Port Moody artist Melanie Cossey's latest solo exhibit is based on two metaphors: the transient nature of material objects and the environmental waste we create to make ourselves feel better.

"I've spent a lot of time thinking about impermanence," Cossey said, referring to her display titled "In Dust" that opens tomorrow (Thursday) at Place des Arts in Coquitlam. "I really wanted to highlight how everything turns to dust — like the pastels I work in — at the end of it all."

Attachment to things, especially childhood mementos, and how they add to our lives is what Cossey wants her viewers to ponder during the show, which runs until Sept. 5.

Her 35 pieces in the Atrium Gallery, drawn between 2007 and '09, are rich in colour and focus tightly on links to the past, whether they be a set of crayons, badminton birdies, a chess set, cocktail umbrellas or even candy popcorn with a house of cards.

But Cossey also features connections to Buddhism, a religion she's studying and its philosophy. Three of her works accentuate Buddhas (including one with a red chili pepper) and elephants.

And there are also triggers to the sense of smell: the food category, with close ups of cookie cutters, canned vegetables, corn and eggs, and a flower collection, which pop out with a black background.

A self-taught, full-time artist, Cossey gained her techniques primarily from her grandmother (Jeanne Rovers); father; sister (Lisa); and brother (Trevor) — none of whom are professional artists. "Other than a few workshops with artists, it's mostly been my family," said Cossey, who is a member of the Port Moody Art Association and the North Vancouver Community Arts Council.

Though Cossey's exhibit is in pastel, she also works with acrylic paints. In the past, she has shown her work locally at Artworks for Anmore, the Pleasantside Evening for the Arts, Artists in the Park, the Queen's Street Market, Stone Art Gallery, the Artists' Circle Group Show and the Port Moody Art Association fall show.

Her other pieces, but not part of the Place des Arts' exhibit, draw inspiration from the Tri-Cities natural beauty: Colony Farm and Barnet Marine Park, for example. In 2006, her painting "Thou Art As Wise As Thou Art Beautiful" won third place at the Visions of Shakespeare show in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, for August, Place des Arts is also showcasing exhibits by Marta Chojnacka ("Stages of Lines") and Enda Bardell ("Sticks and Stones").

Chojnacka’s oil on canvas paintings are selections of various life moments, representing emotional states while Bardell’s watercolour landscapes reflect her love of open spaces.

jwarren@tricitynews.com