Albany 2026: About Face artist Lee Garvey to talk at Vancouver Arts Centre about portraits she loves to paint

There’s still time to hurry to Albany’s Vancouver Arts Centre for Lee Garvey’s brilliant About Face exhibition, which closes on May 5.

One of the city’s bicentenary events, the exhibition contains a series of dramatic portraits of local identities including neighbours, friends and relatives.

The artist herself is giving a talk on Saturday to explain the process of turning sketches into giant paintings which are surprisingly intimate despite their size.

She said creating the exhibition had been a wonderful experience.

“It has been fabulous; the City of Albany and the Vancouver Arts Centre have been so supportive,” she said.

“I had to apply to do the exhibition, so I’ve known for 16 months that it was going to happen, and it has been so much fun.”

The portraits reveal the character and humanity of the sitter.

Harvey’s son Brant is an above-knee amputee and 2016 Rio Paralympian, and the portrait of him is titled No Excuses, his mantra.

The notes with him say the portrait “captures not only an athlete but a mindset”.

The notes accompanying her image of Menang educator Larry Blight say the portrait showcases his “quiet strength and deep connection to country”.

“The lines in his face reflect a life spent outdoors,” say the notes.

“He stands grounded in culture, guided by the spirit of the red-tailed black cockatoo and his passion for caring for the land.”

VAC pastels co-ordinator Zoe Butler said she loves the style of the picture of her husband John, which Garvey says, “celebrates his humour, experience and quiet confidence”.

Garvey said she loves painting people with lived-in faces, because they are filled with humanity.

“I do landscapes as well, but I am more into portraits because I love the lines on peoples’ faces,” she said.

“I love the textures of a lived-in face.”

She will also be exhibiting at the Maritime Festival in July, this time with a painting featuring her son and grandson fishing.

“It’s a painting which will show the love, the relationship between them,” Garvey said.

Lee Garvey will talk about her work on Saturday, May 2 (10.30am) at the Vancouver Arts Centre.