As the downtown art gallery House of RTS approaches its one-year celebration, an up-and-coming genre showcases artists from Vancouver to Pemberton.
A theme artist and owner Josee St-Amour calls "underground low-brow" opened Friday (Sept. 3) for a three-month exhibit.
"It's just art that hasn't been seen on the walls of local galleries, it's a very new style," said St-Amour.
However the concept behind the gallery is far from new. House of RTS was based on the Salon des Refus茅s (house of rejects) circa 1830 Paris, a gallery that showcased the art works of the un-approved and unconventional artists.
St-Amour is continuing the trend with their newest collection of "low-brow" artists, an art movement sparked from the '70s.
"It's more of graffiti influence with a bit of urban and a lot of funk," she said.
"They're all so different that it's hard to describe, but you can definitely tell there's the influence of Tim Burton and Doctor Seuss."
It's part of a new genre that's becoming increasingly popular, with much of the inspiration coming from well-known artist Mark Ryden, whose paintings are not for the faint of heart.
Ryden's perception of an idealized fairy tale dreamscape is inverted as he reminds his viewers of the violence behind the surface of life.
All artists featured in the House of RTS are from the region and most works aren't quite as disturbing as Ryden's, though Megan Majewski does paint dead kittens and zombie girls.
Majewski's newest art project, her doll collection, is a slight change from her obsession with taxidermy and skulls.
Local Squamish artist Lani Maeglin is best known for her large scale, mixed media paintings depicting an array of virtualized female characters.
"The strong, often defiant characters she creates touch on the theme of female identity and the realm of sexual identity," said St-Amour.
Vancouver's Mandy Tsung draws portraits and her work is mainly of women with an emphasis on their large eyes and dramatic hair.
"People are fascinating and beautiful - the human face in its complexity of nuances will take a lifetime to fully capture," said Tsung. "It is always the look in a person's eyes that inspires me to pick up my pencil."
Giving unique art a chance was St-Amour's inspiration for opening the gallery.
"I've been an artist in the corridor for 10 years," she said. "Seeing so much talent and being part of it, I wanted it to be on Main Street so people could actually see what talent this area has to offer in terms of new art."
Since opening in Nov. 2009, St-Amour said the response has been amazing. She's sold more originals than prints, something she didn't expect to happen.
"It's been 75 per cent of original art that's selling," said St-Amour. "People are coming in, I don't think with the intention of buying, but they fall in love with a piece and they can't leave without it.
House of RTS is open Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
