If the perfect landscape presents itself, painter Christine Reimer isnB次元官网网址檛 shy about screeching her car to a halt on the side of the highway to capture the moment. Nobody said art was safe.

The veteran Saanich artist, known for blending realism and whimsy in dramatic landscape pieces, is marking 30 years of painting with a show at The Arts Centre at Cedar Hill, starting Sunday.

ItB次元官网网址檚 her first show in Greater Victoria since 2010 and features a mix of landscapes and abstract florals, perhaps 25 to 30 pieces generated in the past few years. The landscapes will be familiar to anyone who has travelled across the Island and the province B次元官网网址� Rocky mountains and verdant meadows, wilderness lakes amid Douglas fir forests, Gulf Island arbutus trees stretching over water.

B次元官网网址淚 grew up on the coast, I have a bond with the coastal landscape,B次元官网网址� Reimer said. B次元官网网址淏eing an Islander, itB次元官网网址檚 in my blood.B次元官网网址�

She admits the abstract florals were a deviation from the hunt for landscapes B次元官网网址� a kind of creative rejuvenation necessary every few years.

B次元官网网址淚 get bored doing the same thing. What IB次元官网网址檝e done over 30 years is take detours,B次元官网网址� Reimer said. B次元官网网址淚 had a figurative period of painting quirky people in dreamlike settings. I do that for a while, and then landscapes become fresh again.

B次元官网网址淚 do find it hard to limit myself to one thing B次元官网网址� there are so many vibrant colours. I canB次元官网网址檛 help myself. IB次元官网网址檓 obsessed with colour, I always have been.B次元官网网址�

Reimer has been an artist since she can remember, drawing at a young age and watching her talent emerge as a teenager. She credits art teachers Bill West and Carole Sabiston at Oak Bay High and then University of Victoria instructor and influential Canadian artist James Gordaneer as influencing and guiding her style and development.

Working through different mediums while earning her BFA at UVic, it was her great-uncle and noted painter Max Maynard (a contemporary of Emily Carr and Jack Shadbolt in the 1930s and B次元官网网址�40s) who steered her toward landscape images. B次元官网网址淚 was so inspired by the way he did landscapes,B次元官网网址� Reimer said. B次元官网网址淚 thought I would give it a shot.B次元官网网址�

It was a good decision. Now a professional working artist for 25 years, 搁别颈尘别谤B次元官网网址檚 work decorates corporate offices, high-end hotels, restaurants, and galleries across B.C. B次元官网网址淏etween kids and painting, IB次元官网网址檝e worked full time,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nd my husband has been extremely supportive.B次元官网网址�

Reimer said sheB次元官网网址檚 fortunate to make a living as an artist, but noted her B次元官网网址渓ong-sufferingB次元官网网址� husband must tolerate intensive photography during trips B次元官网网址� she took a thousand photos in Banff and Jasper last fall B次元官网网址� and the occasional demand to pull over on the highway, often so she can scramble up a cliff to grab a shot. Her photography is the groundwork for her art.

B次元官网网址淢y photos allow me to recall the place with better detail. If I use other photos of places I havenB次元官网网址檛 been, you canB次元官网网址檛 evoke the place truly.B次元官网网址�

She admits that the last few years have been tough personally and professionally. The economic downturn across North America has squeezed budgets for commissioned art pieces and private sales. But she still keeps up a work schedule of painting about five days a week, usually in intensive three-hour bursts of acrylic on canvas.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been really tough at times. The last few years. ItB次元官网网址檚 been very difficult for all artists. Art is a luxury item for people.B次元官网网址�

Her work will be on display for two weeks in June, but Reimer is mulling her next set of work after recently returning from England B次元官网网址� the roofscape and old-world architecture of London. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 something thatB次元官网网址檚 tweaked my interest until I detour back to landscapes,B次元官网网址� she said.

搁别颈尘别谤B次元官网网址檚 Peaks, Islands and Beyond B次元官网网址� 30 years of Colour solo exhibit runs from June 3 to 17 at The Arts Centre at Cedar Hill, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd. The grand opening gala is Thursday, June 7, 5 to 7:30 p.m.