving the viewer to form their own opinions of his art. Prolific painter, sculptor and more recently digital media artist, he’s made a transition that many artists struggle with; the process of making your art in different mediums without loosing your style. Somehow even highly technical compositions retain a bit of the innocence of his earlier figurative and nonobjective works. It’s not unlike the way you can still sometimes see the boy within a man.

Ken Kirkby is renowned at an internal level as a decisive canadian painter, he has a distinct graphic style formed by many bush miles. His paintings depict a minimal stillness not unlike other noted canadian realists. He’s a very passionate man who has a dedication to making an impact as an artist that goes well beyond painting.

Rob Elphinstone is a physicist whose area of expertise is the study of the northern lights. I find it fascinating that his work to quantify something ethereal is also reflected in his art, he’s an actualist painter and his paintings depict his experience, not technically what he saw.

Marla Thirsk – is known as Ucluelet’s artist, and I’d have to say she’s so much more. Almost every art event, function, group in the area has benefited directly from Marla’s help. The Whale Festival posters have been a calling card of hers for years. I’m pleased to have several exciting work of hers.

Jeff Edwards – a well known sculptor, and a well liked crab fisherman. Jeff chooses his stone from local area quarries, his works are highly prized. His enchanting bears, and marine mammals are well liked and collected, I’m happy to be showing several of Jeff’s figures, and shapes.

Joan Larson – renowned for her equine (horse) Illustrations, she works almost exclusively in pastels. We’re very pleased to showcase several of her local landscapes, and look forward her RCMP Musical Ride Series.

Peggy Burkosky – Known as a advanced watercolorist, Peggy is an capable painter in any medium. Her paintings have a sincerity about them, a true reflection of her island life. Sea scape scenes often include her daughter, family, or Bob’s fish boat, they are stunning paintings and portraiture. She teaches her secrets at the Old School House in Parksville.

Richard Hoedl – An accomplished painter, his bright whimsical style catches alot of attention. Richard paints in a walnut based oil on deep streched canvas.

Terry Jackson is a Metis artist working in carved wood, silver and cast porcelain. His contemporary use of materials lends a refreshingly clean look to his culturally based works. The porcelain is highly collectible, and the silver reflects an intrinsic value. Terry’s woodwork ranges from masks and wall panels to commissioned totem poles.

Jacqueline Windh, a Tofino based photographer, is well known for captivating seascapes and wildlife. Her work is frequently published and she regularly contributes to CBC Radio.

Nigel Brooks Peer is an art photographer of a different kind, he’s well travelled has worked in several genres, and is fascinated with reflections. He’s formed a style of his own in multiple image exposures, juxtaposing images, often on first blush they’re seemingly unrelated subjects, but subtle cultural refrences emerge to poke at your conceptions of art and photography.