A musically inspired exhibit will have viewers looking at art a little differently this month.

Lethbridge painter Bev Mazurick is sharing her interpretations of music through 10 abstract paintings in her exhibit “Virtual Art” now featured in the Okotoks Art Gallery’s small gallery until April 20.

“What I’m hoping to achieve is for the people to get a sense of the music from the visual presentation,” she said. “They should get a meaning from it and some sort of an intellectual understanding.”

Mazurick began dabbling in paints as a child and took to the craft full-time eight years ago.

The idea for “Virtual Art” came about after Mazurick watched the Canadian Brass ensemble perform in Fort Macleod in 2009. She said she loved how the instruments seemed to communicate with each other and decided to translate music into visual art using her talent as a painter.

“When you paint you use colour, lines, shapes and designs similar to these different instruments,” she said. “If you put them together the painting should have meaning and convey something to the viewer.”

The 10 pieces depicted in “Virtual Art” represent a broad range of music from Asian and aboriginal to electronic and modern violin, Mazurick said.

“I tried to translate these different pieces onto canvasses,” she said. “The concept is really interesting.”

When her creations were complete, Mazurick contacted the curator at the Lethbridge Arts Council Gallery to showcase her collection and ended up with a solo show in 2011.

Mazurick said the exhibit resonated with people not only because it represents music in a unique fashion, but it includes music and narratives explaining each piece.

“If you listen to music it is sensory input,” she said. “It goes into your brain and you understand something from that. The intent is you look at the painting and get some understanding of the music.”

The success of the Lethbridge exhibit had Mazurick reaching out to other communities. She connected with galleries in Pincher Creek, Crowsnest Pass and Okotoks with a positive response.

Following the opening reception last weekend Mazurick said she plans to return to Okotoks to host a workshop in early April where she will play music and have people create art based on their own interpretations.

The Okotoks Art Gallery often brings artists like Mazurick to the gallery to give exposure to Alberta artists, said visitor services specialist Andrea Spiers.

“Obviously we want to showcase Alberta because that’s home,” she said. “We also bring other artists into Okotoks that aren’t necessarily from Alberta. We make sure we have some local exhibits but we always try to mix it up.”

For more information about “Virtual Art” go to www.okotoksculture.ca

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