Available for viewing from May 28th until July 26th, 2026
Carol Christianson
The Otherworlds series of digital paintings traces a shifting internal landscape over three years, functioning as a kind of pictorial diary shaped by subconscious impulses. Each work begins with a stream-of-consciousness sketch, from which forms gradually emerge. In a second stage, an equally intuitive impulse brings order to the initial chaos, resolving light, volume, and structure. The resulting images often suggest ambiguous, life-like organisms and environments—plausible yet unidentifiable—leaving interpretation open and unresolved.
Created entirely from scratch using digital tools, the process relies on sustained engagement rather than predetermined intention. Working primarily in ArtRage on tablet-based systems, I build compositions through layered marks, subtle blending, and continual revision. Over time, the focus shifted toward an exploratory approach in which subject matter arises from the act of painting itself.
This evolution led to a broader realization aligned with Marshall McLuhan’s insight that “the medium is the message.” While discovered through digital practice, this principle extends beyond it: the tools and conditions of making are not neutral, but actively shape the form and meaning of the work. These paintings stand as records of that interaction, where image and process are inseparable, and where the act of making becomes embedded within the final form.
Jan Vriesen
Jan Vriesen is an esteemed Canadian artist and scientific illustrator who is celebrated for his mastery of realistic museum dioramas and immersive abstract paintings. His work captures the experiential sensation of nature, expressing its life, growth, and transformation.
Jan’s journey as a professional artist began at the Royal BC Museum (1965–1976), where his works include the iconic “Coastal Forest” and “Seashore” dioramas. His creations are featured in prestigious institutions across North America, including the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Colorado. Collaborating closely with scientists, researchers, and curators, Jan has breathed life into prehistoric creatures and ancient landscapes, creating immersive environments that envelop the audience in large-scale dioramas up to 30 feet high and 400 feet long.
While Jan’s realist works are windows into Earth’s past, his abstract works are windows into imagined futures. Jan’s abstract paintings entrance viewers within dazzling, curious, biophilic environments that contemplate the “inscape” of nature – an inner essence and rhythm that is constant through the ages in the growth, life, and energy of the natural world – inviting the audience to imagine lifeforms that have yet to be.
Adorned with vivid organic figures, Jan’s abstractions guide the observer’s gaze along crackling edges, twisting lines, and vibrant colours, hinting at the sensation of flowers and light. Like the fractal forms in corals, coastlines, and shells, Jan’s paintings layer self-similar details at different scales, creating kaleidoscopic spaces through which to zoom in and out.
By using any kind of paint or humble material that strikes his fancy, from old newspapers to patterned silk, his abstract creations express playfulness, transformation, and vitality. Many of Jan’s paintings also change depending on the time of day, as reflective gold, silver, and copper wax and wane with the movement of the sun.
Jan’s desire is for people to lose themselves in the art and in their own imaginations. He can often be heard asking people, while they are deeply immersed, “What do you see?” You can let him know by writing to him at frieze826@gmail.com or on Instagram at @jan.vriesen.art
