Three generations of artists from one family show their work at Showcase Gallery this month, with each one being part of the mosaic that is 108 Mile artist, Billy Berlin.
Berlin is actually how Billy Feistmantl only signs her work, using the name of the German city, made famous by the wall, which for so many years divided it.
The artist relates it to her own passion for breaking down inner walls that stand between people and within themselves.
At Showcase, her vibrant paintings hang alongside those of her gifted grandfather, Josef Strobl, and her dad, Helmut Strobl, who have both left their artistic mark in their native Austria.
Josef was a lifelong artist, best known for his talent in painting the elaborate backdrops for the Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck from about 1945-1965. He is also known throughout Tyrol for wall paintings, which still decorate many homes and remain somewhat of a tourist attraction.
Billy says her artistic development was highly influenced by her famous grandfather.
"We kids were always there to visit him in his big atelier at the opera house. There was lots of colour everywhere and it was amazing for us to see.
“He lived with us and his room was our favourite place to go because it was full of colours, music and books."
Berlin didn't pick up a paintbrush until she was 40, and she blames it on both having spent too many years touring Europe, performing in her rock band, Wolfgang, with her guitarist husband, Tiger, and on her self doubt about matching her grandfather's level of perfection.
Her father also felt overshadowed by his talented dad and didn't start painting until the age of about 45, she adds.
He became very successful as an artist in his own right and showed extensively in the galleries and museums of Austria.
While Josef worked in the style of the masters, Helmut and Billy both found their talent and passion in abstract.
Billy says she feels she has blossomed as an artist since moving from Austria to Canada and the Cariboo in 2004, drawn to the same vibrant colour that influenced her as a child and to flowers and shapes that follow few rules.
Her display at Showcase, titled Three Generations in Art, is her second solo show, preceded only by one she had in 2008 at Parkside Art Gallery.
A single landscape painting hangs among her splashy florals and abstracts, and she explains that while creating it was fun, it's not where her heart is.
"I know that abstract is the direction I should go. It's where I find real passion."
