Amelia Alcock-White

My work addresses the on-going debate surrounding the use of our coastal waterways.  It explores how a single event can manifest multiple futures, some potentially destructive. What is beautiful and what is economically expedient are often two divergent paths. 

By highlighting the reflections on a body of water I attempt to contrast nature versus nature repurposed by humans and the far-reaching and often permanently damaging repercussions that can occur.

The irregular ellipses of flattened colour, abstract patterns and highlighted surface reflections try to evoke a reverence for the mystery and importance of water, our natural world, its fragility and precariousness.”  AAW

Born on Vancouver Island, Amelia Alcock-White is a contemporary Canadian painter who lives and works in Vancouver, BC. She studied fine art at Vancouver Island University, Emily Carr Art Institute and Columbus State University.

She has received many awards for her work, including Scholarships and Art Faculty Awards. Alcock-White’s paintings have been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver, San Francisco and Toronto.

Her work is represented in notable public and private collections. 

Amelia walking in the ocean

SLIPSTREAM by Amelia Alcock-White

While perched on a sun-warmed rock by the sea, I soaked up the last rays of summer light; the fragrance of the Arbutus trees and dry grass lingering in the air. Words struggle to capture those memories; they are visions that slipstream between the realms of imagination and sensation. In my art, I seek to visualize these fleeting yet poignant moments.

The recurring themes of my work are the interconnections within nature and the contrasting forces of light and dark. Visual art is the language that I use to understand and interpret the world—it’s how I deal with the ever-changing influx of information and emotion; the channel that I use to filter what takes place around me.

The current crisis has created a more focused and productive space for my work. It has granted me the opportunity for more intense soul-searching. This has been a time to reassess the way in which I live and to consider my impact on the planet. This extra time to pause and reflect gave rise to a series of paintings entitled “Slipstream”: a collection addressing our current time by depicting the turbulence felt in the natural world while satisfying a collective desire for peace and stability. I’ve attempted to translate the intense colour and infinite variety of west coast waters onto canvas.

Painting is meditative for me, and I hope that you will experience a sense of calm introspection while viewing the “Slipstream” series. My aim has been to create paintings that transport the viewer to the water’s edge and present a continually shifting and thought-provoking point of view.  AAW

Amelia’s work has been highly regarded by some of the most reputable curators as ‘technically adept… rich and interpretive, transcend[ing] the mere illustrative realm, revealing sensitive compositions brimming with emotion and conviction. Matt Petley-Jones, a long-standing gallery director, dealer, curator, and artist, has additionally shared that he feel[s]a new maturity embracing her current works, after following her artistic journey through the years. 

Over the past 15 years, Amelia has been portrayed in numerous publications, from Western Living to The Vancouver Sun and The Province, as well as guest appearances on CBC Radio Canada and CityTV. Her bibliography is further complimented by her many exhibitions, including The Vancouver Art Gallery, and TEDxVancouver’s art open “Identity”. PJG

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2016 The Ripple Effect, The Reach Gallery Museum, Abbotsford, BC

2014 Solitudes, Petley Jones Gallery, Vancouver BC

2012 Water Born, Petley Jones Gallery, Vancouver BC

2007 The Art of Staying Afloat, Gallery O

Contemporary, Vancouver, BC

2004 Opener, Simon Patrich Gallery, Vancouver, BC

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2010 Classical and Contemporary Nudes, Petley Jones Gallery, Vancouver, BC

2008 The Body Exposed, Petley Jones Gallery, Vancouver, BC

2007 Summer Gallery Show, Cohen Rese Gallery, San Francisco CA

2007 Art San Francisco, Union Square Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2007 East Meets West, a survey of art from Eastern Europe to Western CA and the US, Blink+Art Murmur, Santa Monica, CA

2007 Vanitas Now: Contemporary Still Life, Art Murmur Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2007 Art Toronto Winter Exhibition, Mittica Gallery, Toronto, ON

2006 Dream Worlds: An Artistic Investigation of Contemporary Surrealism, Art Murmur Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2006 NYC Artists, Caelum Gallery, Chelsea, New York, NY

2006 Grand Opening, The Art Center, Gallery O Contemporary, Vancouver, BC

2005 From Here To There: Five Magic Realists, Simon Patrich Gallery, Vancouver, BC

2004 Vancouver Art Gallery Auction, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Vancouver, BC

2004 VAG Art Exhibition, The Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC

PRESS

About the Artist

Born 1981 on Vancouver Island in Ladysmith, BC. Amelia Alcock-White studied at The University of Vancouver Island and Emily Carr University. She has received several awards for her work, including Scholarships and Art Faculty Awards. Alcock-White’s paintings have been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions. Her work is represented in public and private collections in Canada, the United States and Hong Kong.
Amelia’s paintings express the human condition and its relation to nature, the transitory character of time and the contrasting endurance of elemental forces. Psychological themes, primal emotions and archetypal figures all play a role in her works. Amelia fuses sentiment, intimacy and warmth with the enigmatic, giving her images an emotional subtlety that draws the viewer into her private world.

Copyright Petley Jones Gallery
2245 Granville Street Vancouver, BC