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Thursday, November 7, 2024
Arts: ‘What Lies Below’ transports Pumphouse patrons under the sea
JudyBlue Anderson completed What Lies Below primarily as a COVID project, citing inspiration from underwater imagery. Julia Sacco.

Travel to fathoms below without stepping off of dry land. 

On Sunday afternoon, the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre welcomed JudyBlue Anderson’s new exhibit titled “What Lies Below.”

Anderson herself made the trek from Hamilton to discuss her work with visitors. 

The exhibit features a collection of works inspired by water itself and the secrets it holds. 

“I love the power that water has, it’s deceiving. I don’t think people realize how strong it can be and how much it can win,” Anderson told The Lake Report. 

As a landscape artist, Anderson said the pandemic challenged her creative process, so she turned to the sea for inspiration.

“My reference material and inspiration felt a bit dry,” she said.

“A friend of mine is an underwater photographer so I was looking at a lot of his work and doing some small sketches.”

Anderson herself has always been a “big water person” and used to scuba dive regularly, so this multi-year project came about naturally.

“They’re certainly not a literal interpretation of anything in particular, rather just the feeling of what it’s like to be underwater,” she said. 

Anderson, who has been painting for around 30 years, said she used acrylic paint and the occasional charcoal drawing to try and capture the motion of water, busy or calm. 

“What Lies Below” will be on display in the Pumphouse until June 25. Anderson will be returning to NOTL for the Pumphouse’s upcoming outdoor exhibition on Aug. 5 and 6. 

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