# Burgers makes impression in solo showing Layne Christensen News Reporter flayne@nsnews.com IN the pretense-filled world of art, “pretty” is an ugly word. Art that is accessible — bright, friendly and fits in with the decor — runs the risk of being labelled merely “decorative” by snooty art critics bent on finding mean- ing in every brushstroke. Gallery owner Diane Farris, a power player on Vancouver's art sceng, challenges the notion. “What the heck is wrong with the word ‘pretty’,” asks Farris. The comment conts in defence of the artistic output of West Van painter Bobbic Burgers, whose first solo show opened yesterday and continues to Feb. 27 at the Diane Farris Gallery on West 7th Avenue, near south Granville’s “gallery row.” Burgers, 26, is one of Farris’ newest and youngest protegecs, joining an impres- sive stable of artists that includes cultural heavy- weights Dale Chihuly, Attila Richard Lukacs and Douglas Coupland, Burgers’ floral puintings, landscapes and still fifes “evoke the spirit and palate of European artists Var Gogh and Matisse.” notes Farris in a posting to the gallery's Web site The colours are rich and the forms are friendly (lus- cious bouquets and bucolic landscapes). The brush- strokes are energetic. Farris praises Burgers’ paintings for their “lovely, fovely sense of looseness.” : This is Burgers” first solo show in Vancouver, and the artist is fecling wood about the collection of canvasses that represent her artistic development over the past several months. “I feel like this is the best thar I could produce right now,” said Burgers Tuesday at the gallery, after driving through the early-morning snow to deliver a handful of freshly painted landscapes for the show. In October, a show of Burgers’ paintings in Toronto's Hollander- York gallery was a sellout. The artist has given a lot of thought to the colour and composition of her canvasses since then. “1 wanted them to be denser, richer, more com- plex,” says Burgers of her landscapes and florals. As a new artist, her work is rapid- Dr. Patrick Quon Bobbie Burgers FRASER Valley blueberry fields are the inspiration for a recent landscape painting by West Van's Bobbie Burgers. ly evolving. She’s introduced adventurous shades like char- treuse, violet and orange to the backgrounds of her most recent still lifes. She’s added fruits (mostly pears and pomegranates) to her florals, Her landscapes are becoming more and more abstract. Bacchanalia, the title of her show, reflects her view that the still life is dynamic, like her constantly evolving style. “Things shift, leaves fall, fruit sags and spoils,” says Burgers of the autumnal arrangements she may paint more than once, to different effect each time. So far, her work is meet- ing with a receptive audi- ence. Her pieces are showing up in elite collections around town, says Farris. But because of their affordability (prices start at $950), they’re also being sought by young art lovers just starting their Sce Personality page 31 New Canada Savings Bonds Safe. Secure. And on sale now. uGANADA SAVINGS BOND... 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