Weekly Shot of Art - Shorelines

"Serenity now!" is the battle-cry around my office right now, as people struggle to finish up last minute projects before the end of the year, not to mention running around Yaletown picking up Christmas presents during lunch. It's easy to feel tense at this time of year without even meaning to - just trying to walk down a down-town sidewalk with all the noise and crowds and seizure-inducing lights can transform the most calm being into a harried creature. Not that I don't love Christmas, but sometimes you just have to step away from all. For those of you (me) who can't afford (time or money) a day at the spa, you visit David Burdeny's titled "Shorelines", that is showing now at the Jennifer Kostuik Gallery.

Step off of busy South Granville into a world of calm. I imagine that this is what the helpful salespeople at places like Escents are trying (and failing) to accomplish when they spray unsuspecting customers with aromatherapy. The images of still, silent water, taken on the shorelines of Japan, Northern France and the Pacific Northwest speak volumes through muted grey tones. They are both obscure and highly detailed, which I'm convinced is the secret of his success. These landscapes make you want to "step inside", because they are so gentle and serene and tactile.

There is an element of stone in all of his images as well, either man-made or organic, and I like the way that this heaviness cuts through the water. It speaks to the idea of "thresholds that divide and connect the sea to land, " as Burdeny notes in his artist statement, "Through these journeys I attempt to communicate a universality or homogeneity in these disparate locations".

Serenity, now. Go.

Image courtesy of David Burdeny and the Jennifer Kostuik Gallery. Titled "Shear"