Bev Pike facts for kids

Bev Pike is a talented artist from Winnipeg, Canada. She is known for painting very large pictures, sometimes as big as a school bus! Her paintings often show amazing, dramatic landscapes. Her latest work, called Grottesque, explores ideas about climate change. It features imaginary underground safe places, inspired by old English shell grottos from the 1600s.

Learning to Be an Artist

Bev Pike studied art at the Alberta College of Art and Design. She also did advanced art studies at the University of Alberta. This helped her become the amazing artist she is today.

Her Artworks and Exhibitions

Bev Pike's Grottesque series of paintings traveled across Canada in 2018. These paintings show playful and sometimes funny ideas about future hiding spots. They are huge and use special painting techniques called glazes.

A curator named Blair Fornwald described these paintings. He said they look like piles of blankets, yarn, and fabric. These piles turn into landscapes, parts of homes, or even inside the human body. Another curator, Cassandra Getty, noted the fun titles of the paintings. Titles like Cavernous Sun Parlour suggest these are places for fun in a new underground world.

Pike's earlier paintings, called Hysteria Chronicles, showed big bundles of clothes. These bundles created a visual story about history and gender. Her Boudoir Series from 1990 explored the line between real life and dreams. It added magic and wonder to everyday things.

Bev Pike's paintings have been shown in many big art galleries. She has received important grants from art councils in Canada. Her artwork and special artist-books are in public collections. You can find them in Canada, the UK (like at the Tate Britain), and the US.

Bev Pike as an Advocate

Bev Pike is also a strong supporter of women in art. She has given talks at universities and colleges across Canada. She has been part of many art groups and committees. She also helped mentor other women artists. She even helped start a special lecture series.

In 2021, Bev Pike researched an important art protest from 1975. This protest, called Woman as Viewer, happened at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. It was part of International Women's Year. Her research was published in a magazine.

Pike also creates video art and publishes special artist's books. She writes opinion pieces for places like CBC and the Winnipeg Free Press. Her important papers and records are kept at the Archives of Manitoba.