Patti Munro learns the most from her mistakes - or, as she calls them, "oopses."
The former animation artist will be three-quarters done with her artwork when she'll place it on the wall for a few weeks to test its strength.
If the Port Moody artist likes what she sees, she'll carry on and finish it. But if it drives her crazy, the piece will come down and something will come off or more will go on.
Typically, her assemblages will go through three or four cycles before they are ready for viewing. "It's layer after layer after layer," Munro said with a laugh, adding, "I've got a busy household and something will inevitably land on the canvas. It may stay there or it may give a whole new meaning to what I'm creating."
This month, Munro will show 25 new paintings and installations in her first ever public display. The exhibit, which opens on Thursday at the Port Moody Arts Centre, is called Mad Imperfekshen and will be up in the facility's Main and Plum galleries until Nov. 7.
Returning to the arts scene is something Munro has wanted for years. In the 1990s, she worked for Walt Disney Canada but later took time out to raise her family. In 2011, Munro got back into the groove and, last year, had an article and photos published in Cloth Paper Scissors, a magazine geared to mixed-media artists.
For Mad Imperfekshen, most of Munro's pieces use materials such as acrylics, tissue, paper mache and glass.
And, she said, unlike other artists, she doesn't have a problem letting them go in the end. That want to part ways with her work stems from her childhood, when she drew on a chalkboard.
"I was happy to erase it and move on," Munro said. "Although I love all my pieces, I know there's a lot more to do."
Also opening on Thursday is a glass sculpture exhibit titled Ignite the Passion by twins Leslie Rowe-Israelson and Melanie Rowe. The public reception runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at PMAC (2425 St. John's St.). The artists will be in attendance and light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 604-931-2008 or visit pomoarts.ca.
