This month’s featured artist at Art 10 Gallery puts a humorous spin on classic landscape paintings.
Rod Corraini’s exhibit titled 'Travelling to a Place Called B.C.' is a series of paintings following two aliens as they tour around the province.
“They are little green men like you’d see off of 1950s science fictions, but they are two distinct races of aliens and they are friends with each other and they go on a trip to a place called British Columbia,” Corraini said. “I still think after all of my travelling, I think we have the most beautiful place in the world.”
Corraini has 25 pieces on display until the end of the month. He worked on creating the paintings over the last two years.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he painted a series depicting a plague doctor and person in a hazmat suit falling in love. Corriani said after that, he wanted to keep making art that can make people laugh.
“It’s about the opening up of travel after COVID and I thought continuing on a fairly peaceful theme,” he said.
The aliens in the painting go on various adventures, including going to the beach, whale watching and being chased by a sasquatch.
“It's kind of like a little epic story. It’s kind of like a beginning and it’s a finish and everything in between – like they have been through a journey and I have been through a journey,” he said.
Corraini said he likes telling stories with his paintings and he enjoys when young people are interested in his work.
“I know some of them that’s their first piece of artwork that they bought because it’s kind of graphic, cartoony, it’s funny and yet it’s got a serious message … and it’s all about getting along, going out and seeing things, experiencing things.”
Travelling to a Place Called B.C. can be viewed at the gallery during mall hours at Nanaimo North Town Centre.
