Event Info
ESCAPES: James Ascher
The Victoria Arts Council is very excited to announce a renewed partnership with...
Event Description
The Victoria Arts Council is very excited to announce a renewed partnership with the McPherson Playhouse! VAC Members will now have their visual art showcased in the Gallery located on the mezzanine level. New paintings by VAC Artist Member, JAMES ASCHER, is the first showcase!
** This exhibition is accessible only with tickets to scheduled performances taking place at the McPherson Playhouse**
Artist Statement: I attempt to connect my inner landscape of emotions, dreams, and memories with nature and our treatment of the environment. Starting with preliminary sketches done on-site, and then using oil paint, I enjoy simplifying an image into its basic shapes and colours, reveling in the wonder. These works are meant to be a reminder of our own inner children, and act as a record of the intense beauty and delicacy of the place we call home.
About the Artist: James Ascher is a painter who lives and works in Victoria, BC. He grew up in Southern Ontario where his parents’ separation found him moving to Brantford. Feeling out of place and struggling to fit in led to a love of comic books. This sparked a deep passion for drawing and it became clear that art was all he wanted to do. James is mostly self-taught yet he had some informal training as a child by his grandparents in colour theory, perspective, and some design principals. His aunt, Claudine Ascher, is a Montreal sculptor and also taught James in sculpture and studio practice. James explored several artistic outlets but it wasn’t until the death of a close friend in 2001 that he chose oil painting as his primary medium. This launched him into a journey of shape and colour that continues today; James strives to show through his work the true interconnectedness of our existence in the world.
THE VICTORIA ARTS COUNCIL is a non profit arts service organization established in 1968 to support the production and promotion of the arts in the Victoria region. The VAC operates a network of professional and community galleries as well as
partners with performing and literary arts organizations. With a membership of 400 artists, and an estimated audience of close to two million annually, the VAC is among the most active arts groups on Vancouver Island. This showcase of work by VAC member, James Ascher, is the first in a renewed partnership with The Royal & McPherson Theatres Society. The VAC will present two exhibits yearly through Gallery at the MAC, highlighting art by emerging artists from the region.
Venue
3 Centennial Sq
since 1914