Vigorous Urban Oil Paintings from an Artist with an Intimate Relationship with the City Street

    VANCOUVER, BC, May 30, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- An exhibition of Leanne Christie's large urban paintings will run from the 6 June 2015 until the 3 July 2015 at the Viridian Gallery, Coal Harbour, Vancouver. Christie is a unique artist, her streetscapes are almost completely derived from her daily bicycle commute from the developing Coquitlam to her studio in Vancouver's intensely urban Downtown Eastside. It is this intimate awareness of the fluctuating design of the built environment, the fleeting communication between the street's participants and the exciting manifestations of the average person's public life that inform Christie's works.

Christie's paintings have become easily distinguished through their vigorous brushstrokes and powerful use of white which form the foundations around which her works are built. "Mark making of Public Life" exhibition will include the following large works:

"Freeflow" Oil on canvas. 60" x 72"
An original oil capturing the moment one emerges from the Cassiar Tunnel just south of Hastings street, Vancouver. Highway 1 spans the width of the country and Christie captures this singular moment of it's history with brushstrokes laced with movement and in a medium which was traditionally reserved for subjects of great importance.

"The Overpass" Oil on canvas. 60"x 72"
This complex painting demonstrates Christie's mastery of her medium as she encourages the paint to develop an interesting surface in the large dull areas of open road. Our perspective of an area which has been designed to serve all road users is enhanced by the fact that we stand at the apex of the an element whose sole purpose is to act as conduit for pedestrians and cyclists.

Christie's exhibition arrives at a perfect moment as Metro Vancouver's Bike to work week draws to a close. 5886 new cyclists were exposed to a paradigm shift when they felt the vitality of the cities urban networks as they partook in the week alongside the 27000 other cycling commuters. As conversations increase around the merits and the sustainability of urbanization and densification, Christie's paintings will prove to be topical reflections of our urban citizenry.

Leanne Christie specializes in oil painting and has been a dedicated full time painter since 2008. Christie was educated at the influential art school at Rhodes University, South Africa and has been intrigued by the cultural life that a city encourages and denies through the intentional design and prioritized use of her streets.

Hi Res Images for Print are available from the Artist

Some of the paintings included in this exhibition "Mark making of Public life", were initially conceived for the February 2015 Festival du Bois exhibition "Theatre de la vie publique". The exhibition was accompanied by a website which will give greater insight into the mind of the artist.

Dedicated website: http://leannechristie.com/theatredelaviepublique/

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