art of the Peace | Issue #17

fall 2011

ISSUE 17

A PUBLICATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTIST

Jennifer Bowes recognition through repetition

aotp symposium 2011

Etsy.com

have art, will wear it!

THE CENTRE FOR

CREATIVE ARTS

Up Coming Exhibitions

Peace Watercolor Society

35th Anniversary Retrospective Show E. McNaught

P. Peters

October 7 - 28 Reception: 7pm on October 7

Patricia Peters: Conversations with the Land November 4 - 25 Reception: 7pm on November 7

CFCA Christmas Show and Sale December 2 - 16 Reception: 7pm on December 2 ???

CFCA Student Show January 6 - 27 Reception: 7pm on January 6 L. Dykstra

Ken HouseGo: Dreams Do Not Come With Titles February 3 - 24 Reception: 7pm on February 3 K. Housego

Art of the Peace Traveling Show March 2 - 30 Reception: 7pm on March 2 ???

N. Kolacz

Neil Kolacz: Retro Intro April 9 - 27 Reception: 7pm on April 13

9904-101 Avenue, Grande Prairie 780-814-6080 info@creativecentre.ca

At the Centre

Classes for all ages and levels: -Children’s Classes -Drawing -Glass -Fibre -Painting -Photography -Pottery -Workshops -Visual Arts Monthly Gallery Exhibitions Gift Shop featuring local artists Birthday Parties School and Group bookings Drop In Studio Use

Calls for Entries Please contact the Centre for details and submission forms.

CFCA Christmas Show and Sale We are looking for high quality art and craft items created by Peace Area artists for annual Christmas Show and Sale. Please contact us by November 14 if you want to participate.

CFCA Miniature Show Submit your miniature artwork by March 15, 2012. All work must be 10cm x 10 cm or smaller, including any framing. The show will be on display on our new wall gallery between April 9- 27.

www.creativecentre.ca

in this issue: 4.

artist’s statement

4. contributors 5. Art out there 8.

AOTP Symposium 2011

10.

Have art, will wear it!

three of a kind

12.

artcetera

14.

authentically yours, the artist

the art of making multiple originals

jennifer bowes

recognition through repetition

Publisher: Art of the Peace Visual Arts Association, Box 25227, Wapiti Road P.O. Grande Prairie, AB T8W 0G2 Phone: (780) 532-2573 (Jim Stokes) E-mail: art@artofthepeace.ca

20.

etsy.com

Printing: McCallum Printing Group

22.

assemblage

23.

art books in review

Editor: Eileen Coristine Design, Layout & Advertising: imageDESIGN

Cover: Jennifer Bowes photo by Sarah Alford

Art of the Peace Visual Arts Association acknowledges the financial assistance of:

Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

Art of the Peace makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions.

tumbler ridge art club

trying on wearable art at the centre

27.

gallery of artists

28.

exhibitions & opportunities

30.

candace gunsolley

24.

ŠAll rights reserved Art of the Peace 2011

taking local art to a global market

Artist’s Statement

Contributors

Wearable Art

Due to the overwhelming success of the Wearable Art Show at the Centre for Creative Arts last fall, this year there will be two showings. This is a good thing, since I don’t think anyone who was there last year will want to miss it, and I’m sure they’ve told their friends about the unique creations on the runway.

Does a Skylin Herba gown constructed from old computer parts, or a Debbie Courvoisier clay tile mini-dress beg the question: what are these artists thinking? Perhaps it’s that we sometimes take art and fashion too seriously.

There are times when we have to dress a certain way (though they are becoming rarer) and artworks that can only be viewed with gravity. But a Lori Kolacz frock made of twisted balloons, ain’t that a kick in the culottes!

In a take on fashion that is not so wearable but still a comment on style, our featured artist this issue Candace Gunsolley has made an elegant statement by reusing the pages of fashion magazines.

Repurposing of materials is also a main feature in cover artist, Jenn Bowes’ pieces. Hour upon hours spent reworking books into a surreal fabric merge her meticulous process with materials that we often overlook. This artist lets the pages tell a tale of their own.

Three of a Kind artist, Ashley Lett, also a presenter at the Wearable Art Show, is a dedicated repurposer – pirating anything that she can make into something “flashy and fashionable”. Shannon Fennel’s wearable art is applied directly to the body and its temporary nature thrills her. Her medium is a living person and fashion just can’t get fresher than that. Following the tradition of her ancestors, Hazel Robinson turns moose hide into art. Hazel creates works that demonstrate how long we humans have had the desire to shine in a piece of unique apparel.

I hope you find this issue inspiring; remember, you are your own work of art. art of the peace

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photo by Paul Pivert

By Eileen Coristine

JODY FARRELL

has more than 25 years experience as an editor and writer for newspapers, magazines, and education publications. She especially loves writing profiles of interesting people, many of whom happen to be artists, and is always willing to put things off for a good visit over coffee.

Kim Fjordbotten

is an artist and the president of The Paint Spot, an art materials store where in-house artists love to share their product knowledge and experience to create an environment full of inspiration, technical advice and unique materials.

Margaret Price

wrote her first book at the age of five. While certainly not destined for Pulitzer status, Margaret’s Book of Butterflies laid the groundwork for a career in journalism. With degrees in Anthropology and Art History from Vanderbilt University, she has been published in several American and Canadian publications.

sarah harwood hails from a ridiculously small logging and mining town in central BC that fills her with nostalgia and an affinity for the unusual. She now happily illustrates, teaches, writes, and designs in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Check out her work at sarah-harwood.com

Susan Thompson

has worked as a freelance journalist since 2001 and has written for numerous newspapers and magazines in Canada. When not writing articles, she devotes her time to working on a fantasy novel titled “The Back Door to Hell.”

Susan lives south of Peace River with her artist-blacksmith husband and two children.

Wendy Stefansson has earned degrees in English Lit and Education, as well as a diploma in Visual Arts. She is by turns (or all at the same time) an artist, a writer, a teacher and a mom. She was editor of Art of the Peace magazine from ‘06 to ‘08

art out there...

Adrian Stimson’s Bison drawing

Dinosaurs and Friends

Irene Pearcy 1930-2011 Popular Peace Country artist, Irene Pearcy passed away in September, 2011. A member of Artists North for almost 30 years, Irene started painting in1968 and “was hooked”, according to her daughter, Linda Pearcy.

“Mom loved the guest artist workshops and heading out to Euphemia McNaught or Gordon Mackey’s farm for nature walks or to sketch and photograph the scenery for future paintings.”

Founding Artists North member Barb Greentree says, “Irene was very commited to our club and was always the first one to participate in events. She was loved for her watercolour flowers, which she continued to paint as long as she was able.”

Irene was thrilled when three of her paintings were chosen for the Hues of Blue Travelling Exhibition sponsored by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

The Aykroyd Family and Friends Dinosaur Ball, held at the Crystal Centre in Grande Prairie, July 23 raised $467,000 in funding for the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum project in just one evening.

Exhibit Lost to Wild Fire The community of Slake Lake lost many homes and public buildings in the wild fires that reached the town on May 15. Among the buildings was the Slave Lake Regional Library, at which a Travelling Art Exhibition (TREX) exhibition was on display. On view was 75 Million: Bison Drawings of Adrian Stimson. The show consisted of 25 drawings, some of which were realistic and some imaginative petroglyphs.

Contributing hugely to that total was the $100,000 raised by a silent auction of works by 13 regional artists.

Included in those was Sexsmith artist Suzanne Sandboe who also presented Dan Aykroyd and Donna DixonAykroyd with an original watercolur painting titled Bonebed.

The design of the museum, scheduled to open July 2013, is being done by Teeple Architects Inc. and is now 80 percent complete. These architects also designed the Montrose Cultural Centre. Construction is scheduled to begin next spring at the future museum site near Highway 43 at Wembley.

Dan Aykroyd, who performed at the July ball, has promised to come back for the grand opening and to bring along the Blues Brothers.

Stimson created the series to demonstrate the resilience of the bison and to promote their return to dominance.

“The tragic loss of all the works in 75 Million due to the Slave Lake fires pales in comparison to the loss the people of Slave Lake have suffered.

However, the exhibition will be sadly missed,” said curator of the exhibition, Todd Scaber.

L-R: Suzanne Sandboe, Donna Dixon-Akroyd and Dan Akroyd

photo by Gordon Pearcy

When Robert Kennedy Jr. describes your event as one of the three top experiences of his life, you can probably call it a resounding success.

In response to the loss of these works Adrian Stimson is generously creating a new exhibition with new artworks based on the subject of the bison. This exhibition is due to begin travelling to TREX venues during the fall of 2011. art of the peace

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Easing the pain, loss and anger of those who were evacuated from Slave Lake in May is something that we all would like to be able to do. Two regional groups have offered what solace they can through the medium of art.

Grande Prairie artist, Ada Lovmo travelled to the area in June and spent ten days delivering the Want to Reach program to area youth.

“Through expressive art therapy we attempted to address their anger, grieving and anxiety,” Lovmo explains. “The program was offered through Canadian Mental Health Association, the Catholic school system and local youth agencies.”

Alberta country music artist Paul Brandt has raised $100,000 towards replacing the Slave Lake Regional Library through his Up From the Ashes Slave Lake Benefit Concert held at the Winspear Theatre in Edmonton.

Also stepping up to help with the recovery were the organizers of the North Country Fair. This June they offered evacuees free admission to the annual solstice celebration, which takes place in the Driftpile River valley near Slave Lake.

Pictured above is a collaborative painting done by fair-goers during an art session at the Awareness Tent. The North Country Fair is in its 34th year. art of the peace

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photo by Eileen Coristine

Healing Arts for Slave Lake

The Peace Watercolour Society launched a show honouring their 35th year together October 7th. Their first group exhibit was held in the Dawson Creek Art Gallery in 1976 and included work by the founding members, including Euphemia McNaught and Robert Guest (still a member of the society). A Fall Show and Sale has been held annually ever since and is rotated between major galleries in the area.

The Magic Hour

“”We are held together by a common goal to express impressions of our environment in watercolour paintings,” explains member Judy Brown.

“What makes the Peace Country stand out and kindle the imagination of people in faraway places? Can this be identified visually? Our painters will attempt to find out.”

Shortly after the opening of the Montrose Cultural Centre in 2009, a room in the library dedicated to the memory of former Children’s Librarian, Linda Smith was opened. The room inspired Linda’s brother, Ted Smith to donate funding for artwork to decorate the walls. In June 2011 a threepanel mural by Grande Prairie artist Tim Heimdal was completed.

The society’s original goal was to maintain and promote the tradition of transparent watercolour in the Peace Region and mixed media was discouraged. This is still the basis of the society. A new member is accepted after an application and screening are completed.

As well as working at the library from 1984 to 2001, Linda Smith was an accomplished author of ten books of children’s and fantasy literature. Tim Heimdal’s mural is based on Smith’s work The Freyan Trilogy.

The 35th Anniversary Retrospective Show will be held at the Centre for Creative Arts in Grande Prairie until October 28th. “We have paintings from as many of our past and current members as possible,” says Judy Brown. “It is a walk down memory lane featuring 35 years of transparent watercolour in the Peace Country.”

“After she left her job Linda was a selfless volunteer at the library until she died in 2007” says Laura Reilly, Children’s and Youth Services Librarian, “Tim knew Linda, and he did a really good job of representing what she had written.”

Murray River by Euphemia McNaught

photo by Eileen Coristine

Happy Anniversary

According to the artist, the title The Magic Hour refers to both the evening light captured in the piece and the time of reading stories to children.

The library will be showcasing the mural during Alberta Arts Days (Sept.

30 and Oct. 1) and an event is being planned for next spring, when Linda Smith’s last book, The Piper of Shadona will be released.

New in the North The Manning Art Community of Expression, formed last spring, has plans to bring more workshops into their town and hold an art walk next spring.

New Beginnings The Peace River Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists hosted its first annual chapter show New Beginnings at the Dawson Creek Art Gallery from May 14 to June 11.

“Opening an art centre here is the main goal,” explains founding member Andrea Pederson. “We formed a group to help find funding for workshops and get established.”

Feathers and Fantasy The Peace River group Artistry was invited to contribute to Feathers and Fantasy 2011; members of the art collective were asked to create wings for the Fashion Show models.

“The reason the models wore wings was to showcase the talents and efforts of the local artistry,” says event coordinator Tina Halabisky. “The wings also fit in with the feathers and fantasy theme.”

The opening weekend included a workshop focused on the fundamental elements of art making. Instructor Nicole Baumeister, SFCA, was available to meet with individual artists.

While some of the wings were elegant or whimsical, others showed a sense of humour. For instance, one set was constructed of old cds and a broken case.

Founded 70 years ago by a group of influential artists, including Group of Seven member Lawren Harris, the FCA is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the passion and pleasure of the visual arts through exhibition, education and communication. There are currently 12 chapters across Canada and abroad with over 2000 members.

Raven by Mary Parslow

Feathers and Fantasy was the most recent title of an annual event the Belle Petreloeum Centre in Peace River has been hosting since 2009.

This year’s event included a Trunk Sale of wares by local vendors and an evening Fashion Show.

Anyone in the area wishing to get involved with the new organization can reach Pedersen at 780 836 3444 or at michaandme@gmail.com.

PAG Progress Reconstruction of the Prairie Art Gallery will be ongoing throughout this autumn. As a result the office has been moved to the Kin Gallery on the lower level of Centre 2000 at 11330106 Street, Grande Prairie.

“We expect to be back at the Montrose Cultural Centre on November 15, at the earliest,” explains executive director and curator, Robert Steven.

While there are limited office hours and some programs have had to be suspended due to the move, Children’s Art Classes and the Travelling Exhibition program are still in operation.

“We will continue with Feathers and Fantasy in 2012,” says Tina Halabisky. “It is a wonderful event that provides artists with an opportunity to be seen and have a chance to show and sell their creations.”

photo by Eileen Coristine

“The art pieces featured in the inaugural show were absolutely beautiful,” says Melissa Holoboff, curator of the gallery. “It was an honour to meet the artists who attended the opening held on May 14th. The range of content within the exhibit made a dynamic presentation. It pleases me greatly that the Dawson Creek Art Gallery is able to sustain and offer professional quality exhibits such as this for the residents of Dawson Creek and surrounding area to enjoy. The show was very well attended by the viewing public.”

art of the peace

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AOTP Symposium 2011 Authentically Yours, The Artist

By Jody Farrell

The annual Art of the Peace Symposium has a reputation for giving creative souls everywhere a healthy dose of motivation just as those darker months set in. The weekend-long event, which runs from October 14-16, 2011, in Dawson Creek, BC, is full of mind-expanding talks, images, and hands-on work. Its presenters are all heavily immersed in the visual arts, and no one will walk away without feeling moved at some level. This year’s speakers include Calgary artists Carl White and Shona Rae, and Dawson Creekbased artist Jennifer Bowes.

Carl White was born in England and lives and works in Calgary, Alberta, where he graduated from Alberta College of Art and Design (Four Year Diploma in graphic design, painting, and drawing) in 1992.

His paintings, which have been shown in many group and solo exhibitions over the last 19 years, are richly layered and drawn from a wide range of interests. White’s father introduced him to the work of masters such as Rembrandt, instilling an understanding of light and shadows prominent in White’s own luminous works.

He credits literature and music of every kind, and even earlier years of skateboarding, with having influenced his art.

In a May 2011 review of his recent exhibition Istoria, writer Marcella Ducasses comments on how White’s highly vivid, art of the peace

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historically-driven imagery, still manages to be authentic and fresh: “Despite the rich allegorical and historical references, White’s work is unmistakably contemporary in its execution.

The subject matter may evoke painters of another era, but his expressive brushstrokes, spontaneous and at times violent splashes of exuberant colours, glossy finishes and drips of paint left to their own devices, along with his signature scriptural markings, are White’s — and White’s alone,” Ducasses writes.

“I am interested almost entirely in the process, the act of creation and joining the flow,” White says today. “The work itself is the residue, the dust, the skin that has been shed. I am deeply contradictory in that I often begin in an intellectual pursuit only to try wholeheartedly to break free of it once the painting begins.”

Jennifer Bowes is an Alberta-born artist and graduShona Rae graduated from The Aberta College of Art and Design with a BFA in 2005. Ten years prior to receiving that degree, the ceramist of 30 years had become enthralled with goldsmithing, a fascination brought on by a series of dreams that led to a new perception that “metal is clay.”

Throughout the winter of 1994-95, night after night, Rae dreamed of hammering metal. Her work had always been inspired by her keen interest in ancient myth, religion and prehistoric archaeological finds. Now, in addition to her already substantial knowledge and mastery of clay, Rae chose to study metals to better render the visions she’d had in those dreams. Her sculptural art jewellery has since won her numerous awards in both Europe and North America.

“I want to celebrate the human inclination to decorate our person and our environment with contemporary artifacts,” Rae says today. She forges, casts, carves and constructs precious metals, sterling silver, gold, and other materials, into symbols re-imagined from imagery found in archeology, mythology and folklore.

Rae’s presentation for the 2011 AOTP Symposium will feature 22 sculptures she has been working on since 1998.

These works, entitled Fairy-tales, Folklore and Mythcommunication... include a series of miniature, precious metal sculptures that reference rings and draw the viewer into the story on a conceptual and intimate level, Rae says.

“My lifelong fascination and study of fairy-tales, folklore, religion, myth and Jungian philosophy is the major influence in my artwork. I believe that in our urge to tell stories we seek to give order and meaning to our lives, explain natural phenomena, the complexities of life, (...) the human condition.”

left

A Name For Your Sea Carl White

CENTRE

Beauty Shona Rae

right

Dream of Scipio Jennifer Bowes

ate of the University of Alberta (BFA, 1999; MFA 2003). She has taught at both the U of A and Grande Prairie’s Regional College and currently teaches at Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek.

At the Symposium, Bowes will be covering her works over the last decade, beginning with those related to her masters thesis, in which she argued that a drawing can be made using only texture and shadow, with media other than the usual drawing tools. Her fibre and paper sculptures feature meticulously knotted, knitted, or handsewn work, and speak volumes about the artist’s quiet dedication and resolve.

Her most recent creations have Bowes imposing these repetitious techniques onto paper and then removing them.

The final product features what has been left behind. “My work tends to be painstaking and labourious,” she explains.

Bowes also spent time in the mountains of Field, BC, and in the Italian Alps, where her surroundings sometimes left her feeling overwhelmed. She wanted to capture this sense of awe in her art, which she sees as being both reactive and expressive. Hundreds of hours of small, quiet, repeated gestures produce an artwork whose “silent voice becomes very present,” Bowes says.

Artist and colleague Sarah Alford says Bowes’ decade of teaching has developed an unmatched devotion to both the program she undertakes and the students she prepares.

“I’ve never met anyone who works so hard,” Alford remarks.

“I would even say the (Northern Lights) College itself may have underestimated Jenn’s ambition.”

Bowes is responsible for initiating a visual culture program aimed at preparing students to critically evaluate their own visual production and the visual environment that surrounds them. Alford says these new courses put Dawson Creek “in line with programs in Canada’s major art colleges and universities.” art of the peace

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Three of a kind

By Jody Farrell

Haute couture runway shows have always been a venue for artistic statement. Not only is the designer’s clothing something of a moving artwork, but the hair, makeup and sometimes outrageous prosthetics are all choreographed in a lively and inspirational performance. The following three Grande Prairie residents, whose work is almost always wearable, share their passion for their art form.

left

Dress Ashley Lett

art of the peace

CENTRE

Bat Shannon Fennell

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RIGHT

Moccasins Hazel Robinson

Ashley Lett

photo by Provocouture Studio

Have Art, Will Wear It!

Ashley Lett, whose ‘Provocouture’ label started eight years ago in Toronto, now operates out of Grande Prairie’s old post office downtown. The designer chose the edgy label name to emphasize her rockabilly flair and sassy, provocative attitude.

In her busy second floor studio, surrounded by racks of clothing, her sewing machine and various designer tools, Lett alters and reconstructs just about any item she feels she can turn into something both flashy and functional. A former white wedding dress has been cut into, leaving a portion of the voluptuously sculpted front higher than its back. A zipper tidily hidden underneath, allows for an add-on crinoline that will transform the now flashy cocktail number into a stillwild, but fuller, more extravagant evening gown.

In July 2011, Lett launched her first-ever magazine, a hefty, high gloss issue, featuring a wide range of her creations.

She christened the periodical’s inaugural printing by hosting her own runway show at the Montrose Cultural Centre. Ten models wore the 60 pieces she had made in an upbeat, lively retrospective of her designs.

“Many local clients, sisters, and friends brought in things I’d made over the years, and there was stuff I had taken off the rack,” Lett explains. Sizes ran from 2 to 18, and reflected a variety of styles, from subtle everyday and evening wear to the more out-there designs and burlesque lingerie.

At the time of this writing, Lett was busily preparing a number of outfits intended for the Centre for Creative Arts’ Wearable Art show. One was a “crazy corset” made entirely of handmade lace, which Lett had sewn using water soluble stabilizer and multicoloured thread encased in clear vinyl polymer (PVC). Other designs included dresses made of cut taffeta and ribbons, which she’d sewn over creating swirls and spirals. “Who knows how many pieces they’ll let me show, but I’ve got lots!” Letts exclaimed.

Hazel Robinson

photo by Pat Berrett Photography

An onlooker sporting a fringed leather vest stops by Hazel Robinson’s booth at the annual Métis Conference in the Grande Prairie Inn. She examines Robinson’s beaded flower pendants and moccasins, remarking on her beautiful handiwork. A vendor whose neighbouring booth displays many vests, says “I asked her if she had any (beaded flowers) I could buy, but she did not bring extras. She could sell lots of those.” The woman next door does not do her own beadwork and would add Robinson’s to her vests.

Shannon Fennell There’s not enough space to list the awards Shannon Fennell has won for her costume and makeup designs. Her work won best costume at the United Kingdom Face Painting Convention in 2007, and first place in the Worldwide Face Painting Contest in Belgium in 2006. She also finished second in the United States Body Painting Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2007 and was named Top Face Painter of the year in another UK competition in 2005.

This sought-after Grande Prairie artist who travels internationally to teach and compete, practices locally as well. She was the lead makeup artist for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2010 Arctic Winter Games, and has worked on many Grande Prairie Little Theatre productions.

Fennell spends hours of preparation working out a design, including the exact time it will take to paint specific parts.

For the Albuquerque competition, Fennell first worked the detail out on her own knee. The design took her 45 minutes of her allotted six hours. She has done sculpting, drawings, and paintings, and made casts of heads, and templates of many objects, all in aid of her final product.

All of Robinson’s work is unique, not only in its quality but because she is responsible for the entire product, including the moose hide she uses in her moccasins and vests. Born in Habay, Northwestern Alberta, and raised in Assumption, this Dene Tha’ First Nations artist learned to clean and tan moose hides from her mother.

The long process, which involves stripping and scraping the hide of all its flesh and hair, then smoking it and hanging it to dry, can take up to a month to complete. A quality finished hide can fetch from $1,000 to $1,500. Robinson brings half the hide home to Grande Prairie, where she has lived for the last 20 years, and uses it to make her vests and moccasins, and other wearable goods. She decorates the clothing with her delicate beadwork. It retains the wonderful smokey smell, which Robinson maintains is the toughest part of the tanning process, due to the health risks brought on by smoke inhalation.

“My mother did that part of it,” Robinson says, adding that she passed away just before spring of this year, leaving her daughter to carry on the tradition.

Robinson finds time between two jobs to do the beadwork and make clothing, as well as teach others. One of those students, Annabelle Ouellet, credits Hazel with having taught her how to bead both by hand and on the loom “Hazel is amazing at it,” Annabel says. “She is so patient with her time.”

Fennell also trained in Hollywood and has worked in film.

But after nearly two decades in the field, and 15 years as a professional, she’s still most inspired by the temporary, and live, nature of body and face painting.

She contends that “art that has no pulse, and just sits there hanging on a wall” is no match for the live child’s reaction to her newly painted butterfly face.“You’re not alone,” she says of live work. “You’re doing it with somebody. People are oohing and aahing. It’s a real adrenaline rush.” art of the peace

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artcetera textile d’art by kim fjordbotten

There are as many ways to work on fabric as there are ways to paint, draw, print, collage, and airbrush. Quilters, mixed media and textile artists find fabric painting enjoyable because it’s easy, spontaneous, and whatever you create becomes a unique item. If you haven’t painted fabric before, these tips can be helpful: •G ot images on your computer and wish to print on fabric? Some textiles come treated with digital primers and are adhered to a paper backing making them simple to print through an inkjet printer.

• Pre-wash all fabrics before you begin in order to remove the size from the material as size can interfere with the paint moving and bonding to the fabric. Test the paints - use them straight or diluted on some similar scrap material. Try different mark making and colour combinations until you are comfortable with the paints and the tools.

Keep spare fabric handy while working to continue testing.

• Read labels carefully. Some paints will not work on synthetic fibers and specialty paints are needed for some silk and wool. Acrylics from tubes will stiffen fabric and are more likely to crack; adding a fabric medium will help.

Fluid acrylics and textile paints work well on denim, canvas and heavy cotton, and have great covering ability for coloured fabrics. Working on lightweight fabrics requires thin, watery paints and dyes which flow gracefully through the fabric and mix freely with each other remaining invis-

ible to the touch. Artists should be aware that dyes are translucent and not opaque enough to cover dark coloured fabrics.

• Controlling free flowing colour is often done with a resist technique using wax, waterbased resists, or Gutta. The resist acts as a boundary between colors much like lead in a stained glass window. The paint spreads on the fabric until it reaches the resist lines. The islands of color can be blended, highlighted or accented with other colors. Other tricks to control colour include adding thickeners to the paint or treating the fabric with a preparation called No Flow.

• Some paints are perfect for solar printing. Setacolour can be applied using a large brush. Place stencils or found objects like feathers, ferns and lace and set out in the sun until completely dry. Magically, the shaded areas will turn white while the sun-exposed areas will remain bright. This process creates the appearance of a photo-negative.

• With most fabrics, heat setting the garment is necessary after painting. To fix the image, iron on the reverse side of the decorated fabric for three minutes. Once fixed, the designs will resist machine washing and dry cleaning. Caps and shoes can be adequately heat-set in a clothes drier.

Experimentation with fabric art has few limits and is as open as your creativity. Some of the most beautiful fabric creations are happy accidents.

Seasons 10032 81 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6E 1W8

1 800 363 0546 www.paintspot.ca info@paintspot.ca

Fine art supplies and workshops make great gifts! art of the peace

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opening October 4th at 7pm Barbara J Daley Mary Mottishaw

Inspiration

6

Mary Parslow Judy Templeton

Fairview

Fine Arts Centre

Oct 4 - 29 Sandy Troudt Cindy Vincent

TREX

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program

For the 2011/2012 Travelling Season the Prairie Art Gallery presents four new Exhibitions: Evy and Betty: Celebrating our Peace Region Matriarch's

Euphemia McNaught and Evelyn McBryan

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) has supported a provincial travelling exhibition program since 1981. The mandate of the AFA Travelling Exhibition Program is to provide every Albertan with the opportunity to enjoy visual art exhibitions in their community.

Euphemia McNaught watercolour on card n/d from the AFA collection

hole/Whole Kim Huyhn

Serial Number 2 Chine-colle Lithograph on Paper, 2009

Three regional galleries and one arts organization coordinate the program for the AFA: Northwest Alberta: The Prairie Art Gallery Northeast and North Central Alberta: Art Gallery of Alberta Southwest Alberta: The Alberta Society of Artists Southeast Alberta: Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre Generously Supported By

encana

Liberation From Natural Forms Ron Kostyniuk

Road Map Series: Falling Icon Sprayed Enamel on MDF

Evolve

™

natural gas

Tina Martel

Photograph of reflection of resulting paper Smart Car from the Evolve Project during the Works Festival in Edmonton, 2010 Photograph on fabric

For a complete list of exhibitions visit www.prairiegallery.com

Located in the Montrose Cultural Centre 9839 103 Avenue, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6M7 P: (780) 532-8111 | F: (780) 539-9522 | E: info@prairiegallery.com

JOURNEY 2012 Works by

Jim Stokes & Carmen Haakstad

Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists & the Peace Watercolor Society

Spring 2012 Prairie Art Gallery PWS

780-228-3741

Peace Country themes and wilderness vistas Unique Gallery Grande Prairie

Cultural Centre Beaverlodge

Picture Perfect Grande Prairie

For other information and images see www.beaverlodgegallery.com art of the peace

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photo by Sarah Alford

Jennifer Bowes

art of the peace

14

Recognition Through Repetition

by margaret price

For a moment we sit in silence as Jennifer Bowes ruminates on my question.

As with many Peace Region artists, Bowes is influenced by her physical environment and draws upon memories of her childhood landscape. When not at school, Bowes would Undoubtedly, she is asked one like it quite often. After all, escape to the mountains for four months out of the year when one has produced such abstract and visually stimulatto work on an organic farm. It was here that she first being work as Bowes has, others become inquisitive, probing came acquainted with the process of repetition that would into the landscape of the creative. What are your biggest define much of her later work. Then: plowing, sowing, plantinspirations and influences? ing, walking, hiking, breathing What medium do you gravitate – now: knotting, knitting, carvtowards? How do you describe ing, marking, stitching – perknotting, knitting, carving, your approach to art? petual movement attempting marking, stitching – perpetual to achieve, in the artist’s own Today, the question is modest, words, a balance between conmovement attempting to achieve, in inherent: “Why are you an artist?” trol and chance.

the artist’s own words, a balance

After a few moments of quiet reMore recently, Bowes cites between control and chance flection, Bowes replies, in stantravel as being influential to her dard form, with an acute awarelife and work. After graduating ness of herself and her work and from the University of Alberta the cognitive processes behind both, her vocal presence at with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Drawing, once soft spoken and commanding, deliberate yet effortBowes spent a year teaching English in northern Italy in the less. small town of Sondrio. It was here that Bowes transitioned from figurative art to abstraction, taking a keen interest in “Everyone asks why I do what I do and I answer that I just textures and printmaking. Amongst the stunning, towering, feel compelled to do it,” she says. “A lot of people say I’m textural aged wall reliefs and architectural motifs that almost compulsive but that’s not true because I choose to do this. seemed to have voices, Bowes became interested in the Compulsion is when you don’t choose. I just need to do that fact that, within each work, there exists a duality of both repetitive behavior.” silence and vocality. “I found that trying to find voices within silence was really influential to my work, and trying to bring It is this repetition that informs and defines Bowes’ work; that into the work where the piece I was making had a voice work that is most assuredly process-driven. Each gesture, of its own and didn’t necessarily need me to be there to explain it.” no matter how small, is significant, quietly imbued with reiteration and slight variation, capturing a moment, thought or silent pause. Through repetition, Bowes reaches a sort of Perhaps this duality is best illustrated in The Dream of Scipio, contemplative, trancendental and grounding state; a state one work in a series Bowes completed for her MFA Thesis of recognition and awareness, a state balancing delicately Exhibition. In a sort of collaboration with the writer, Bowes between two experiences of time, an active moment and an took a book with hundreds of pages and, using white thread, extended period. ran a double stitch over every letter of the book, inflicting an art of the peace

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environment in the form of an oriole’s nest she found during a walk, Bowes adhered to her repetitive processes to create a contemplative environment through which one can experience a profoundly different connection to an object.

“For me, using repetition, and sewing and knitting the paper was kind of like creating a home for my thoughts, so the shape of a nest was fitting.” A piece two years in the making, Bowes meticulously cut each line of text out of a book, ran the disjointed strips of text through a sewing machine and knit the shreds back together, creating what looks to be a large, interconnected, albeit slightly abstracted, finelywoven knit garment. “I wanted to create a piece that, when you stood far away from it, looked like a cohesive object and when you got closer, it fell apart and started to look like it was unraveling. So you have two experiences of the same object, and you yourself become suspended between those two perceptions of the piece, so you have to figure out how Another work illustrating Bowes’ awareness of and reveryou feel about it.” Bowes forces the viewer to come to terms ence for stillness is In Silence, a sewn paper piece inspired with the appearance of a by her work on the organic work of art juxtaposed with its farm. As part of her job, Bowes actual meaning by presenting learned how to drive horses, “I wanted to create a piece that, when a coherent shape composed becoming interested in the reof small, quiet gestures. In sulting furrows in the soil. In the you stood far away from it, looked Suspended, Bowes’ subtle winter, Bowes would replicate gestures alter the physicality those furrows by skiing parallike a cohesive object and when you of the object in question, and lel lines into the field and she got closer, it fell apart and started what remains is a devotional responded to her environment record of the gentle interacby bringing those lines back to look like it was unraveling.” tion between creator and obinto the studio. “In the morning ject, and by extension the inI would ski in the field and in the teraction between object and afternoon I would come back viewer. “I read the book every time I manipulated it, so the and fold the paper and sew it, so it was always this back process is kind of honoring the book, taking it apart and and forth between the landscape and the work,” she says. then putting it back together.”

“I was trying to respond to the silence I was capturing and then trying to bring it right back to the work.”

After Suspended, Bowes returned to the comfort of figurative art and portraiture for a brief period of time, yet still A work Bowes completed for the 2007 Alberta Biennial, never deviated from repetition. Taking inspiration from an Suspended sees Bowes perform a number of transformaItalian window shutter with handles depicting a man’s and tive labor techniques to impart a subtractive and reconfigwoman’s face meant to represent Janus, the Roman god ured aesthetic to her work. Again taking inspiration from her element of illegibility and forcing the viewer to approach the work in a different way. Instead of perceiving the work with our minds, we perceive the work tactually, with our hands.

“It’s a book of hundreds of thousands of stitches,” she says.

“I was trying to impose silence on the book so that you could put your own thoughts into it because I find when I hold a book, I’m not necessarily interested in the text itself but the presence of the book.” The resulting piece, more than just an amalgamation of meaningless alterations, is a record of the touch and intent of the creator, impregnated with the opinions and emotions with which the material was altered, thus serving as a container for thought. “Even though you couldn’t read the words of the book, the voice was still there and the reference of the book was still there.” Sometimes, through silence, we hear the loudest voice.

left In Silence - detail centre Suspended - detail right Suspended

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who looks forward and backward into the future and past, Bowes set off on a project to complete 200 carved porcelain double-sided heads, entitled Head Project. “I really was interested in how closely the faces looked to my other work when you looked at them from a distance,” she says.

“They’re still dealing with repetition but with repetition you have variation, and at the same time they were very quiet, responding with this silent voice. So the same thread ran through this piece even though my work isn’t dealing with a stitch any more, it’s dealing with faces.”

Of late, Bowes has explored the relationship between labour and destruction, and the resulting humility. In her In Silence Companion Piece, Bowes approaches the material in the same way, attempting to alter its physicality by folding and sewing the paper. However, she takes the process one step further by cutting all the stitches away, framing the piece of paper so viewers can see not only her initial alterations, but the absence of the marks she’s inflicted upon the paper. “I think this piece was influenced by when I was trying to ski the parallel lines into the field,” she says. “It’s so windy up here that all those lines kept getting blown in and I was really frustrated. But there is something really beautiful about that, too, and I thought that I needed to capture that humility on paper. What if I destroy my labor, and what kind of voice is left behind?”

For Bowes, a work is never really finished until the seem-

ingly arbitrary duality between silence and vocality is realized. “The piece tells me when it’s done,” she says. “Making a piece is like having a child. There’s a certain point where the child starts to talk back and have its own voice, and I feel it’s the same way when you’re making work. When the work starts to speak for itself, then you have to back away and try to figure out what it’s saying.”

As an artist, one can impart vocality to a certain extent, achieve recognition through repetition, but only once a piece has realized vocality can one respond, in silence and humility. “I think as an artist, as a teacher, as a student, you always have to be willing to venture in the part that is unknown,” she says. “I think it’s more important in the process not to know how it’s going to end, for the work to have its own voice, and I think for me, the more I step back and let that work become its own, the better. Allowing humility to filter in and determine what the work is going to be like is really important to me.”

left

Head Project

TOp right

ski tracks Inspiration for In Silence

Bottom right

In Silence companion piece detail

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Jennifer Bowes Illustrating a Philosophy

by margaret price

When Jennifer Bowes stepped into her role as head of the Visual and Graphic Communication Arts program at the Dawson Creek Campus of Northern Lights College, she had some relatively big shoes to fill. Serving as the successor to renowned artist Laine Dahlen, who held the position for more than three decades, Bowes began work at the college in 2009, and has already made a noticeable impact on the program.

And it’s no wonder, as she comes carrying an impressive range of experience and achievements. Bowes received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing in 1999 and a Masters of Fine Arts in Drawing in 2003, both from the University of Alberta. As an artist, she has participated in nearly 20 exhibitions, and has been featured in more than a dozen publications. At the college, she draws upon her years of experience as an instructor at Grande Prairie Regional College and the University of Alberta, and appreciates the flexibility of working at a smaller institution. “At NLC, I’m able to take all the problems I’ve experienced in ten years and all the strong points from working at different institutions, and put them together,” she says.

As part of the one year foundational program, Bowes emphasizes the fundamentals of drawing and painting and expounds upon real-world skills such as preparing grant and show applications, portfolio development and networking.

“Students should be able to go into a second year program knowing how to make a frame for a painting, knowing what all their tools do, knowing their pencils, brushes, everything,” she says. “I try to give the students as many approaches as possible.”

In terms of courses, Bowes has introduced Sculpture as well as Visual Culture, a course that explores the significance and social context behind why a piece was created rather than focusing on the memorization of dates and facts. She is working on a second year program with the intent of adding advanced painting and printmaking to the mix, and is creating new transfer agreements so students may transfer easily into other post-secondary institutions. Additionally, she is hoping to incorporate more graphic design-focused courses into the program curriculum.

But more than just teaching a curriculum, Bowes is illustrating a philosophy. “I really think that art is about discipline but also humility,” she says. “You have to be willing to make mistakes because if you don’t ever try to make a mistake, you’re never going to put yourself in a situation where you have to fix it, so I try to get students comfortable enough that they’re willing to face humility. Your success is how you rise above failure.”

art of the peace

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19

Etsy.com Taking Local Art to a Global Market

by susan thompson

In a world that favours mass production for mass consumption, one name has come to stand for the handcrafted, handmade, and unique.

Etsy.com is an e-commerce website that sells art, crafts, and vintage items as well as art and craft supplies. The site launched in June of 2005 and has rapidly grown to become a $300 million a year business, with sellers happy to take advantage of its low setup fees and access to the global marketplace, and buyers attracted to the unique, one-of-akind items they can find on the site. Etsy also prides itself on community, striving to create a connection between the buyers who visit the site and the sellers who create and list items. Sellers create a shop name and a profile with a little bit about themselves, a feature of the site that highlights the real people behind the products.

It’s a plan that seems to be working, with Etsy announcing in December of 2010 that the site had reached seven million registered users. The site is so popular that it has even spawned a satire site, Regretsy, where users post pictures of some of the more off-the-wall items that can be found an Etsy – ironically, creating more exposure and boosting sales for the very Etsy listings Regretsy mocks.

top left

Handmade Snowman Thinking About Snow Sheila Brent

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top right

Peppermint Chocolate Organic Soap Rachel Watson

centre

Lilac Jenn Duguay

left

Lac Boisvert Jenn Duguay

So far, however, only a few Peace Country artists and crafters have taken advantage of Etsy’s popularity. Rachel Watson sells handmade soaps and other items through her Etsy store Stitch N Spoon, and made a presentation at the Peace Country Cultural Industry Coalition’s last quarterly

meeting encouraging other artists to do the same. Although she is based in Peace River, her Etsy store has helped her take her natural, sustainable, organic products to the world.

“A very small percentage of my sales are from Etsy, however, the worldwide reach of the Etsy website has allowed me to send my products all over Europe, Australia and America. Oddly I’ve made more sales to Hong Kong and Italy than Canada on Etsy!” Watson explains.

Sheila Brent, another Etsy seller based in the Peace who makes and sells snowman-themed ornaments and decorations through her shop SnowmanCollector, feels that Etsy should actually be more popular in less populated, more isolated regions like the Peace. “Etsy is especially helpful for those of us in rural areas where it might be difficult to find venues to be seen. Etsy is seen by the whole world. I have sold items all across the United States and even as far as Australia! This is an excellent opportunity to bring your items to a market that is looking for handcrafted, unique things with very little risk involved. Although I still sell at local shows, it is very exciting to sell on Etsy and see your things go to far off destinations.”

Brent’s Etsy profile lists her favourite materials as “soft fabrics, greenery, [and] rusty items” and her inspiration as “primitive country style.”

Etsy charges a listing fee of 20 cents for each item, and takes 3.5 per cent of every sale. That low start-up cost, with a popular web presence and e-commerce sales tools already provided, can make the site very attractive to small or new sellers. On average most Etsy sellers tend to be college-educated women, and most sales are around $20, although far more expensive items are not uncommon on the site either.

“I’m not sure why more people here don’t use Etsy. I’m not sure if they are simply unfamiliar with it or are under the impression that it is difficult,” Brent says. “That impression is totally untrue. Etsy has a lot of information guides out there to help computer challenged people such as myself.

People seem comfortable with online shopping so I don’t know why more don’t use it as a selling venue themselves.”

In fact, it’s not at all unusual for Etsy shoppers to later become sellers. That’s what happened to Peace Country photographer Jenn Duguay, a natural light photographer who loves capturing landscapes, plants, and animals.

“I was originally part of Etsy as a buyer. The site drew me in because I have an affinity for art and handmade goods,” Duguay says.

Duguay’s Etsy store has become the main vehicle for selling her fine art prints, allowing her to sell her work across Canada, as far away as the East Coast.

“Everyone involved in the site (from the people behind the scenes at Etsy to buyers, sellers, and teams) helps foster a positive and supportive atmosphere. People are quick to share information about making a successful Etsy business.

Shop owners are always promoting other shops. There is such a strong sense of community.”

Watson agrees that the experience of being an Etsy seller is part of what makes it valuable to her as an artist. “The unique thing about Etsy, compared to other online retail sites, is that there are many ways to use the site and how you choose to spend your time there. Each vendor’s adventure and what they gain from their input is a completely original experience.”

From her own experience, Watson says there are four important things to be mindful of as an Etsian:

1) Networking is time consuming but will increase your sales.

2) Photos must be competitive and compelling. As people cannot “touch” your items, you will have to satisfy their senses through pictures.

3) Tell a story. Let people know the passion behind the product. Descriptions must draw people in and explain not only the fundamentals, but also the romance behind the creation.

4) Be unique. Have a cohesive business image from your banner to your photos and how you package your product. Unwrapping a parcel is an important part of a customer’s purchasing experience.

Duguay says that other features of the site can also help boost sales. For example, Etsy regularly features a collection of new items on its main page.

“If you are an artist in the Peace Country, you should look into selling your art on Etsy,” says Duguay. “Research what the site has to offer and see if it is the right fit for you and your work. It is a great way to broaden your market and spread the word about your art.” art of the peace

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Art clubs are about more than formal structure and seeking grants. They can also offer their members something less tangible but often even more important - encouragement.

Jane Kelly had almost given up on her watercolour landscape paintings before joining the Tumbler Ridge Art Club.

“I was new to town here in 2009,” Kelly explained when I spoke with her this summer. “I just noticed down at our local rec centre that the club met on Fridays, so I went.”

As Kelly found, the Tumbler Ridge Art Club doesn’t have a formal structure with officers or a hierarchy. Instead, it was and remains simply a group of artists who get together to create and talk about creating.

Tumbler Ridge Art Club

“We are all busy people. We really wanted to focus on the group working for us, rather than us working for the group.”

Yet simply getting to know other artists and sharing processes and ideas has helped Kelly take her art seriously and pursue opportunities she might otherwise never have attempted. Since joining the club, the artist has completed some 50 watercolour paintings, using the landscapes around Tumbler Ridge as inspiration.

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“Without the support of the group I wouldn’t have made the leap to apply to the Federation. We helped each other with our portfolios,” Kelly said. Her membership in the Federation now entitles her to submit her work to juried art shows, and is helping to introduce Kelly to the larger art community in Canada. Kelly has also shown her work in her first art show, the Life’s Mosaics show August 16th – September 10th at the Dawson Creek Art Gallery, again, thanks to the support and encouragement of the club.

assemblage

“The club is centred around encouragement and support.

We might get together and paint in someone’s backyard for example,” Kelly said. That loose organization, with a drop-in fee but no formal board, has helped the artists involved feel free to pursue their artistic aspirations without the added commitment and pressure of volunteer work.

Gift Shop

In May, both she and fellow club member Darcy Jackson were accepted into the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA).

“We share marketing ideas.

We share inspirations and by susan thompson techniques. I also find if I can share some of the techniques I use, it helps, because it helps you think it through more when you have to explain to someone else, and makes you more conscious of what you’re doing.”

“I find being a part of a group like that is really important.”

“For me, it’s been a jumping off point.”

For more information about the Tumbler Ridge Art Club or to join, contact Darcy Jackson at 1-250-242-5200 or darlorjac@yahoo.ca Correction: Art of the Peace would like to apologize to the Beaverlodge Art Society which we mistakenly referred to as the Beaverlodge Area Cultural Society in Assemblage, Spring 2011.

art books in review

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Art into Fashion by Roberto Capucci

202 pages with illustrations

In the hands of Italian fashion-designer-turned-sculptor Roberto Capucci, a dress is not so much a garment as an elaboration upon the female form. Taking the dress as a starting point, he extends it, expands it, makes it something more. Makes it express a hummingbird’s wingbeats.

Makes it unfold like a budding rose. Makes it radiate like ripples in a pond.

His dresses are fashion science fiction, going boldly where no dress has gone before. They are Op Art; they are Abstract Expressionism; they are Surreal. They are the objects Dale Chihuly would make if his medium were silk taffeta instead of glass. Referencing the forms of art, architecture, and musical instruments – but also and overarchingly the forms of nature – Capucci’s dresses contain the whole world and yet somehow exceed it.

A Series of Wildfire Paintings

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Having achieved international renown in the world of high fashion during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Capucci turned his back on actual dresses and began to create what he called “dress sculptures” in the early 1980s. No longer wearable in any meaningful sense, these “dresses” were works of art that employed the forms, materials, techniques and craftsmanship of dressmaking. Weaving, beadwork, and incredibly complex sewing and pleating turned miles of richly coloured silk into sinuous, undulating art.

Sumptuous and resplendent, Capucci’s dresses are a celebration of life in which more is clearly more. art of the peace

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Trying on Wearable Art at The Centre

by Sarah Harwood

2011 marked the third year Grande Prairie participated in Alberta Arts Days.

Winding down this year’s festival on October 1st, the Centre for Creative Arts hosted its highly anticipated second annual Wearable Arts Show. By popular demand, they held it twice in one night.

This hugely popular, high-energy exhibition encourages local artists and onlookers to explore our relationships with art, fashion, identity, and culture. On the dramatically lit catwalk, clothing becomes a tool for expression and a dynamic piece of art. Using the body as a canvas, it conveys a message, an emotion, or a concept. It compels us to stop and wonder.

It is this sense of marvel that Lori Kolacz hopes she instilled with her fabric-free piece, Beweave it or Not, a short, retro-styled dress woven entirely from over 140 pastel blue and pearly white latex balloons.

Through “twisting”, the art of balloon sculpting, Kolacz satisfies her desire to share joy, laughter, and beauty in every day and to celebrate the transitory quality of life.

“In that way,” she explains, “balloons aren’t just for kids.”

photo by Kiren Niki Sangra

A large but often under-appreciated aspect of twisting is the inherently short lifespan of each sculpture. Kolacz’s dress, for example, took six hours to make on the morning of the event to ensure it looked “fresh” for its runway debut. By the next morning, the dress was a deflated shadow of its former self. At once fun, whimsical, and light, Kolacz’s “pop art” Beweave it or Not subtly and generously reminds us to savour every moment. art of the peace

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photo by Lukas Herba

photo by Laura O’Conner, Sarah Khallad

left Beweave It or Not - Lori Kolacz centre Cloaked in Midnight - Niki Sangra right Silicon Beach - Skylin Herba Some artists presented in the show use things we look at every day but don’t see as fashion. With her post-apocalyptic inspired hoop skirt and bikini called Silicon Beach, artist Skylin Herba takes this one step further by making her outfit of used circuit boards - objects that we not only don’t see as fashion, but that we typically don’t see at all.

Bringing awareness to planned obsolescence and e-waste is a predominant goal Herba explores in this outfit. “Parts of it were created by tearing apart an iBook,” she shares, “I spent so much money on it just a few years ago!” Bits of old DVD players, ceiling hardware, aluminum tape, and coated telephone wire are also built into this piece.

“It’s not that I want to villainize technology...” Herba continues, “It just makes sense to prioritize our purchases; to not stress so much about having the newest thing out there. Treat what you have well, and try to give it a second life.”

One of the most striking contrasts between conventional fashion and wearable art is the way each acts as an extension of self. Alex, a founder of the highly successful online blog, Fashionartisan, says “You cannot talk about fashion without relating it to the kind of life a person lives.” Wearable art, however, pays no heed to the demands of day to day life. Its currency isn’t determined by brand name or functionality, but a higher level of creative freedom that stimulates our fantasies, fears, and curiosity.

For Niki Sangra, the visionary behind bringing a wearable art event to the centre, this sense of diversity and inclusiveness is what compels her to create wearable art. She draws comparisons between the event and Halloween “where everyone’s given permission to be who they want.”

Reminiscent of a costume worn to a masquerade ball, Sangra’s creation, Cloaked in Midnight, shrouds the wearer in a surprisingly heavy black cape covered in rows upon rows of rustling, hand-made fabric feathers. A simple, form fitting dress in the same colour is worn underneath. Sangra spent months silversmithing an intricate bird-like mask and a glimmering layered necklace that add a magical and mysterious air to her piece. “Contrasting a more static art like painting,” she explains, “wearable art changes every time you move. It lets what’s inside come out... You have to move to it.”

Few genres can cross and mix so much content with such intrigue and accessibility as wearable art. It shows what popular fashion typically ignores: Beauty has no one-dimensional standard.

If you have any questions about wearable art or about how you can get involved with the show next year, contact the Centre for Creative Arts at 780-814-6080 or info@creativecentre.ca. You can also view video footage of the event at creativecentre.ca.

art of the peace

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Call to Artists Inspired by Travel June 9 – July 16 The Leighton Centre is inviting Alberta artists working in all mediums to submit to a special exhibition showcasing artwork that was created as a result of travel outside Canada.

You may have been inspired by the great architecture in Europe, fascinated by Antarctica or simply spotted an interesting face in the crowd in Asia – we are looking for images that have captured your artistic imagination while travelling the world!

Artists may submit 3 images in any media or style. Deadline for submissions March 1, 2012.

Please download submission forms and guidelines at www.leightoncentre.org.

Questions? Contact Exhibitions Coordinator Karin Richter at karinrichter@shaw.ca; 403-272-1471.

Learn to Weave with Lynne Brown Cost: $120/student Wednesdays, 7 – 10pm Starting October 19th A Pottery Party with Darlene Dautel Tuesdays, 7 – 10pm Starting October 25th Cost: $120/student (all supplies included) Needle Felting - Animal with Aleeta Haas October 29th, 10am – 4pm Cost: $45/student Still Life and Beyond - Drawing Workshop with Dan Arberry October 29th & 30th 10am – 4pm Cost: $100/student

CHECK OUT WWW.ARTOFTHEPEACE.CA FOR MORE DETAILS, LOCATIONS AND HOURS

Beaverlodge Cultural Centre Exhibits & Events Beaverlodge Art Society Miniature Show & Sale September 25th – October 20 Clara Foshaug Show & Sale October 23rd – November 17th Grant Berg Show & Sale November 20th – December 22nd Programs Beyond Auto - Digital SLR Photography Workshop with Vivian Farnsworth October 8th, 10am – 4pm (Bring your camera manual) Cost: $50/student Opening the Door to Colour & Light - Watercolour Workshop with Marian Jacoba-Shilka October 8th, 10am – 4pm Cost: $75/student Hair Pieces to Hats with Ashley Lett October 18th, 7 – 10pm Cost: $20/student

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Call 780-354-3600 for more info or visit BeaverlodgeGallery.com.

Opportunities Gallery exhibition and gift shop sales opportunities are available.

Call 780-354-3600 for info.

McNaught Homestead Opportunities The Schoolhouse Studio is available for retreats, classroom, gallery or meetings. For info call 780-512-6316 or visit McNaughtHomestead-Heritage.com

Dawson Creek, BC

Exhibitions+ Opportunities Beaverlodge, AB

Big, Big and Bigger with Patricia Peters December 3rd, 10am – 4pm Cost: TBD

Dawson Creek Art Gallery Exhibits & Events Just Breathe Carrie Klukas September 13th – October 8th Art of the Peace Exhibit Art of the Peace Member Artists October 11th – November 5th South Peace Art Society Annual Christmas Show and Gift Fair South Peace Art Society Members November 12th – January

It’s All About People - Digital SLR Photography with Vivian Farnsworth November 5th, 10am – 4pm Cost: $50/student

Christy Burres and Tina Martel January 9th – February 4th

Encaustic Workshop with Wendy Olson-Lepchuk November 12th, 1 – 3pm Cost: $25/student

Dan Arberry and Ron Kostyniuk March 5th – 24th

Oil Painting - Beginner with Janet Enfield November 12th & 13th 10am – 4pm Cost: $100/student Beginner Stained Glass with Jan Olson November 19th & 20th 11am – 4pm Cost: $125/student The Painterly Print with Mary Parslow November 26th, 10am – 4pm Cost: $75/student

David Thiessen February 6th – March 3rd

Exploring Art March 26th – April 21st Mixed Media from School District 59 April 23rd – May 12th Peace Liard Juried Art Show May 14th – June 10th Opportunities Opportunities for exhibition. More info at DCArtGallery.ca.

Fairview, AB

Batik Basics with Darlene Dautel December 3rd, 10am – 4pm Cost: $75/student

Fairview Fine Arts Centre

Hot Glass Ornaments with Wendy Olson-Lepchuk December 3rd, 1 – 3pm Cost: $25/student

Exhibits & Events Seasons Show & Sale Inspiration 6 October

Constance Davidson Show and Sale November Members’ Christmas Show and Sale December Art and Supplies Silent Auction January Bag Ladies February Joy Cook McKay Show and Sale March Programs Phone the Centre at 780-8352697, email finearts@telus.net or visit FairviewFinearts.com

Fort St. John, BC Fort St. John Community Arts Council Programs For more information on Fort St. John opportunities, call 250-7872781 or visit FSJArts.org

north peace cultural centre Exhibits & Events It’s a Wrap The North Peace Spinners and Weavers Guild October 7th – 30th Magical Christmas Market November 13th – December 24th Art of the Peace Travelling Show January 20th – February 3rd Chocolate Festival February 11th Annual Art Auction April 28th

Grande Cache, AB Grande Cache Tourism & Interpretive Centre Exhibits & Events Exhibiting the Palette Pals Art Club and local art year round.

Check out GrandeCache.ca for more info.

Grande Prairie, AB Centre for Creative Arts Exhibits & Events The Peace Watercolor Society 35th Anniversary Retrospective October 7th – 28th

Conversations With The Land Patricia Peters November 4th – 25th

GPRC Fine Art Students January

CFCA Christmas Show & Sale December 2nd – 16th

Tina Martel February

CFCA Student Show January 6th – 27th

SHOWCASES Todd Schaber October & November

Dreams Do Not Come With Titles Ken Housego February 3rd – 24th Art of the Peace Traveling Show Ken Housego March 2nd – 30th Retro Intro Neil Kolacz April 9th – 27th Programs The Centre has classes for everyone! Check out our website, CreativeCentre.ca or call 780814-6080.

Opportunities We are currently looking for instructors to teach a variety of classes.

Grande Prairie Museum Exhibits & Events 50th Anniversary Exhibit Rodacker/Campbell Gallery Lantern Tours October 21st and 22nd

Opportunities for Artists Festival of Trees Art Market is looking for any artists or artisans that wish to take part in this years festival running from November 17-20. Please call Carrie Klukas at 780-830-4855.

Unique Gallery Opportunities Opportunities for exhibitions. Call Dan at 780-538-2790.

High Prairie AB high prairie & district museum Opportunities If you are interested in showing your work at the High Prairie & District Musuem please call 780523-2601.

Peace River, AB

Old Fashioned Christmas December 11th Programs Tours and school programming available phone 780-532-5482.

Grande Prairie Regional College Exhibits & Events Exhibits throughout the year in the Glass Gallery.

PEACE RIVER MUSEUM Exhibits & Events Cabinets of Curiosities March – December Artists of the Peace Art wall rotates on a monthly basis

Prairie Art Gallery

The Prairie Art Gallery is expanding. Construction is currently underway to connect to our current location in the Montrose Cultural Centre.

Exhibits & Events Art Insight Tours Free one hour tour of a behindthe-scenes look into the gallery’s mission to preserve, inspire and explore. To book a tour time call 780-357-7486.

QEII Hospital, The Courtyard Gallery Exhibits & Events GALLERY Guild of Artists September & October Angie Patterson November & December

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photos by Candace Gunsolley

Candace Gunsolley

I was influenced immeasurably by my upbringing in several countries. This played a large role in my ability to creatively translate into my sculptures and mixed media paintings. I would say with my diverse experiences living in some of these countries affected me by the different cultures, architecture, landscapes, religious and political values each country presented. I started my artistic career as a Stylist, and was able to visually transform my clients through color and sculpting the hair. I find this added influence and practical skills to me as an artist. While abroad I was involved in dance and Gymnastics, which put me in the market as a professional clown. I think this is the reason I’m drawn to the body and bizarre costume making.

I feel a great need to express myself using many mediums and a variety of experimental techniques. I have a great attachment to a feminist point of view, as many of my projects take a feminine quality whether I use paint, paper, hair, reusable objects or wearable art. I would like to say that I’m willing to experiment with any medium and push the limits to transform that medium by ways of burning, chemical manipulation, and any new method I find through research. I have a desire to learn new forms of artistic transformations.

I would like to travel and work with other artists in other countries, be mentored and in turn bring my knowledge to others.

I was inspired to produce my Multi-layered Girlfriend sculpture for my love of my friends and the many trials and tribulations we share. I created her from a paper cast and attached pleated paper strategically throughout this sculpture. I enjoy using found objects, recycling easily forgotten materials. I’m especially fond of paper and use it in many of my painting and sculpture projects.

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art peace of the

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Networking

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Learning

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Exhibiting

2012 ART OF THE PEACE” Travelling Exhibition View an amazing selection of artwork at communities throughout the Peace Country and beyond.

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North Peace Cultural Centre

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Centre for Creative Arts March 2 - 30 Peace River Library Gallery May Grande Cache Tourism Centre

January 20 - February 3

July 18th - August 9th

GREAT EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITY 2012 Dream Home

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Showcasing artwork to thousands of visitors

LOOKING FORWARD 2014 Art of the Peace Juried Art Show

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In celebration of the City of Grande Prairie’s 100th Anniversary

artofthepeace.ca

Opening in 2012

#103, 9839 103 Avenue, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6M7 P: (780) 532-8111 | F: (780) 539-9522 | E: info@prairiegallery.com

www.prairiegallery.com

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