Lindsay Jardine finds room for serious and silly at Peace Gallery North

Peace Gallery North welcomed a good crowd Saturday afternoon for the opening of Lindsay Jardine’s first solo exhibit, a show that moves pretty comfortably between northern landscapes, bright colour and work that doesn’t mind being a little silly.

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The title probably gives away the idea better than anything else.

The Duality Between Seriousness and Silliness opened Oct. 3, bringing together Jardine’s acrylic work in a show that can have you slowing down for one painting and smiling at the next.

The opening itself was busy without feeling rushed, with people working their way around the gallery, stopping for another look at certain pieces and visiting over snacks and drinks along the way.

Peace Gallery North described the exhibit ahead of its opening as an exploration of “the wonderfully unpredictable space between the thoughtful and the playful.”

“Through her acrylic paintings, she invites us to look at ordinary things in unexpected ways and to remember that there is often more than one way to see the world,” the gallery wrote.

That becomes fairly obvious once you start making your way around the room.

Some of the work feels familiar, particularly the landscapes and pieces that pull from the world around us here in the North, while other paintings head in a much more playful direction.

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And that is probably where the title earns its keep.

There are pieces that ask you to stop for a minute and take them in, and others that seem perfectly happy if the first reaction they get is a smile.

That balance carried through the opening reception as well, with people taking their time around the gallery, talking about the work and spending a Saturday afternoon enjoying something a little different downtown.

For anyone who missed the opening, there is still lots of time to catch it.

The Duality Between Seriousness and Silliness runs through Oct. 31 at Peace Gallery North, 10015 100 Avenue in Fort St. John, with the gallery open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There is still plenty of time to stop in, have a walk through and see which side of the title you end up noticing first.