Bernice Vincent “Walk Around the Block” September 20 – October 25

Opening Reception on Saturday, September 20 from 7-9pm
In collaboration with Nuit Blanche London

In our middle gallery, we are presenting a suite of small abstract paintings created between 2001-2012 by Bernice Vincent.  Known for including abstraction within landscapes, roadways and fields, the paintings explore Vincent’s strong interest in place.

“You don’t have to go somewhere [exotic] to find something interesting.  Every time I step out the door, it’s the beginning of an adventure.”  Bernice Vincent (1934-2016) had a unique ability to draw our attention to quiet, seemingly insignificant moments from everyday life.  From clouds to sidewalks to snippets of landscapes, her careful observations recorded both change and the familiar.

Vincent’s paintings combine representational landscapes with hard-edge abstraction, blocks of colour that frame the view.  At the centre of “Travelling Into Winter”, the largest painting in the exhibit, is a black and white winter scene.  Radiating outwards like a prism, Vincent presents all of the colours present in a winter sky and snow.  “I don’t think there’s too many people that sit around examining the colour of snow,” she said. “It’s a way saying, look, look at what’s right in front of you.”

Bernice Vincent (1934-2016) was a key figure in London’s Regionalist movement in the 1960s and 1970s.  Interested in her immediate environment, Vincent had the ability to turn mundane everyday objects into conceptual realist paintings.  Her landscapes, in particular, emphasized the changing of seasons and contrasts in colour.

Born in Woodstock, Vincent moved to London in 1952 to attend H. B. Beal Secondary School where she studied with several influential London artists including Herb Ariss, Mackie Cryderman, and John O’Henly.  In an extra-curricular drawing class she met her future husband photographer Don Vincent, whom she married in 1956.  At the time in the 1950s and 60s she still struggled to find her own voice.  However, supported by the strong artistic community surrounding her and her interest in exploring the fleeting and seemingly simple moments of everyday life.

As a key figure in London’s cultural scene, Vincent helped establish in 1962 one of the area’s first artist-run centres, Region Gallery, and maintained an active presence in group and solo exhibitions at numerous galleries in town. It was between 1975 and 1979 that she established a name for herself with her first major solo exhibition held at Forest City Gallery.

A retrospective of Vincent’s work was mounted at Museum London in 2013 titled Bernice Vincent: Time and Travels. The exhibition featured works from the 1970s up to 2013 situating Vincent as an important artist and contributor to London’s culture.

Vincent passed way in 2016 at the age of 82.

Her works are held in private and public collections in the region, including McIntosh Gallery, Museum London, the Canada Council Art Bank, Woodstock Art Gallery, and London Life.

Link to Bernice Vincent’s Artist Page HERE