Now Showing at StrideFest – A Coastal Systems Series
- andreafryettart
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
I’m very happy to share that I currently have five paintings on display as part of StrideFest in the Burnaby Heights community.
A sincere thank you to the StrideFest organizers for the work that goes into creating events like this, bringing artists and the public together in a way that makes art more accessible and visible in everyday spaces. A warm Thank you as well to the local businesses who have opened their walls to display artwork throughout the festival.
About the Series
This body of work explores coastal ecosystems of British Columbia—not just as landscapes, but as interconnected systems.
Above and below the waterline, each painting reflects relationships:
predator and prey
surface and depth
stillness and movement
survival and adaptation
These are not isolated moments, they are part of a larger cycle.
The salmon, the bear, the orca, the shifting water, the light moving across the surface, all of it is connected. What happens in one layer affects another.
I’m interested in how these natural systems mirror human experience.
We often move through structures, social, economic, environmental, that shape our outcomes in ways we don’t always see clearly from the surface. Like water, these systems can appear calm and navigable from above, while carrying far more complexity underneath.
These paintings are a way of making those layered relationships visible:
the seen and unseen
the forces that support life
and the tensions that exist within it
At the same time, they are meant to be visually inviting, clear, bold, and immediate, so that viewers can enter the work instinctively before asking deeper questions.
Availability
All works in this series are available for purchase.
If you’re interested in collecting one of these pieces, you can reach out directly or join my newsletter
subscribers receive 20% off available works.
Also on View at Shadbolt: Between Darkness and Light (Storm over Ucluelet)
This painting was created during a period of intense uncertainty in my life.
At the time, I was navigating workplace conditions that had become increasingly unstable and unsustainable. I found myself caught between two paths: whether to try to repair a system that was no longer functioning for me, or to step away entirely from a 17-year career trajectory and attempt to build something of my own.
This piece came out of that tension.
The storm represents more than a coastal moment, it reflects a psychological and structural threshold. A point where stability breaks down, and you are forced to decide whether to endure or to change direction entirely.
There is both force and clarity in that moment.
The light breaking through the sky is not a resolution, it’s a possibility. A recognition that even within instability, there can be movement, agency, and a path forward.
Looking back, this painting marks a turning point, where survival began to shift into intention.
Visit the Show
If you’re in the area, I highly recommend taking the time to explore StrideFest StrideFest – We Are Burnaby
and the participating businesses in Burnaby Heights:https://www.burnabyheights.com/contact-us/
It’s a great opportunity to experience a wide range of local art in a relaxed, community-driven setting. My work is displayed at the Burnaby Merchants association 4019 Hastings Street, Burnaby, BC V5C 2J1
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