Special assignment sends artist to war zone His art is `child`s play

Transcription

3
Sept/Oct
2007
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Serving the Canadian art industry • www.brushstrokemagazine.com
Karen Bailey
‘Khandahar
X-Ray’
‘Kandahar X-Ray’
Special assignment sends
artist to war zone
Kyle Fleming
‘Self-portrait’
His art is ‘child’s play’
Rene Thibault
‘Above the Rockies #13’
Frans Aeyelts
‘Waterfront’
Artist forced to retrain with left hand
after serious boating accident
Publisher’s Corner
great big CONGRATULATIONS to the grand prize winner and finalists in our landscape competition. It was thrilling to have more than
100 entries in our first-ever competition. We were introduced via their
entries to these talented Canadian artists and they made the final decision
very difficult. I’ve always said the quality of art in Canada is second to none,
and now I’ve definitely got back-up for that statement.
We kept the competition completely hush-hush. The potential winners were
only notified a couple of days ago, and as this goes to ‘press’ the grand prize
winner is getting a huge surprise. Although the nine artists knew they were
on the short-list, Rene Thibault will be finding out with everyone else that, for
his painting, Above the Rockies 13, he will receive the $1000 grand prize. In
determining the winner, some of the comments about Thibault’s painting
included: Excellent overall impact, technical ability, and composition.
Accurate and effective use of light and shade, and superb mood and balance. In short, it is a well-executed painting that is very deserving of the
honor.
We hope you enjoy learning about Thibault and our other eight finalists:
Larry Deacon, Peter John Reid, Cindy Quayle Hauck, Patricia Stanley, Jeet
Aulakh, Phil Chadwick, Christopher Gorey and Sharon Wareing.
We also hope you’ll all consider entering the upcoming competition:
Waterscapes. You can enter paintings that include creeks, ponds, streams,
rivers, lakes, oceans, waterfalls, etc. Perhaps your painting will be among the
next ones showcased in our competition coverage.
After Waterscapes, our competition subject will be floral. This advance
notice should give you plenty of time to get ready for our floral competition.
As for me, this is my favorite time of year! It’s time for the fall shows, and
there’s always an abundance of them. It’s my time to see new works from
some of my already favorite artists, and a time for me to discover and cultivate new favorites.
Canadian Brushstroke Magazine also keeps me very busy, so I have lots to
do this fall.
In response to many requests (Brushstroke is apparently becoming VERY
popular!), here is the magazine schedule: It is released every two months:
Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec. It is released at
the end of the first week of the month of release. So, after this issue, you can
expect your next Brushstroke at the end of the first week in November.
A
contents
3 Landscape
Competition
Our first competition
had more than 100
entries from all over
Canada. Check out our
grand prize winning
painting and the eight
finalists.
art
9 ‘Toy’
Kyle Fleming’s
art is more than
just a game it’s his way of
making a living
14 Premier
portrait
Chinese Master
painter Xin Yu Zheng
commemorates
former Alberta
Premier in oils
16 For the Love!
of Art
Manitoba artist
gets engaged to his
sweetheart in
Winnipeg Art Gallery
19 Military
deployment
Ontario artist Karen
Bailey sketches medics
and injured people in
Afghanistan
right 24 From
to left!
PUBLISHED BY JENSU DESIGN
PUBLISHER: Susan Blackman
All material printed in this magazine, written or depicted, is protected by copyright of
this magazine and/or the artist, and cannot
be reproduced in any form without express
written permission from the publisher.
All views expressed are those of the
author and not necessarily those of
Brushstroke Magazine. Brushstroke
makes no recommendations as to the purchase or sale of any product or service.
2 • Canadian Brushstroke Magazine • Sept/Oct 2007
All letters or contributions to Brushstroke
Magazine are subject to editing with no
limits or liability.
JENSU DESIGN
Box 5483, Leduc, Alberta, Canada T9E 6L7
Phone: 780-986-0789 • Fax: 780-986-8393
E-mail: [email protected]
CANADIAN BRUSHSTROKE MAGAZINE
Box 3449, Leduc, Alberta, Canada T9E 6M2
Phone: 780-986-0789 • Fax: 780-986-8393
E-mail: [email protected]
www.brushstrokemagazine.com
A major injury
meant Frans
Aeyelts of
Nova Scotia
had to learn to paint all over again with his left hand.
28 Industry News and
Information
?
Who’s showing where?
What competitions can you
enter? Who won awards?
Here’s where you look to find the answers.
LANDSCAPE COMPETITION
The following pages have the
results from
Competition No. 1:
LANDSCAPES
ur first-ever competition attracted
more than a hundred entries. We
are very pleased to present to you
the Grand Prize winner of $1000 and an
award-certificate, and eight finalists who will
receive finalist certificates for their portfolios.
Obviously there were many entries that
haven’t made our pages this issue, but
there were many that we would have loved
to add if we had the space. The great thing
about having the entries sent to our competition is that a lot of artists were brought to
our attention and they may be future features in the magazine. When your favorite
topic comes up in our competitions, be sure
to send your entries for your chance to win
and put your work where it could receive
future coverage.
O
Grand Prize Winner
ene Thibault often has this viewpoint when he’s taking reference
photos for upcoming works.
“Viewing the landscape from an aerial
viewpoint has increasingly influenced the
direction of my body of work. This painting
is one of numerous works I created from
reference photographs I took when I chartered a helicopter. This allowed me access
to promising compositions from a rare vantage point in the Rockies.”
Thibault (AFCA / CSPWC / SCA / VAAA)
attended Alberta College of Art & Design for
four years, earning his Diploma of Applied
Arts in 1969. Since then he has worked as
an architectural illustrator. Since 1987, as a
fine artist, his paintings have been admitted
into numerous juried exhibitions regionally,
nationally and internationally. He has been
the recipient of many awards. He was also
awarded the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
project grant in 2004.
You can view more of the artist’s work on
his website at www.renethibault.com .
R
Grand Prize Winner
of $1000 CDN and award certificate:
RENE THIBAULT, Calgary, AB
Above the Rockies #13, Watercolor, 12 x 18”
Canadian Brushstroke Magazine • Sept/Oct 2007 • 3
Finalist
Receives award
certificate:
PETER JOHN
REID, Chatsworth,
Ont.
Georgian Shores, Acrylic,
60 x 30”
orn in Plymouth,
England, Reid has
been living in rural
Grey County for the last 18
years.
He graduated from the
Ontario College of Art &
Design and has worked in
the art field for more than 25
years as a painter and
sculptor. He works in acrylic,
watercolor, pastel, stone,
wood and metal.
‘Georgian Shores’ uses
light and shadow to accent
the diverse rock formations
found on the west shore of
northern Bruce Peninsula.
This painting captures the
peace and beauty of the
rugged scene. The artist can
be contacted by emailing
[email protected] .
B
Finalist
Receives award certificate:
LARRY DEACON, Vernon, Ont.
Autumn Sky, Oil, 40 x 30”
ast fall I was at
Georgian Bay at a
small cove called Snug
Haven. Every evening the
skies put on a different display of colors and moods.
With my reference photographs, I captured this on
canvas by eliminating all the
boats and small docks along
the shoreline to emphasize
the effects of the sun hitting
the rocks and trees.”
“I’m a self-taught artist and
I’ve been drawing and painting all my life. A childhood
experience of sailing across
the Atlantic Ocean has
greatly influenced my art to
include with boats or water
as part of the subject matter.
Many travels throughout
North America have also
inspired me to paint scenes
from the Rockies to the East
Coast and in-between.”
Visit my website at
www.larrydeacon.com or
email [email protected]
L
“
Finalist
CINDY QUAYLE HAUCK,
Ottawa, Ont.
Sunny Days Ahead, Oil, 30 x 40”
unny Days Ahead’ was painted on the last major
snowfall of the season (spring 2007) here in
Ottawa. I was so excited and struck with the
beauty of late afternoon sun and shadow against the
newly fallen snow, reflected in all of the beautiful colors
of the woodland path. The energy was so great it almost
painted itself.
I have been painting since the ‘70s, mainly in oil on
canvas or panel.Studying four years at a private art
school in Ottawa gave me more background in the study
of ‘The Old Masters,’ and for the past four years since, I
have been heavily into plein air painting with various
groups.”
To view more of Quayle Hauck’s work, visit her website
at www.cquayle.com .
S
“
Finalist
PATRICIA STANLEY,
Cobourg, Ont.
Lifeguard Station-January, Watercolor, 21 x 14”
“
I
n the summer the public beach in Cobourg is
crowded with sun-worshippers. Winter is another
story. The abandoned lifeguard station watches
over drifts of wind-swept sand, the cries of seagulls
the only sound.
The natural world will continue in an endless cycle
of growth and change long
after we’re gone. That
endurance and ever-changing beauty is the focus of
my work.”
Stanley studied art in
Montreal, QC at McGill
University and Concordia
University School of Art, and
at several Toronto, Ont. art
schools. She returned to
painting three years ago after
a successful career and has
since been in several group
shows and three solo shows.
To see more of Stanley’s
work visit her site at
www.patstanleystudio.com .
Brushstroke Magazine • Sept/Oct 2007 • 5
Finalist
Finalist
Receives award
certificate:
PHIL CHADWICK,
Brockville, Ont.
The Son of La Cloche,
Oil, 48 x 36”
his is the ‘son’ of plein
air sketch ‘La Cloche,’
looking west across
George Lake, Killarney, Ont.
The wind had veered around
to the north and I had to get
in the shelter of spruce trees
on a granite point. The 11 x
14” sketch was crying for a
larger format to let the sun
really gleam off the white
quartzite hills.”
Chadwick has been a meteorologist since 1976.
“Weather feeds the family,
but art has always fed the
soul,” he says.
Chadwick does presentations on Tom Thomson and
the Group of Seven, and is
an instructor at Southampton
Art School, Ontario’s oldest
art school. See more of ‘Phil
the Forecaster’s’ art at
www.philtheforecaster.com .
“
T
JEET AULAKH, Windsor, Ont.
Going to the Carnival, Oil, 24 x 12”
“
his is a rural landscape in Punjab, a major province in northern India,
depicting a farm family on the tractor going to the carnival being celebrated in the spring. I have a permanent picture of rural lifestyle in
my mind inspiring me for these kinds of works despite my modern works.
I have a strong, controlled discipline in colors, symbols and strokes that I
use to bring a metamorphosis reflecting my own deeply psychological and
analytical nature on one side, and timeless space on the other.” Aulakh is a
graduate of the University of Chandigarh in India. He started painting
during his early childhood. His website is www.jeetaulakh.com .
T
Finalist
Receives award
certificate:
CHRISTOPHER
GOREY,
Ingonish, NS
Light Walk,
Oil, 40 x 30”
“
his oil depicts my wife
hiking on the Warren
Lake Trail in Cape Breton
Highlands National Park, Nova
Scotia. The low sun engulfs the
forest and this play of light is
created by the use of strong
value relationships as well as complementary
color contrasts.
The painting was first blocked in with a Cobalt
Blue turpentine wash under-painting and then
built up from dark to light, lean to fat.”
Gorey graduated from Massachusetts College
of Art in Boston and has been painting in oil and
watercolor for over 40 years. His work depicts
the beautiful people and landscape of Northern
Cape Breton Island, NS.
He has won a number of awards for his work,
and he also designed the 1981 and 1987 commemorative silver dollars for the Canadian Mint.
For more information, visit www.goreygallery.ca .
T
Finalist
Receives award
certificate:
SHARON WAREING,
Victoria, BC
In God’s Country,
Oil, 24 x 18”
“
his painting was inspired by
my love of the Rocky
Mountains. The mountains
are a source of inner peace and
wonder. The elk that live there
enhance the experience.”
“I have been oil painting since I
was 13 years old. Lessons started
in a basement in Sherwood Park. I
have also taken classes at the
University of Alberta and with Gene
Prokop of Pro’s Art in Edmonton.”
I am currently a member of the
Federation of Canadian
Artists and Victoria Sketch Club.
My most recent award was a people’s choice award for ‘The Light
Within.’ The artist can be reached
at [email protected] .
T
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Pictured below: Canadian artist Jack Ellis demonstrates the Banff easel
WEST (Yukon, Alberta, B.C.)
KYLE FLEMING: SELF-PORTRAIT
Childhood toy is
adult artist’s
‘MEDIUM’
While making a diagonal line on an Etch-A-Sketch is difficult for most people, KYLE FLEMING can use the
single line capability of the ‘toy’ to create portraits and other impressive images.
dmonton, AB artist Kyle Fleming never dreamed his
childhood toy would be the medium and support he
would use for his adult artwork.
Fleming has attracted media coverage Canada-wide with
his Etch-A-Sketch drawings, and he is now planning to
create the largest Etch-A-Sketch in the world on which to
create a new artwork - it will measure 3’ x 4.’
He is so busy with Etch-A-Sketch drawings that he tells
us, “I don’t have time to do anything else at this point. I
had to put down the Etch-A-Sketch to talk to you and later
I’ll put it down when I go to sleep.”
E
One of the unique aspects of using Etch-A-Sketch
compared to other media is that almost everyone has
used the toy at some point in their childhood and understands how difficult it is to achieve what Fleming accomplishes. Therefore, people have a great appreciation for
what he does, and an intense curiosity for how he does
it.
The toy has a glass surface coated with aluminum powder, a stylus and styrene beads. All drawings have to be
done in a single line - there is no way to stop the line in
one place and continue elsewhere.
More of Kyle Fleming’s Etch-A-Sketch
drawings can be viewed at
www.etchmaster.blogspot.com
That means that all of Fleming’s drawings have many
‘retracings’ over lines to achieve his desired effect.
“Consistency is the key to eliminating the ‘staircase’
effect when you try to do a diagonal line or circles,” he
says. “I think about curves and ratios - I’ve always loved
the technical aspects of art.”
If the board is shaken or turned upside down, the drawing will disappear, so Fleming drills a hole in the back to
remove the powder and beads, reseals it, and then the
drawing is permanent and ready for the purchaser.
He can complete the average portrait in 20 minutes, but
some works can take him 10 to 40 hours to complete.
Fleming is currently working on Etch-A-Sketch works for
10 windows in the bookstore at Grant McEwan College
City Centre Campus in Edmonton.
When he was 12 years old he started selling his art caricatures and sketches - at festivals, and did so until
he was about 19, when he took a “9-5 thing” for several
years. Then, about three years ago, he found an old
Etch-A-Sketch and he sketched a few of his friends at a
party. The reaction was so great that “I knew I had something.” And, suddenly, he had demand for his ‘toy’ creations.
He contacted Ohio Art Company and asked about using
their product for his drawings and he says he was given
their blessing. He still keeps in contact with them to let
them know when he’s had a very successful festival, and
he is also working with them to achieve the world’s largest
Etch-A-Sketch.
He believes that part of the reason he is so successful
with this new art form is, “It’s a child’s toy - very ‘apple
pie’.” His usual artwork (not on the Etch-A-Sketch) is
“quite political,” he says. On the Etch-A-Sketch, he is cognizant of the fact that it really is considered a child’s toy
and it would not be appropriate to get too political with it.
Fleming doesn’t know if his Etch-A-Sketch hype will
last forever, but for now he says, “It’s good work if you
can get it.” •
Johnson
Gallery
Susan Abma
Susan Abma
7711 - 85 St., Edmonton, AB • www.johnsongallery.ca
• 465-6171
In November 2007, join Canadian artists,
collectors, gallery owners, arts writers,
publishers, art historians, teachers,
critics, curators, corporate leaders, arts
service organizations, and public sector
funders for an unprecedented milestone in
Canadian culture: the Visual Arts Summit.
www.visualartssummit.ca
En Novembre 2007, joignez-nous a` une
pléiade d’artistes, de collectionneurs,
de galeristes, d’écrivains, de critiques et
d’historiens d’art, d’enseignants, d’editeurs,
de conservateurs, d’organismes de services
aux arts, de dirigeants d’entreprises et de
bailleurs de fonds du secteur public a` une
étape charniere
` de l’histoire de la culture
canadienne : le Sommet sur les arts visuels.
`
www.sommetsurlesartsvisuels.ca
CALL
FOR
ENTRIES
Watercapes
Competition
Creeks, ponds, streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, waterfalls, etc.
We want to show off Canada’s
artists, and our competitions
will offer us a chance to do
that!
Be sure to enter your artwork
in our competitions - not only
do you have a chance to win
$1000
CDN
Competition No.
2
Subject
Waterscapes
Medium
Two dimensional drawing
or painting medium
Entry Fee
$15
(You can enter as many
works as you would like)
Entry deadline
plus an award certificate,
but we also get a chance to
see your work and we just may
feature YOU
in an upcoming issue of
Canadian Brushstroke
Magazine.
November 30, 2007
*Winners and finalists will be featured
in the January/February issue of
Canadian Brushstroke Magazine
RULES — HOW TO ENTER
DIGITAL FILES ONLY
Enter with high res digital file only on CD only. Do not send digital
images via email to our offices - they
will be automatically disqualified. You
must print off the entry form on next
page, complete it, and send it along
with your CD and method of payment. If you have more entries than
the space allotted, please print
another form and fill it out complete12 • Canadian Brushstroke Magazine • Sept/Oct 2007
ly. All CDs must be labeled with the
artist’s name, the number of entries
on the CD, each of their titles and
this issue’s Competition Number. All
files on the CD must be labeled as
follows: lastname/firstname/Entry No.
Example: John Smith’s Entry No. 2
would be labeled smithjohn2.
ELIGIBILITY
This competition is open to any artist
with residency in Canada. All work
must be original, not copied from any
other artist’s work, photographer’s
work or published work of any kind,
and must have been completed in
the last two years. The work can not
have won previous awards or any
distinction of any kind. No works created under supervision are eligible.
We reserve the right to refuse any
entry, or ask for source material at
our discretion.
RULES — HOW TO ENTER (CONTINUED)
ENTRY FEE/DEADLINE
The DEADLINE for Canadian
Brushstroke Magazine to RECEIVE
entries is Nov. 30, 2007. You cannot
courier material to our box number, so
be sure to send it in plenty of time
(Address is on submission form
below). The fee per entry is $15 CDN,
which can be paid by VISA, cheque or
money order. The fee MUST be included with the CD and entry form submission. The entry fee is not refundable.
COMPETITION JUDGES
The competition entries will be chosen
E
N
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and/or qualified judges of our choosing.
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Brushstroke Magazine to publish
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also constitutes the entrant’s acceptance of all competition rules. The
winner and finalists will be notified by
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I solemnly declare that all the works listed on this entry
form are my own original artworks and I own the copyright
to the work and to all source material used in creating this
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will not be returned, and I understand the entry fee is nonrefundable. I have thoroughly read and agree to all competition rules, and I understand I am granting the rights to
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publish my name, the artworks listed and information in an
upcoming issue of Canadian Brushstroke Magazine and
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WEST (Yukon, Alberta, B.C.)
XIN YU ZHENG AND RALPH KLEIN BESIDE THE OFFICIAL PORTRAIT
Premier
Premier
Portrait
Portrait
Chinese Master painter
Xin Yu Zheng commemorates
popular former Alberta
Premier Ralph Klein in oils
hinese painter Xin Yu Zheng immigrated to Edmonton, AB 10
years ago. He has been touted in books as one of the top 100
artists in Chinese history.
He was recently chosen by former Premier Ralph Klein to complete
the official portrait that was unveiled and hung in the Alberta Legislature
Building in Edmonton, AB on Aug. 30.
“I knew I was in the hands of one of the greatest painters in Chinese
history,” Klein said, honoring Zheng at the unveiling. “This is something
I will cherish all of my life.” Klein was nervous at the prospect of “seeing
himself in living color, larger than life, where hundreds, if not thousands
of school kids pass by every day.”
Klein asked that a dreamcatcher be put in the painting because he felt
“in touch with the Aboriginal spiritual beliefs.” He also said, “Some will
say the view from the window takes too much artistic licence (there are
not really any fields or mountains outside his office window)” but he
added that if he was going to be captured for all time in the painting, he
wanted to feel like he was in the Legislature and still able to see the
beauty of Alberta’s landscape as well.
Klein’s plane was delayed when he flew in for the event and after his
slightly late arrival, Klein quipped to the crowd, “I apologize for being
late for my own hanging.” •
C
Susan Abma
Anne McCormick
More
than 70
paintings
on
exhibit
Cindy Revell
Shairl Honey
Susan Box
Alberta Oil Painters
ANNUAL FALL SHOW
Johnson Gallery - 7711 - 85 St., Edmonton, AB
Opening Reception:
Thurs. Oct. 4 from 5-9 p.m.
Show continues until Oct. 20. For more information call 780-777-4050.
David Brooks
Margaret Klappstein
Tracey Mardon
CENTRAL
(Nunavut, Saskatchewan,
NWT, Manitoba)
Love and the
ART GALLERY!
His love of art inspires
artist Dovide Secter to
propose at the
Winnipeg Art Gallery
DOVIDE SECTER AND SARAH ALLENTUCK
he Winnipeg Art Gallery
(WAG) was the backdrop
for an unforgettable event
Aug. 21. What began as a casual
visit to the gallery turned out to be
an elaborate marriage proposal
come to life after weeks of preparation.
WAG Member Sarah Allentuck
was in for the surprise of her life
when she arrived at the gallery
with her boyfriend Dovide Secter.
Dovide had led Sarah to the
gallery with an invitation to
attend a reception for a friend.
When they entered the gallery
space where she thought the
reception was to be held, she
soon realized it was a miniature
exhibition featuring seven of her
favourite works of art. But these
weren’t works you would usually
see hanging on gallery walls.
These had been individually
reproduced by Dovide to feature
Sarah’s face within each piece.
T
ALLENTUCK NEAR THE SECTER VERSION OF THE VERMEER
THE SECTER VERSION OF ALLENTUCK AS MONA LISA
Sarah was overwhelmed as she came upon her own
image portrayed as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Vermeer’s Girl
with the Pearl Earring, and through works by Modigliani,
Klimt, Artemisia Gentileschi, as well as mural-sized works
inspired by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
Dovide had approached the WAG several weeks earlier
to share his vision of his elaborate proposal and staff were
keen to help him realize his dream.
“It’s wonderful to see that the gallery has such special
meaning to this young couple and that we were able to
help coordinate this special event,” says Pierre Arpin,
WAG Director. “We wish Dovide and Sarah all the best as
they start this new phase of their life together and look forward to return visits for years to come.”
Family members of the couple were also on-site for the
event, waiting with anticipation in an adjoining gallery with
staff from the gallery.
“As an architect I see this building as a work of art,
and with a degree in art history, Sarah has always loved
coming to the WAG,” says Secter. “The Winnipeg Art
Gallery is one of Sarah’s favorite places so this was the
perfect setting for our engagement. Some day we’ll be
bringing our children here to show them where their
Mom said ‘yes’.” •
EAST
(Ontario, Quebec)
COPYRIGHT
Military sends Ontario artist
TO AFGHANISTAN
Editor’s Note: As part of the Canadian Forces Artists Program
2006-07, artist Karen Bailey was sent to Afghanistan for two
weeks to document medical personnel working at a hospital on
the airfield in Khandahar. She was also able to document the
injured as they received treatment in the facility. She sketched on
site and backed the sketches up with photographic reference
material to complete more drawings and paintings when she
returned. She tells part of the story in her own words and we
interviewed her afterward to provide some details on how she
does her sketching, the materials she used, etc.
What she doesn’t say in the article is that she has Multiple
Sclerosis, which made the travelling, the heat, and the long
hours much more difficult than it otherwise might be. Although
she was deemed fit to travel, having MS did pose extra
challenges. Spending her time at the medical facility was
reassuring. because she takes a daily injectable drug that must
be kept refrigerated. Bailey will be speaking about her challenges at an MS Society Open House in Ottawa in October.
Read about Karen’s experience in Afghanistan on the following
pages.
COPYRIGHT
ABOVE: PATIENT IN HALO TRACTION 1 • Ink, 3 x 5”
RIGHT: PATIENT IN HALO TRACTION 2 • Conte, 14 x 11”
PREVIOUS PAGE: X-RAY TECHNICIANS WITH HALO TRACTION PATIENT • Acrylic, 20 x 20”
COPYRIGHT
Karen Bailey’s story:
flew from Trenton Air Base on a military flight with
approximately 46 soldiers. The aircraft, designed mainly for cargo, includes a seating area similar to the
inside of a regular plane.
On our way to Budapest, Hungary, we stopped at a military air base in England for one and a half hours to refuel.
After the overnight stop in Budapest, we flew on to Dubai,
a six hour flight, in the same plane.
After one night in Dubai, I flew to Khandahar aboard a
Hercules, a three and a half hour flight. I left Canada on
Friday, June 22 at 7 p.m. and arrived in Afghanistan on
Monday, June 25 at 5 p.m.
A sandstorm raged as the Hercules met the runway. I
imagined I’d flown into a Canadian blizzard but stepping
down the companionway, the 40C blast of hot air mixed
with sand reminded me I’d arrived in Afghanistan. Visibility
was less than five feet.
Upon disembarking, soldiers tied scarves around their
faces like bandits and together we trudged past rubble,
concrete slabs and bundles of razor wire to the ‘terminal.’
That cavernous tin shell ridden with bullet holes was the
only refuge from the biting sand. Yet, birds sang in the
rafters, an incongruous joy amidst the desolation of war
and a metaphor for my week ahead at the Role 3 Hospital
in Khandahar air base.
Role 3 is a triage hospital dealing with severe emergency
cases. I will refer later to Role 1 - that is the outpatient’s
clinic. There is no Role 2.
Since 1916, the Canadian Forces have been involved in
I
the creation of war art with artists serving during WW1 and
WW2. An artist’s program was put in place between 1965 1995. In 2001, General Maurice Baril launched the
Canadian Forces Artist’s Program to encourage volunteer
artists to document army, navy or air force at work.
Ottawa painter Karole Marois encouraged me to apply
to the Canadian Force’s Artists Program in 2005. Karole,
in her capacity as a military artist (2005) spent three
weeks documenting the VE-Day celebrations in Holland.
She impressed upon me the dedication of the military
and the richness of her experience with the women serving.
In keeping with my artistic practice of painting behindthe-scenes workers (servers, hairstylists) and underrecognized members of society, my proposal to the
Canadian Force’s Artists Program 2006-07 was to document military catering staff or medical personnel.
I assumed I’d be sent to the cafeteria at the Department
of National Defence just blocks away from my Ottawa
home or to the military medical clinic nearby - a war zone
was the last place to which I was prepared to be deployed.
As if in confirmation of my wish, notification that I had
been selected came with the clear instruction that military
artists would not be sent to “theatre” (aka: Afghanistan),
citing the impossibility of getting insurance as the obstacle.
Landstuhl, Germany, however, was a definite possibility.
Upon hearing throughout 2006, of injured soldiers being
flown from Afghanistan to Landstuhl Medical Centre in
Germany for treatment, my proposal was made more
specific.
At my suggestion, I was
Dubai and, more worrisome,
on call throughout the wina grueling three-and-a-half
ter and spring of 2007 for
hour Hercules flight into
Landstuhl and would be
Khandahar left me anxious.
deployed to Germany
Would I be in any state to
immediately following a
sketch when I arrived at the
significant incident in
hospital? With only six days
Afghanistan involving
in which to record the
Canadian soldiers. While
medics and nurses, I had to
there, I would sketch and
be on tip top form.
photograph the medical
Soldiers and firearms surworkers tending to woundrounded me on the sizzling
ed soldiers, then return to
Dubai tarmac. The soldiers
Canada with them as part
were ordered to prepare
of the medevac team.
their weapons and one of
The year 2007 proved
the men turned to me askless noteworthy than 2006
ing, “Where’s your
with regards to Canadian
weapon?” (I was the only
casualties so the call to
civilian on the flight). I
Landstuhl never came.
pulled a pencil from my
KAREN BAILEY AT WORK IN KHANDAHAR
Col. Hogberg, head of
pocket and held it up. “The
Medical Services (Rtd.) for
pen is mightier than the
the Department of National
sword,” I told him. He
Defence and one of my many contacts in the organization
responded with a blank stare then turned to ready his
of my Landstuhl proposal, persuaded me that the medics
weapon.
and nurses at the Role 3 Hospital in Khandahar deserved
Wearing helmet, visor and a thirty pound flak jacket, I
my attention. He assured he could get arrange for the
boarded the Hercules. With the help of Gravol and firm in
insurance and he set everything in motion.
the knowledge that this opportunity would only come once,
During the eight weeks between the initial approval for
I rose to the challenge. The sound of retching was audible
my journey and departure from Canadian Forces Base
on the rough landing into Khandahar but it emanated from
(CFB) Trenton, dozens of e-mails were exchanged. The
the other side of the plane, while my own stomach held.
complex layers of bureaucracy and numbers of personnel
British artist Dame Laura Knight and Canadian Molly
involved in the administration of arrangements for my brief Lamb Bobak who both served as military artists during
visit to Afghanistan staggered me. The Department of
WW2 have inspired me but I am most impressed with
National Defence’s high level of commitment and belief in
Doris and Anna Zinkeisen. These Scottish born sisters
my capabilities as an artist humbled me - would I live up to both served as war artists. Doris was with the St. John
this extraordinary privilege?
Ambulance Brigade and documented Belsen while Anna
April 27 to June 22 gave me eight weeks to fret and preworked mornings on the casualty ward of St.Mary’s
pare for Khandahar, the myriad of details threatening to
Hospital, Paddington, then during afternoons painted in
overwhelm me. Insurance particulars of my medical histono-longer-used operating theatres.
ry, recounting every doctor’s visit in the previous ten years
I greatly admire the art of German Kathe Kolwitz. She
was necessary. I required a multitude of vaccinations, hot
accompanied her husband, a doctor, as he treated the
weather gear including 60 spf sunscreen (I’m a redhead),
poor, and sketched his patients.
my first ever pair of cargo pants, and sturdy boots.
Both the moving images of mothers with dying children
New colored pencils were purchased and camera batterand her intense self-portraits are etched in my mind.
ies recharged. Departure dates changed frequently and
As promised, I was well cared for during my Khandahar
my return date was not confirmed until the morning I was
stay. The VIP accommodations included a narrow room
due to leave. Travel plans are always fluid in the military.
with two sets of bunk beds (though I was the sole occuMy grandmother served as a nurse in Italy during WW1
pant and the only female guest) as well as shared bathwith the American Red Cross. I sought to become a miliroom facilities. Posted on my door were the words ‘Civ
tary artist in the expectation that I’d be serving my country
Bailey.’
in the only way I know how, through my art. Little did I
Upon arrival I was issued with a schedule. This included
know when I applied that I, too, would be traveling to a
times, Action, OPI, Location and Special Instructions (e.g..
war zone to spend time in a hospital.
26-Jun-07, 0700-0800 breakfast, Escort, DFAC or 28-junI was carrying on a family tradition in more ways than
07 0900-1200 Re MMU, Escort,R3 MMU). The acronyms
one. Suffering from sea sickness, Nana was ill during the
stumped me.
long, slow voyage over, throughout the passage to Sicily
Military life is the complete opposite of my solitary exisand one year later, all the way home. Like my grandmothtence as a painter. The Khandahar Base might as well
er, I am a rotten traveler. My first action on any airplane is
have been Mars, The climate is inhospitable, the terrain
to locate the sick bag. The prospect of a long flight to
rough and vegetation all but nonexistent.
Unused to eating with hundreds of people at every meal
in the ‘DFAC’ (cafeteria) and working alongside many in
the cramped hospital, sketching the patients was the only
activity that mirrored my life in the studio - working with a
model is second nature to me.
Painting, with its myriad of accoutrements, isn’t suited to
a cramped hospital. I quickly realized I’d have to depend
on my photographs of medical personnel in action to later
produce paintings of these workers - they were never still.
The following quote by General Foulkes is a maxim of
military medical personnel: “There is no greater boost to a
soldier’s morale in battle than the certain knowledge that
should he be wounded he will receive quick and adequate
medical attention and early evacuation from the battlefield.”
Watching the medical personnel perform their duties was
a privilege. The precision in the surgery of an injured fouryear-old boy, the compassion of a nurse speaking soothingly to a wounded Afghani man who spoke no English,
the delicate technical expertise of X-ray technicians as
they took images of the young man in halo traction, and
watching a ten-year-old girl walk out of the hospital four
weeks after she nearly lost a leg, were near miracles .given the limited facilities and resources available in
Khandahar.
There were no Canadians injured seriously during my
time in Khandahar. It was sketching the Afghani patients,
both children and adults injured in crossfire or as a result
of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that gave me a
strong sense of place. Canadian soldiers are wellequipped and outfitted while Afghanis are defenceless,
particularly the children, of whom many are treated at Role
3.
I love sketching and painting from life - not only does it
connect me with my sitter but is a true test of skill. I am
put to this test during my freelance courtroom drawing
work for Global television. The surge of adrenaline (read:
panic) when faced with a jury that must be sketched in
time for the noon news can be daunting. I felt this momentary terror again in the Role 3 Hospital until I had pencil in
hand and began to draw.
Through an Afghani translator I was able to ask permission to sketch the patients and they always graciously
agreed. In some cases the patients couldn’t speak so they
were instructed to raise their hand if they wished to be
sketched. The hand always rose. These ‘models’ were
men in trauma, many with facial injuries. To be stared at
and sketched while one is at one’s most vulnerable
appeared not to offend. The only Pashtu phrase I managed to use was “manena” - thank you. This I repeated
many times to every patient who agreed to be sketched.
My favorite sketch will never be published or exhibited.
“T” is one of five Afghani translators who sat for me. These
men must remain anonymous as they work at the hospital
interpreting for patients and medical personnel. Ever-present is the threat that the Taliban may harm not only the
translators but also their families as they run the risk of
getting labeled as collaborators within their local communities.
My two ‘escorts:’ Debbie, the operating room nurse, and
COPYRIGHT
APPENDECTOMY PATIENT - KHANDAHAR • Colored Pencil, 14 x 11”
This young man was with the Afghani army and in for an emergency appendectomy.
That’s why he looks so well. He was the only patient who spoke English.
Tobi, the intensive care nurse, took turns collecting me in
the morning, introducing me to various medical personnel
from preventative medicine, to Black Hawk rescue crew,
and accompanying me for meals. All this was done while
attending to their own duties. Tobi and Debbie will feature
in my paintings, cleaning a patient’s tracheotomy, assisting
in surgery and in the line up at Tim Horton’s.
Medical workers are the unsung heroes of the military they deserve recognition. The medical personnel at Role 3
as well as translators and patients collectively acted as my
muse. I consider this an enormous privilege. There were
never restrictions placed upon me nor was I instructed
what to sketch or photograph. As part of my contract
I will provide the Department of National Defence with
the artwork of my choosing.
I’ve sketched out roughs for paintings and over the next
few months I will work on my series of Canadian military
medical personnel treating patients at Role 3 Hospital in
Khandahar. I hope to exhibit this collection in 2008.
This experience has challenged me, broadened my perspectives and the people in Khandahar have enriched my
life. Reluctant traveler that I am, I never imagined I’d say
that I am grateful to have made the journey to Afghanistan.
Yet, amid the ravages of war in Khandahar, I found my
muse.
CANADIAN BRUSHSTROKE MAGAZINE INTERVIEW
WITH KAREN BAILEY:
• Once you have gone on a ‘mission’ like this, can or will
the military just decide to send you again, or do you have
to reapply each time?
“I can apply again but must sit out one round (they are in
two year blocks, I participated in the 2006-2007 session).”
• If they want you to go again or go elsewhere, do you
want to do it?
“Certainly I would go to another military base though I’d
think twice about returning to Afghanistan, it is a difficult
posting.”
• What did YOU gain personally from this exceptionally
experience?
“This opportunity gave me a fresh perspective on the
commitment of young people for their country and for people less fortunate than themselves. Canadian military personnel are absolutely extraordinary.
War art has taken on a new significance for me now. I’ve
developed tremendous respect for the illustrious military
artists who have preceded me.
I am struck by the reactions of others to my experience.
Having been an artist for over 25 years, this is the “commission” that has illicited the most interest. Previously, I
have illustrated best-selling cookbooks for a British publisher, produced calligraphy and heraldic art for royal visits, sketched Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul at
Rideau Hall for the Governor-Generals academic medal,
worked as a courtroom artist during high profile cases for
Global Television and enjoyed sold-out exhibitions of my
paintings. But these pale to insignificance next to
Afghanistan. Khandahar captures the imagination of people more than anything else.
On a very personal
level, I recognize that I
am stronger than previously imagined. Despite
having MS, I survived
the long journey over,
the week in a hospital in
a war zone and the
even longer journey
home. Given my restricted energy, I’m amazed
at my fortitude.”
• How long did it take
you to do the average
sketch?
COPYRIGHT
“I spent 30 - 45 minSELF-PORTRAIT INCOGNITO •
utes each for the Role 3
Colored Pencil, 11 x 14”
hospital sketches but
was jumping up and
down as there was always a medical attendant needing
access to the patient or equipment and the space was
tight.
In Ottawa when I have a sitter for a colored pencil portrait
I’ll spend between 45 minutes and and hour and a quarter.
In the courthouse the accused may only appear for five
minutes or less. In this case, I spend another 30 minutes
or so outside the courtroom working the image up while it
is still fresh in my mind.
Otherwise I might spend one to one-and-a-half hours
getting the jury sketched.”
• What type and brand of graphite pencils are your
favorites?
“2B Staedtler Mars Lumograph are my favorite.”
• What brand of colored pencils do you use?
“Prismacolor artists colored pencils.
• When you
paint, what type
of paint do you
use, what
brand, and
what is your
usual palette.
Also, what
support do you
usually paint
on?
“I paint with
acrylic. At art
school in
England
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(Heraldry,
Calligraphy,
Illumination and KHANDAHAR BOY 1 • Colored Pencil, 11 x 11”
Bookbinding,
Reigate School of Art & Design) we always used Winsor &
Newton gouache. When I switched to acrylic it was natural
to continue with this brand. I believe some of the W&N
colors - Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Medium, Burnt
Sienna - are superior to other brands. My other brand of
choice is Tri-Art acrylics.
I favor a very limited palette. This keeps unity in my
painting and helps me stay focused. For many years I
used a high-key palette of Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium
Yellow Medium, Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White
on a ground of Alizarin Crimson. As well, I’d use
small amounts of Cadmium Red Medium and Yellow
Ochre.
More recently I have favored a low-key palette of
Napthol Red, Yellow Ochre and Paynes Gray with
Titanium White on a ground of Burnt Sienna. Again, with
this I use small amounts of Cadmium Red Medium.
Or I use an earth palette with Ultramarine Blue, Burnt
Sienna and Raw Sienna with Titanium white and small
amounts of Cadmium Yellow Medium.
I prefer gallery style canvas for the added depth.”
• What type of brushes do you favor?
“Winsor & Newton Galeria Filbert short, flat.”
• How do you approach your painting?
“I always prime my canvas with a wash of Burnt Sienna
(the ground colour), then sketch with willow charcoal. I
spray the surface lightly with a workable fixative so the
charcoal doesn’t infect the acrylic colors. I like the lines of
the sketch to come through the painting in places, sometimes very noticeably, sometimes more faintly.
This combination sketching/painting is relatively new to
me (last two years) and I love it. For years I used to use
draw with burnt sienna on a brush (over the paler burnt
sienna ground) and I still use this method in my life
painting.” •
*Check Bailey’s website at www.karenbailey.ca . She will
continue to update her Khandahar work as it is produced.
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Canadian Brushstroke Magazine • Sept/Oct 2007• 23
MARITIMES
(NFLD/Labrador, PEI,
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick)
THE WATERFRONT • Watercolor,
Drawing on the left side
of the
ARTIST
hen watercolorist Frans Aeyelts's right arm was
severely injured in a boating accident, he had to
learn to draw all over again - with his left hand!
Aeyelts built a boat in 1984. In 1987 he launched it, and
with his wife-to-be at his side, he sailed to the West Indies
on two occasions.
"You couldn't just sail into any island port and expect
employment," he says. "The only way to put groceries on
the table was to do boat portraits." It didn't pay really well,
he adds, but it was enough to feed them and keep them
W
A severe injury meant this
Lunenburg, NS, artist had to
completely retrain himself.
Now, FRANS AEYELTS supports
his family from the proceeds
of his artwork and shares his
knowledge with his students.
going on their journey.
His boat, 'Amakama,' has three hulls which means it is a
trimaran. It is 43 ft. long and 27 ft. wide. "She is steady
and performs well. We could do an average of 170 - 180
nautical miles per day. She is a wonderful offshore, long
distance sailboat, with plenty of room aboard to live for
extended times."
On the second trip, says Aeyelts, "I had a nasty
encounter with an outboard motor. It pretty well destroyed
my right arm."
STARTING LINE - CHESTER • Watercolor,
Although Aeyelts didn't lose his arm, he could no longer
draw or paint with it. "I had to switch from right-hand to
left-hand operations. I had no choice."
But, it wasn't a complete retraining, he says. "The knowledge was all there. The switch I had to make was purely
motoric." He simply had to train his left arm to do what his
brain already knew how to do, so it was all in the motor
skills. "With practice you can do it. You apply the knowledge you already have."
Aeyelts married Paulette Crewe in 1991 and the couple
settled in Lunenburg in 2001. The accident forced a
change in lifestyle.
An artist with an existing student base wanted to retire
from teaching and Aeyelts took over her studio and student base. He now teaches 11-12 students two days per
week and markets his work on the waterfront from June
through September or October if the weather cooperates.
"It was not until after that injury that I was forced to look
in that direction to earn my living. I set up my own business and went into making reproductions of my original
watercolors."
He made stands and approached many gifts stores and
other venues to sell his work, but he found, "In the long
run it meant a lot of chasing of the money and a lot of
administration."
So, he approached the Town of Lunenburg with the concept of having an old-fashioned-style push cart with spoke
wheels, from which he could sell his local art on the waterfront. The town bylaws prohibited any street vendors of
any kind.
"I kept pushing for different options but I didn't get very
far."
Finally, he found a loophole and has been selling artwork
from the cart since. If merchandise is sold inside a
Lunenburg business, the business may also advertise its
merchandise for sale outside its property on the sidewalk.
So, he came to an agreement with the local newspaper
that was in the area where he wanted to sell artwork. He
carries his work inside the business, and he is thus
allowed to have his pushcart outside in the newspaper's
parking lot.
"I built an old-fashioned cart, with an awning that
comes out. It's painted in green, white and red matching the colors of the major merchandisers on the
waterfront, so it meets with the aesthetic profile of the
town."
DINGHY DOCK • Watercolor,
"I've also had work in the gallery in Chester, about 40 km
from here, and I will deal with Halifax Art Sales and
Rentals - they are working in conjunction with the Nova
Scotia Art Gallery." In July of every year he is also involved
in the Lunenburg Paint Sea on Site, a fundraiser to support the Lunenburg Art Gallery.
Aeyelts preferred brand of watercolor paint is DaVinci. He
generally paints on Arches 140 lb. coldpress, although he
said he occasionally likes to paint on the dull side of Bristol
Board: "The fibre breaks down quicker, so you have to
limit your strokes."
He arranges his palette as follows... Bottom row, left to
right: Cadmium Yellow, Raw Sienna, Gamboge (warm yellow), Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Sepia. Top row, left to
right: Cobalt Blue, French Ultramarine, Prussian Blue,
Phthalo Blue, Cerulean Blue, Indigo. Right side, top to bottom: Permanent Red, Permanent Rose, Cadmium Red
and Alizarin Crimson. Left side, top to bottom: Paynes
Grey, Hookers Green Light, Viridian, Sap Green.
His brand of brush, often Taklon bristle brushes or
Cottman include: Flats - two inch, one-and-a-half
inch, one inch, three-quarter inch and quarter-inch;
Rounds - #36, 12, 8, 6, 2, 1; and a rigger brush for
sharp, crisp, long lines.
"Sometimes in my work I will introduce markers - Sharpie
- I hide it in darker areas and it will show up not obvious to
the casual observer. I use a fairly large marker with a
sharp point."
He mainly does watercolors. "In my sketch-book I'll use
pencil, or pen at times with a dash of colour to give it
some zest, or I'll do ink drawings with a splash of watercolor on them."
"I will work from photographs and alter them in order to
create something of visual interest. I also like to draw and
paint on site. It has a very different flavor - more impressionistic - the light changes quicker."
"There is a lot of beauty in mundane subjects like an old,
rickety boat. Normally you may just walk right past it."
Aeyelts says 40 percent of his work is highly detailed and
realistic, and the remainder is "kind of free-flowing - like a
dance punctuated by the topic of interest executed in
detail."
He has been an artist since he could hold a pencil and
believes he was born with the gift of drawing. He honed
his skills at art school in the Netherlands where he grew
up.
He believes that 80 percent of
drawing is "in the head - whether
you can see things in an interesting way. You can have somebody
who is very good technically but
may not be very artistic at all. It's a
combination of technical skills and
seeing the world around you in a
different way."
"Most people first see details
before they see the bigger picture."
He recommends 'starting big and
eventually ending up with the
detail. "Draw and paint from general to specific. Rather than outlining
the drawing or painting in a few
lines first, I often see all kinds of
non-important details emerging
from pencils. Not only does it slow
you down, you make it into an
exercise of frustration and take the
spontaneity out of it. Your work
could look very woody, stiff and
uninspiring. Detail should come
last, like the icing on the cake."
There is no magic formula to success, but Aeyelts says to paint
what's in your heart. There is some
distinction, however, between creativity and commercialism. "You
have to make a distinction as to
whether you want to go commercial - if you are not pressed to do
so (financially), you have much
greater flexibility.
"For me, I have to work more
commercial because I earn my living this way. Being commercial limits yourself a little bit more in terms
of the creative playing field."
PORT TACK • Watercolor,
Frans Aeyelts attended the Academy of
fine arts in Arnhem, in the Netherlands,
then switched to The School for Applied
Printing Techniques and Administration.
His originals and reproductions are sold
out of his studio at Lincoln Street Gallery in
Lunenburg, N.S. He also does commissioned work and conducts workshops in
Lunenburg, Halifax, and occasionally in
other locations. His website is
www.fransaeyelts.com .
news & information
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Diane Farris Gallery (Vancouver),
Sept. 6 - 22: Shannon Belkin:
Second Nature;
.......................
Diane Farris Gallery (Vancouver),
Sept. 27 - Oct. 13:
A Fine Line: Celebrating Drawing;
and Oct. 18 - Nov. 3: Lisa Klapstock:
Depiction.
.......................
Comox Valley Art Gallery
(Courtenay), Sept 29 and 30:
Studio Tour. The area covered by the
Comox Valley Art Gallery Studio Tour
runs from Fanny Bay to Black Creek.
Jed Irwin is participating before he
leaves the Comox Valley and moves
to Mexico. Jed Irwin was one of the
founders, and first coordinator, of
what was originally the Central Island
Arts Alliance and now is the Comox
Valley Art Gallery.
ALBERTA
ART GALLERY OF
CALGARY INSTALLS NEW
ENVIROMENTAL CONTROLS
The final phase of the Art Gallery of
Calgary’s (AGC) 'Finishing Touches'
renovation project is with the installation of new environmental controls in
the AGC’s Top Gallery. The AGC is
now one of only three galleries in
Calgary with the capacity to bring
museum-quality contemporary art
exhibitions from around the world to
Calgary.
“Museums and galleries that create
travelling exhibitions showcasing
priceless or prestigious works
of art from their collections insist that
a host gallery be able to guarantee
precise control of its
environmental conditions,” says Marc
Gaudet of Hemisphere Engineering
Inc., the company responsible for
designing the controls at the AGC.
“In order to minimize irreversible
damage to travelling works of art,
host galleries need to control space
temperature, space relative humidity
ALBERTA
and air filtration. The equipment we
are installing... will provide humidification, de-humidification and
improved air
filtration.”
Valerie Cooper, AGC President &
CEO, says, “We’re looking forward to
bringing Calgarians world-class
shows that were previously unavailable to us.”
ART GALLERY OF ALBERTA
GETS MAJOR SPONSOR
FOR NEW BUILDING
The Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is
welcoming Qualico Developments as
a new lead donor to AGA’s New
Vision project this month.
On Sept. 8, Qualico will publicly
announce its commitment to the Art
Gallery of Alberta’s New Vision
Capital Campaign with a $250,000
major lead donation, in recognition of
bringing families together through
creative activities and art education,
and of contributing to building a cultural institution for the well being of
all Canadians.
Qualico Alberta Family Day offers
free admission, educational tours,
and art activities, and will be available for families to enjoy both at the
interim gallery at Enterprise Square
(Bay Building), and in the newly built
gallery in Churchill Square scheduled
to open in 2009.
Qualico Developments is a fully integrated real estate development company with operations in Calgary,
Edmonton, Vancouver, and
Winnipeg.
The New Vision building of the AGA
will be a greatly expanded 85,000
square foot innovative gallery that
will be a premier presentation venue
for international, Canadian and First
Nations art, education and scholarship.
The gallery in itself will be a work of
art that will complement and complete the cultural precinct surrounding Churchill Square. The new building designed by Los Angeles archi-
tect Randall Stout will be an icon of
architecture for Alberta and a centre
of excellence for visual art in
Western Canada.The New Vision
capital campaign moves forward with
great progress with commitments
from private donors, and all orders of
government, nearing $70 million of
the required $88 million project envelope. Construction of the new building began this summer.
.......................
Nickle Arts Museum (Calgary), to
Sept. 15: University of Calgary
Department of Art will be holding its
2007 MFA graduating exhibition.
.......................
Elevation Gallery (Canmore), to Sept.
18: Out of Wax, encaustic explorations by BIGOUDI . ( BIGOUDI is
the ‘nom de plume’ for artist Pascale
Ouellet) The exhibition features very
large scale encaustic works that
span from nostalgic black and white
figurative works to quirky Highland
cows.
.......................
Art Gallery of Calgary, Until Jan. 5,
2008: This exhibition, called The
Alberta Biennial Celebrates Alex
Janvier, is part of
the 2007 Alberta Biennial of
Contemporary Art: Living Utopia and
Disaster and is presented in
collaboration with the Walter Phillips
Gallery at The Banff Centre and the
Art Gallery of Alberta. The
Janvier exhibition is comprised of
more than 30 works. Alex Janvier’s
modernist abstract paintings have
played an important
role in the development and recognition of Canadian native art.
.......................
Herringer Kiss Gallery (Calgary),
Sept. 8 - Oct. 6: Reinhard Skoracki Sit-uations. The Calgary sculptor’s
table top and wall mounted bronze
sculptures represent topical issues
with a sense of humour. In “Situations”, Reinhard uses the...
Cont’d on next page
news & information
ALBERTA CONT’D
MANITOBA
Herringer Kiss Gallery Cont’d...
...banal, everyday chair, not only as
sculptural form, but as metaphor for
social and political views.
.......................
Webster Galleries (Calgary), Sept. 15
- Oct. 6: 'Welcome to a New
Dimension' featuring new paintings
from resident artist Réal Fournier.
........................
Newzones (Calgary), Sept. 15 - Oct.
20: Saskatchewan artist Barry Weiss.
A self-taught landscape painter,
Weiss' paintings depict the
Saskatchewan landscape. Weiss
says, "My fundamental goal in painting is to express with freedom my
reverence for what is natural."
BARRY WEISS - UNTITLED XIV
........................
Newzones (Calgary), Sept. 15 - Oct.
20: Mike Patten's Mondrian's Garden
exhibition plays with the thin line that
separates abstraction from realism.
Originally from Regina, Mike Patten
lives and works in Montréal. He holds
a BFA in painting and drawing with a
minor in art history from the
University of Regina.
SASKATCHEWAN
Mysteria Gallery (Regina), Sept. 5 Oct. 31: 'Embodiments,' evidence
and influence of the physical body in
art. Lynn Anne Cecil, Chad Jacklin,
Brad Kreutzer, Theresa Kutarna,
Marlo V, and Melanie Monique Rose.
THE WORK OF WILL GORLITZ
WINNIPEG ART GALLERY
ACQUIRES MAJOR WORK
BY FORMER CITY ARTIST
WILL GORLITZ
On Aug. 8, Winnipeg Art Gallery
announced a major acquisition by
former Winnipeg artist Will Gorlitz.
Three Essays on the Theory of
Sexuality (English version, 1989) was
officially unveiled at a press conference today, followed by an artist talk.
The work will be on view at the WAG
until Nov. 8.
The acquisition was made possible
by a generous donation made to the
Gallery by Margaret Marshall, of
Toronto, who also attended the event.
“We are extremely grateful for this
very generous gift,” says WAG
Director Pierre Arpin. “The Winnipeg
Art Gallery is thrilled to be adding this
major work by Will Gorlitz to our collection.“
Using Sigmund Freud’s texts written in 1905 as a conceptual and
actual starting point, Gorlitz has
created a complex work exploring
elements of symbols, language,
sexuality, and the human condition.
Consisting of 21 separate panels,
Freud’s text has been drawn over
with exquisite depictions of commonplace objects.
Gorlitz infuses banal everyday subjects with associations alluded to by
their placement and relationship to
Freud’s writing. This work is an
important addition to two other
Gorlitz paintings in the WAG’s collection, rounding out our representation of his artistic practice.
Born in Buenos Aires, Gorlitz was
raised in Winnipeg and studied at
the University of Manitoba and
Nova Scotia College of Art and
Design. He is currently Professor,
Studio Art at the University of
Guelph.
.......................
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Opening Oct.
5: The exhibition (Andy) Warhol:
Larger Than Life.
.......................
Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba
(Brandon), Until Oct. 13: The exhibitions Sonny Assu 'iPotlatch' and
Heather Benning.
'Downtime.''iPotlatch' explores the
definition of personal lineage through
the meeting of everyday consumer
items and Aboriginal symbolism, and
Artist Heather Benning’s work is
highly concerned with the state of
family farming in Canada today.
.......................
Plug-In ICA, (Winnipeg), Sept. 14 Nov. 17.: Scratching the Surface: The
Post-Prairie Landscape provides a
multi-generational look into the transition of the Canadian Prairies.
Featuring the work of 19 Winnipeg
artists.
.......................
news & information
ONTARIO
Arts Hamilton Gallery has moved to a
new location. 279 King Street East,
International Village, Hamilton, ON,
L8N 1B9
.......................
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa),
Until Sept. 9: Renoir Landscapes is
the first major exhibition of the artist's
landscape paintings and the National
Gallery is its only Canadian stop.
Featuring 56 of Renoir’s most beautiful works.
.......................
Georgina Arts Centre and Gallery
(Sutton),Until Sept. 16: Private
“Smith/Chiarandini” Portraits collection. Also featuring Phil Chadwick,
Salvatore Gallo, Giuseppe Pivetta
and guest artists Deborah Colvin,
Heather Fullerton, David Klaus,
Heather Larue, Willi Lottering, Frank
Smith and Line Tremlay.
.......................
Roberts Gallery (Toronto), Until Sept.
18: 13th Annual Sketches Show. This
year’s exhibition will cover all three
floors of the gallery and will feature
examples of oil, watercolour and
drawing sketches by the Group of
Seven, their contemporaries and the
generations of landscape painters
that followed. Alan Collier will be the
feature artist for this year's and a surprise find of sixteen John Gould
drawings of Marcel Marceau will be
featured in the drawings section of
the exhibition.
.......................
Edward Day Gallery (Toronto), Until
Sept. 30: 'The Peacable Kingdom,'
features new sculptures by Tom
Dean. Dean has represented
Canada at the 1999 Venice Biennale
with The Whole Catastrophe,
received the Governor General’s
Award in Visual and Media Arts in
2001, and has had solo exhibitions
and works in the collections of the Art
Gallery of Ontario, the National
Gallery of Canada, and the Musee
d’art contemporain de Montreal. In
The Peaceable Kingdom, serene
beasts coexist in a precarious sensual paradise.
.......................
Barber Gallery (Guelph), Sept 8 - 29:
'Arctic Quest:' View works by members of Arctic Quest who traveled to
paint the High Arctic.
.......................
Michael Gibson Gallery (London),
Sept. 7 - 29: 'Recent Paintings and
Drawings.' New paintings and drawings of the prairie landscape. The
acrylic paintings are rendered
aggressively with vibrant contrasting
colours and focus on changes of
weather, graceful rural roads and
crisp prairie sloughs.
.......................
Ethel Curry Gallery (Haliburton),
Sept. 8 - Oct. 7: 'Perspectives from
the Highlands' features new works
by W.J. Cornwall, in watercolor and
acrylics.
Oakville Art Society Gallery, Sept. 12
- Oct. 9: Ed Roach Watercolours
'Quiet Moments' exhibit.
.......................
CAFKA (Kitchener), Sept. 20-30:.The
CAFKA.07 HAPTIC main exhibition is
located in the vicinity of Kitchener's
City Hall.
.......................
Rothwell Hauck Gallery (Ottawa),
Until Sept. 29: John Alexander Day 'Brushing the Light.' The largest
exhibit of Day's career will be featured. Bold strokes of paint fill the
canvases with warmth, movement,
shadow and light. From Oct. 2-31:
Cindy Quayle Hauck - 'Follow your
path,' Highlighting Canada’s four
seasons in brilliant colour.
.......................
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
(Kingston), To Feb. 2008: ISABEL
McLAUGHLIN (1903-2002):
PAINTER, PATRON, PHILANTHROPIST at the Samuel J. Zacks
Gallery. Painter, Patron,
Philanthropist evokes the breadth of
McLaughlin's relationships with
Canadian artists A.Y. Jackson,
Lawren Harris, Anne Savage, Arthur
Lismer, Prudence Heward, Yvonne
McKague Housser, William Ronald
and Kazuo Nakamura; her practice
as an early Canadian abstractionist;
her role in the arts community; and
her patronage of artists and the arts.
QUEBEC
Galerie Trois Pointes (Montreal),
Sept. 8 - Oct. 6: All the Drops of the
Sea with sculptor Michelle Heon.
MARITIMES
Peter Buckland Gallery (Saint John,
NB), Until Sept. 15. This is the
gallery's first major exhibition of work
by Rick Burns since his death in
2004. Burns was one of New
Brunswick's most important visual
artists during the past thirty years.
This exhibition will be in tandem with
another exhibition of his work to be
hosted in Fredericton by Ingrid
Mueller Art Contact.
.......................
Gallery 78 (Fredericton, NB), month
of November: The art of Ann Manuel.
.......................
Eyelevel Gallery (Halifax, NS), Sept
8 - Oct. 13: 'Sky Vessels/Mount
Analog.' This two person exhibition
features new paintings by Montrealbased artist Jennifer Dorner and
Vancouver-based artist Stephanie
Aitken. Sky Vessels is influenced by
a variety of mediums, social
spaces, and everyday life. Mount
Analog is a series of recent paintings of mountains referencing the
sublime of romantic landscape
painting while challenging pictorial
illusion.
.......................
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Halifax,
NS), Sept 15 - Dec. 2. The 2007
Sobey Art Award exhibition features
Cont’d on next page...
news & information
classifieds
MARITIMES CONT’D
Sobey Award Finalists Exhibition Cont’d...
the work of five artists under 40, selected for the Sobey Art
Award shortlist.
Each artist represents one of five Canadian regions:
Québec - Michel de Broin; Atlantic Provinces - Jean-Denis
Boudreau; West Coast - Ron Terada; Ontario - Shary
Boyle; and Prairies and the North - Rachelle Viader
Knowles. The winner will be announced Oct. 15.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
INTERNATIONAL ARTIST DAY
Oct. 25 - International Artist Day. For more information, visit
the web site at www.internationalartistday.com .
FLORENCE
BIENNALE
The sixth edition
of the Florence
Biennale will
take place Dec.
1-9 in Florence,
Italy.
The Biennale
features works
from known and
emerging artists
including all
techniques, artistic trends, painting, sculpture,
grahic arts and
drawing (in pencil, charcoal,
ANTOINE GABER - WATER LILIES
pastels,
gouache, watercolors, ink, engravings on paper and other
materials), mixed media, installation, photography and digital art. The International Jury, comprised of eminent scholars of contemporary art, is responsible for selecting artists
and assigning awards. Canadian artists participating in
Biennale this year include: Sinae Lee, John Parnell, Ann
Haessel, Jeff Beier, Jean Francois Provost, Cherie Hanson,
David Roche, Gilles Charest, Laura Santini, David Silva,
Paul Shier, Mona Youssef, Etienne Cote, Theresa Lee,
Alfredo De Curtis, Susan Makin, Antoine Gaber, Barbara
McGivern, Helen Tilston, Jing Fu, Joyce Fournier, Margaret
Cresswell, Stanislav Sedlak, Deborah Holowka, Leonard
Brett, Robert Craig, Pamela Masik, Natalia Vetrova, Paul
Ygartua, Steven Spazuk and James Gielfeldt.
Richmond Art Gallery, Call for Entries: Deadline
Oct. 26: The 2008 Wine Label Contest Exhibition
will be the inaugural event to be hosted in the
Hope-Smith Art Lounge and Media Centre at the
Richmond Art Gallery. All entries will be included in
the 2008 Wine Label Contest Exhibition, November
10-24, 2007. The winning entry will become the
Richmond Art Gallery Wine Label for 2008. For
more information contact the Gallery at
604.247.8300 or visit www.richmondartgallery.org.
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the last word...
he unveiling of former Premier Ralph Klein’s official portrait at the Legislature building Aug. 30 was a feast for any artist’s eyes (See story on Page 14). Xin Yu
Zheng’s painting of Klein was flawless. From the rabbit fur on the dreamcatcher, to
the expertly captured likeness, the painting was impeccable.
The ceremony was filled with many important delegates, and Zheng was appropriately
honored in every manner - except one.
It was disappointing to arrive at the event and be presented with the program for the
event and nowhere on it was the artist mentioned. Media were asking ‘Who is the artist?’
and people like myself had to point him out for them to interview.
Although Zheng was properly recognized otherwise, it was a grievous oversight and
unfortunate for someone who is so renowned and worthy of the honor. Perhaps mentioning this now will make the powers-that-be think about this when they do future unveilings
of important people’s portraits. Yes, the government person or corporate person being
honored is important, but so is the person who spent a lifetime building the skills to
enable him/her to honor the worthy subject in an official portrait.
•••
This magazine was conceived with the premise that there are many fantastic
Canadian artists not getting the recognition they deserve, and with the belief that art has
an incredible impact on our communities and our country. Unfortunately, art is sometimes
looked upon by friends, family and colleagues as “a nice little pastime.” In the last several issues of Canadian Brushstroke, we have seen examples of how art and artists have
a significant impact in the world around us.
We have read about artist Dee Poisson, who commemorates canine police partners
so they will never be forgotten, we read about the healing benefits of art therapy (both in
the May/June issue), and the Visual Arts Summit (July/August issue). Now, in this issue,
we have artist Karen Bailey, who left the comfort of her Ontario home to go to war-torn
Afghanistan to record medics and the injured in a Khandahar hospital.
Imagine Canada, or indeed the rest of the world, without art. More than pretty pictures, art records our history and enhances our daily lives. Being involved in the arts is
not “a nice little pastime,” it’s a crucial means of documenting today for the generations
of tomorrow.
Not all of us are able to leave our homes and families and travel to Afghanistan like
Bailey, but all artists in some way record today for tomorrow, whether it be people, landscapes, fashions, trends, or what-have-you. Every one of you is an important part of our
contemporary ‘history.’
•••
Congratulations to Dovide Secter and his bride-to-be Sarah Allentuck (see story on
Page 16, 17). What excitement for the Winnipeg Art Gallery staff, and what a lovely tribute Dovide has given to his fiancée.
T
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Special assignment sends artist to war zone His art is `child`s play

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