James Pereira has been creating art from nature all his life. Now he's living both.
Pereira, the 35-year-old artist in residence at the Brackendale Art Gallery (BAG), uses several different types of rock to carve his unique stone sculptures. He has also been working on a new technique which involves etching an image in pencil onto a hardboard, resulting in a new series of large drawings.
"A lot of my inspiration comes from nature," said Pereira. "With my sculptures, the inspiration often comes from the stone itself. "The inspiration I have found in stone has carried over to my drawings and has revealed a new direction."
Several of his stone sculptures feature large pieces of fruit, apple cores and pear slices, as well as several works that showcase the use of curved lines and elegant shapes.
He begins by shaping the rock with power tools, and then uses hand tools such as chisels and mallets to define the shape and form of the sculpture. Because he works with hard rock, Pereira utilizes tools such as diamond-tipped drill bits and diamond saws. Refining and polishing each sculpture can take months.
"Stone is the perfect reflection of the chaotic structures within nature. It is a medium that will stand the test of time and be here for generations to come."
Pereira's exhibit, showcased at the BAG from Feb. 29 to Mar. 28, is titled "Plane Thought". The exhibit expresses the artist's creative journey from drawing to sculpting back to drawing.
"I've been doing this all my life. It's all a progression that just evolves into its own. It's my life and my work."
Pereira has been the artist in residence at the BAG for almost a year, and has found it to be a stimulating experience thus far.
"I like it here. I like the ambience and the type of people that come here. I find it a very inspiring place to work."
BAG curator Thor Froslev is thrilled to have Pereira show his work here.
"He's such a true artist, he's so absorbed in his work," Froslev said. "He works constantly on his craft and it really shows in his work."
Pereira has been living in Squamish since 1997, and devotes all of his time to working on and perfecting his craft.
"I make art because it is fun and if I wasn't creating art, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. It gives me unconditional gratification spiritually, mentally and physically."
