A work of art is a form of sharing the human experience. Painter Pinochet digs into his deepest emotional reactions to scenes throughout Canada in order to share his experiences with his audience.

With each stroke of his brush, Pinochet illustrates how Canadian scenes make him feel, how they affect him emotionally.

To be standing in an art gallery in the middle of summer one moment, and walking through the first snowfall on the east coast of Canada with the fallen leaves crunching beneath your boots the next is truly magical.

After moving to Quebec from Chile 31 years ago, Pinochet has fallen for the Canadian landscape.

He has been traveling around eastern Canada, stumbling upon inspiration at every turn.

Brights' Gallery at the Village at Blue Mountain is featuring Pinochet's emotive art. This is Pinochet's first exhibit since receiving the Prix Spécial from la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts for his showing at Carrousel du Louvre in Paris in 2007. The collection includes 46 oil paintings from Toronto to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia to Quebec City. "It's like discovering the country," says Pinochet of his paintings.

"I like the experience of life," he says. "And I try to relate the experience of life from my travels."

His rendered scenes move between city and country life. One canvas portrays life on the farm in Ontario, while the next paints a picture of a busy street in the heart of Chinatown.

"It's so big and there are so many places to discover," says Pinochet of Canada. "It's a good place for inspiration." The exhibit brought him to Southern Georgian Bay for the first time. He spent three days prior to the opening traveling the area, sketching scenes from Manitoulin Island, Owen Sound and the Niagara Escarpment. And he plans to spend the rest of his time continuing to explore the endless cliffs, farmlands and shorelines. "It's spectacular."

Pinochet spent Saturday and Sunday at Brights' Gallery painting scenes of the area from his sketches so that visitors could see him in action. "I don't try to copy the landscape as a classical artist, but the emotion when you are in front of it," he says.

Light, a subject Pinochet finds interesting and limitless, is most often the focus of his paintings. He can be found following the same light as famous artists of the past, participating in similar emotional reactions at historic art sites.

"I try to portray a sunny universe in a world like we live in now," he says. "Like a writer, you try to make your own interpretation." Pinochet says he creates a world with the kind of tool that works for him: a brush. He adds that each creation is painted with simplicity in mind. "It's universal emotion," he says of what his paintings do for the viewer. "You don't have to learn to understand what I am doing. It's very simple."

Peter Bright, owner of the gallery, moved his destination gallery from Burlington to Blue Mountain after being approached by Intrawest last year.

His gallery showcases approximately 30 artists with three common threads. The artists make their living from their art, they're established in galleries from coast to coast and they're in private and corporate collections. "The nest of all that is good art," says Bright.

He decided to feature the renowned Canadian painter for his exceptional ability to capture light and his bold palette.

The gallery, which opened in May, is bathed in a neutral palette to best showcase each piece. There is also a cozy corner with a fireplace and seating to view art above the mantel. This way prospective buyers can picture the art in their own home before buying.

Caitlyn Dekker, assistant Director of the gallery, says Pinochet is definitely one of the gallery's favourite artists. "You can loose yourself in every painting," she says, as she gazes at a farm scene. "I could stare at it forever. It could be so many things and so many places."

Pinochet's exhibit will be featured for one week, after which the mixed collection of artists from across the country will fill the walls.