The Goods from Ian Tan Gallery

Vancouver, BC | In this monthly series, the Ian Tan Gallery highlights one exhibiting artist or artist they represent, by asking them to answer a short four-question interview designed to introduce them to Scout readers.

Introducing Christopher Friesen, Ian Tan Gallery’s feature artist for the month of October. Friesen’s latest series of paintings, As Above, So Below, will be showing in the gallery from October 5 – 31, 2023 with an opening reception on Saturday, October 14th from 2-4pm.

Please introduce yourself. Who are you, where do you live, and what is your medium? Christopher Friesen, an associate professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, and I live in south Langley where I have a home based studio. I am a painter and I work with primarily acrylic and oil paints on canvas.

We know it’s hard to pick a favourite, but if you had to choose one piece from the works you have at Ian Tan Gallery to best represent your style and practice overall, which would it be and why? Here in the clouds, 48″ x 36″ Acrylic wash, oil on canvas, 2023. This painting came about as a technical challenge, I wanted to paint tracks in the snow. I wanted the tracks to represent a journey and I wanted the scene to be the reward. The palette is almost monochromatic except for the sun’s glowing light across the sky. The scene is Cypress Mountain here in Vancouver.

If you could display your art in any building, establishment, or other place in Vancouver (not a gallery), where would you choose? The Vancouver Public Library. I think this painting speaks to visual adventure like books speak to a literary one.

Art is a visual experience, but I’d like to challenge you to describe yours using the less obvious senses: sound, taste, smell and feeling. The sound of skiers in the distance, the hush of winter snow and the crunch of your weight shifting in your boots. The wind whips with a burst through the branches and up the trail, the heavy snow thuds onto the ground. The sun warms your face, but the cold surrounding air wraps itself around you.

View more of Christopher Friesen’s artwork online here.

Ian Tan Gallery

Neighbourhood: South Granville

2655 Granville St.

604-738-1077

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