Laura Baker-Roberts Howard Beye Alexis Bulman Viola Chen Emily Davidson Kathleen Day Paul Hammond Jodi Heartz Kyle Martell Maddie McNeely Bethany Riordan-Butterworth Jonathan Rotsztain Morgan Salter Claire Seringhaus Anna Bald Doug Bamford Seth Smith Ashley Bedet Brandon Brookbank Anna Taylor Sarah Jack Burwash Wong Joanna Close Charley Young Chris Foster
Corey Isenor Katie Mckay Sarah Mackey Kyle Martens Fenn Martin Brenna Phillips Caitlyn Purcell Bethany Riordan-Butterworth Christine Waugh Stephanie Yee Curated and Produced by Chris Foster & Natalie Slater
Corey Isenor 1
ISSUE 7 - The Natural World
THIS IS OUR FINAL ISSUE
July 2013
Thank you to all of our Artists, Friends and Advertisers for your support!
Welcome to the seventh issue of The Periodical Project. We aim to promote, encourage and excite Artists based in Halifax Nova Scotia. We present to a broad audience Art produced in the HRM to increase its exposure and profile, here and across the country. Periodical SEVEN features 17 HRM based Artists and their interpretations on the theme of The Natural World.
CONTACT US Send Questions / Comments to theperiodicalproject@gmail.com
DIGITAL COPIES OF PERIODICALS ONE THROUGH SEVEN SOON AVAILABLE ONLINE facebook.com/theperiodicalproject
This project is funded through Halifax Regional Municipality’s Open Projects program.
-Chris Foster & Natalie Slater
Corey J. Isenor, originally from Enfield NS, he received a BFA from Mount Allison University in 2010. His current studio practice concentrates heavily on photography, printmaking, a bit of sculpture, and drawing with a focus on exploring abstraction, the natural environment and our relationship between the two.
Stephanie Yee is a time-based media artist who, since graduating, spends more time baking than making art. Originally from Barrie, Ontario, she’d like to be in Halifax as long as it’ll have her. Her online presence is
coreyjisenor.com coreyisenor.tumblr.com
www.stephanieyee.info
Sarah Burwash grew up in Rossland BC and now lives in Halifax, NS, working full time as an artist and freelance illustrator. Burwash’s practice encompasses a lifestyle that approaches all things with intention, creativity and a pioneer spirit. sarahburwash.com sarahburwash.tumblr.com Joanna Close studied textiles at NSCAD University, with a Major in Textiles in 2004 ad a Masters Winchester School of Art in the United Kingdom in 2006. Joanna’s work involves exploring landscape images through textiles and drawing, concentrating on rural spaces between urban centres. joannaclose.com Brenna Phillips is sharing whole foods suggestions for modern day struggles. healthcrusaderrr@gmail.com
Anna Bald works best under firm deadlines; should stop drinking so much coffee; is thankful for any sun there is to be had. Questions, comments, love letters: annawhbald@gmail.com A. Bedet is interested in a lot of things. For instance, the unfathomable, the fantastical and how ubiquitous things seem natural when they are actually cultivated and accepted to be immortal. Bedet likes to think about how immortality is concomitant with remembering, forgetting and dismantling. Silly or serious though these things may be, what is most important is that we are not yet without them so It is best not to forget. Chris Foster works as a visual artist, carpenter and problem solver. His creative practice is motivated by production based projects and collaboration. He has lived in Halifax for a decade this August and is looking forward to a residency at Struts Gallery in Sackville NB in September and a show at Gallery Connexion in Fredericton NB in October. chrisfoster.ca
Sarah Mackey attended King’s College and lives in Halifax NS.
Christine Waugh is a sculptor and mixed media artist from Halifax NS. Curious about being curious, and interested in the blurred boundaries between art and science. christinewaughceramicart.blogspot.ca/ A native Montrealer, Katie McKay moved to Halifax in 2004 to be closer to the sea. What she found was a calmer way of life; full of open doors and good quality people to eat dinner with. She spends her time biking uphill, swimming in lakes, dancing by herself and rearranging furniture. cargocollective.com/katiemck/ A collaboration between Brandon Brookbank and Kyle Martens from an ongoing exploration in progress. A series focused on creating bodily imitations and mimicry of natural findings. We are often working in support and/or collaboration of one another’s projects. brandonbrookbank.tumblr.com kylemartens.tumblr.com
Caitlyn Purcell is a jeweler living in Ingonish Beach, Cape Breton. Her work is a response to the stars, the beach, the moonlit ocean. She tries to capture a beachwashed feeling that slips through your fingers like soft summer sand. She can be found selling craft at her shop Salty Rose’s. caitlynrosejewellery.com Bethany Riordan-Butterworth is a Halifax-based artist. She likes talking to people about ideas almost as much as she likes drawing cats fullerlectures.com breadandbutterpottery.com Doug Bamford splits his time between a vibrant studio practice and his position as Senior Ceramics Technician at NSCAD. He has a rich background as a ceramic artist, builder, cabinetmaker, educator and public artist. For more than 20 years, Doug Bamford has wanted to make a large-scale ceramic wall mural. Ceramicist Fenn Martin was born and raised in Port Hood, CB and is a graduate of NSCADU. He largely works in the tradition of the narrative frieze. His innovative style investigates present life while extending historical traditions in architectural ceramics. facebook.com/FennMartinSculptor
Sarah Burwash 2
3 Joanna Close
Brenna Phillips 4
5 Sarah Mackey
Christine Waugh 6
7 Katie Mckay
Jack Wong 8 Brandon Brookbank & Kyle Martens
8
Stephanie Yee 9
10 Anna Bald
Ashley Bedet 11
12 Chris Foster
Bethany Riordan-Butterworth and Caitlyn Purcell discuss craft and sources of inspiration.
BRB How did you come to be a jeweler? What do you like about this line of work? CP I didn’t intend on becoming a jeweler, in fact when I started my education at NSCAD I thought I wanted to paint. Then I took a class and thought how cool it was to know a trade, use a tool, a torch…like it’s a mysterious process or something. My mother and sister are jewelers too, it’s nice to share a knowledge with the ones you love. Our conversations can get reallll technical. BRB Is there a material you especially enjoy working with? Why? CP Oh, yellow gold is so nice! Maybe because I don’t use it too often, or maybe because I like how it catches the light when polished or looks like cold butter when brushed! Working with it feels like a treat. Setting a big stone in yellow gold! Dream come true!! BRB What do you think about when you are making a piece? CP I suppose the thoughts vary. Sometimes I am completely zoned out and there is no thought, sometimes I think about my fingertips and how I should probably take a break, and sometimes I think about balance; if the piece will work or not. Then I stop and ask myself, “Do I love this, or do I hate this?” BRB Do you love what you do? CP Fully in love with what I do. BRB Your work combines refined and rough aspects. Can you talk about this? CP A while ago I realized that they only way for me to speak to people with what I make is to keep it an honest expression. Like it should reflect my personal experience. So for example, when I get dressed I have this nice idea, but then my shirt is dirty or has a paint stain or when I comb my hair, it becomes frizzy. When I sweep the floor I like to leave some dirty too. If I were to make something that was JUST RIGHT it wouldn’t feel like my own, it wouldn’t make sense. So I begin with a refined idea, and get messed up en route. It’s ok then. BRB How does the natural world shape your work? CP The natural world completely shapes my work. When I’m feeling particularly good, or bad, I see colours more vibrantly. These are some of the most inspiring times for me. When the sky is a colour that cannot be named and the ocean is a reflection of that, wow. Also, I’m quite frugal, so borrowing from nature just comes naturally. It’s like, “Hey! Look at all of this great material just lying around! “ Lucky.
BRB You recently visited Israel- How did that experience influence your work? CP Allowing myself to have a proper vacation was kind of a big thing. I think sometimes I let jewellery-making consume my life, and I’ll use it as a security blanket. So going to the studio is a way to avoid real life. I was interested in, and a little concerned about getting to know myself without this. It was time for me to step back and ask myself, “What is it that you do, when you don’t do the thing you do?” The trip was more about that. BRB Your work is remarkable, powerful and unpredictable. How do people respond to the objects you make? CP Oh well, thank you! This is quite difficult to discuss. The act of making and selling jewellery can be a very personal interaction. People connect to jewellery in a way that they don’t with other objects, I think. When someone saves their last pennies to buy this thing because they really want it, or it is given as a gift, there is always this story attached. The reactions can be intense. I like to put myself outside of that part, it kind of scares me. Some people have been wearing their mountain ring for so long it looks snow covered, and I’m like, oh that’s crazy and so cool. BRB Can you describe a piece that you are proud of and the process you used to make it? CP In the winter I made these Orbit rings that were quite technical for me. I am fine technically; I simply lose patience easily so I don’t often take on very involved projects. Anyway, it was really fun making compositions with big stones and thinking of new ways for a ring to sit on the hand. I cracked a citrine and boiled a turquoise into a new colour! It was a big mess! But I fixed it all and now I have these four cool rings. When I look at them I see the planets, it’s funny. BRB What are you currently working on and what are you excited about? CP I just moved into my summer studio/shop so I am feeling excited to get settled again. My brain feels like a tossed salad and I don’t like that anymore. I am in a very beautiful part of Cape Breton, which feels inspiring. But I haven’t been making anything!!! It’s trouble! Or maybe I am just processing some thoughts and when I am ready to make something I will make a thousand things! It’s hard to say. But, I’ve been selling friends and families art & craft and that feels very exciting, and so lovely!
13 & 14 Caitlyn Purcell interviewed by Bethany Riordan-Butterworth0
A R T I S T S I N THEIR STUDIOS
Doug Bamford and Fenn Martin at NSCAD’s Institute for Applied Creativity, working on two public art commissions, both to commemorate the history of steelmaking in Sydney, Cape Breton. This work will be one of the largest terra cotta walls in Canada at 15 metres in length.
15 & 16
Doug Bamford & Fenn Martin
THE BUS STOP THEATRE 2203 Gottingen St. www.thebusstoptheatre.org
Space for emerging artists & engaged audiences. Halifax’ performing arts black box rental venue.
Elsie’s Be Yourself and Have Fun 1530 Queen Street 425-2599 ALL CAPS Design blog.allcapsdesign.com hello@ALLCAPSdesign.com
ALL CAPS Design is a collaboration between Halifax, NS graphic designers Jonathan Rotsztain and Emily Davidson.
Invisible Publishing Independent Canadian books for people who are cool. None of our www.invisiblepublishing.com books are about lighthouses or wheat. Seriously. Promise. info@invisiblepublishing.com Centre for Art Tapes 902.422.6822 / centreforarttapes.ca cfat.communications@ns.sympatico.ca #220-1657 Barrington St.
The Centre for Art Tapes supports artists at all levels working with electronic media including video, audio, and new media, through residencies, scholarships, production facilities, the presentation of media art exhibitions and screenings.
Lost & Found Store www.lostandfoundstore.blogspot.com 2383 Agricola St Art / Vintage / Kitsch lostandfoundstore@gmail.com 902 446-5986 DIVORCE DISTRO experimental | punk | jazz | international | other lost & found - 2383 Agricola St. www.divorcerecords.ca ::::: a choice selection of new vinyl ::::: SHISO SHOP shisoshop.tumblr.com Debut at Sappyfest this summer! helloshiso@gmail.com