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Burnaby mural artist gearing up for Luminescence

If you happen to see a new building under construction on the Deer Lake Gallery lawn this week, don’t worry: you didn’t miss a headline about a new development.
Nick Gregson, mural artist
Artist Nick Gregson, seen here with a mural at Hastings and Holdom in 2013, is back to create new art for Burnaby – this time as part of the Luminescence exhibition at Deer Lake Gallery.

If you happen to see a new building under construction on the Deer Lake Gallery lawn this week, don’t worry: you didn’t miss a headline about a new development.

But do take a moment to take a look, because you don’t want to miss out on what’s likely to be one of the season’s most talked-about art exhibitions.

Artist Nick Gregson is on hand on the gallery lawn this week constructing and painting his “optical illusion” mural for the upcoming Luminescence II show that opens March 18.

When he spoke to the NOW on Friday, he was gearing up to spend his weekend – working with his business partner and “ideas man” Jeff Cheung – coming up with detailed plans for just what exactly he’s going to be creating for the show.

What he does know is this: It will be built on a large plywood wall, on the façade of the gallery at 6584 Deer Lake Ave. – which is housed in a simple 1950s bungalow. Once Cheung and Gregson are finished with it, that home could end up looking like just about anything.

The two Burnaby residents are planning to use trompe l’oeil techniques to fool viewers into seeing a 3-D image on the wall – so expect some Greek columns and some additional people (or animals) that will change the whole structure of the building.

Gregson will be working on site in all weather – yes, he’s got tarps ready if needed – and he was planning to be on site all week.

“I’m going to try to be at the gallery as much as we can on sunny days,” he said.

He welcomes people to stop by and take a look – and even lend a hand, if they’re so inclined.

“If anybody wants to come and paint or even learn a little bit, I can work with them one-on-one,” he said.

Gregson – whose murals can be seen on buildings in Burnaby and around the region – is also familiar with the process of working with school kids, so if students are interested in helping out, he’s keen to hear from them, too.

You can find out more about Gregson and his work at www.nickgregson.ca or email him, nickgregson@yahoo.com.

 

 

Luminescence II is set to open at the Deer Lake Gallery on Saturday, March 18 at 7 p.m. Watch for special advance coverage in the Burnaby NOW on Wednesday, March 15.