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Artist Q & A: Nicole Katsuras

1. What inspired the exhibition title "Painter's Paradise"? How do you conceptualize the space of "Painter's Paradise"?

The title for my upcoming exhibition Painter’s Paradise comes from both a feeling and a ‘place’. I would consider the painting of the same name to be the focal piece and starting block for the show. ‘Painter’s Paradise’ is a depiction of the space that propels me emotionally as an artist, where built-up energy, angst, anticipation, and joy collide and are directed onto the canvas. I think these are the key ingredients that create the tension that drives my work. As well, Painter’s Paradise is the ‘ideal’ or ‘utopian’, space where the physical and intangible transcend picture-making. To be able to do something that indulges my passion for colour and texture, which aligns with my personal interests and engages an audience makes for a sort of paradise too.

2. You're well-known for your extruded oil paint technique, when did you first begin developing this approach and how has your process evolved over the years?

My foray into extruded oil technique began upon my return from my masters in England. I had just organized a new studio space and was in the process of setting up a new palette table for my colours (all of my colours are hand mixed ⁠— on some days it can take 3-4 hours before I'm able to put paint on canvas). I began to experiment with my colours by putting paint on plastic sheets and then cutting holes in it to extrude the paint for sparse, minimal lines. Over time, my process became more refined, and I started creating piping bags with different tips and other hand-made tools to extrude colour in varied applications of thick and thin. The extrusions have now become an essential aspect of my three-dimensional approach to colour.

3. How do new forms or methods of mark-making enter your visual vocabulary?

The forms and methods of my mark-making are experimentation driven and always unconsciously evolving. This stems from a combination of confidence and comfort, developed over time, which enables me to explore the medium without reservations.

4. In what ways does this upcoming series interact with and act as a continuation of your previous bodies of work?

If I look back at some of my early works, I notice a distinction between the grounds and the abstract imagery, more saturated, solid colour fields with central compositions. With recent paintings, they tend towards gradient, multi-tone surfaces and interacting forms that shift focus on the picture plane, the 'filigree' elements of this series have also become bolder, marbled and more intricate.

5. What is the process of layering involved in your gradually built, high impasto oil paint surfaces?

My paintings are built in the traditional way, coats of chalk and polymer on canvas in 3-5 layers underneath the oil. The oil paint application is also done in a traditional fashion of fat over lean, which seems to be somewhat unusual in my work considering, the depth of the highest impasto is built up under a series of varied layers underneath.

6. How do you begin painting and what considerations (balance, tension, direction, colour) formal or otherwise, inform your choices?

When starting a new painting the formal considerations are all very intuitive, even when I am designing models — drawing rectangles and squares to compose sketches. It isn't part of a formula or decision but is rather about allowing myself to work in the most instinctive way. The tension and balance of colour emerge after some of the first intuitive choices, such as painting the ground and making the initial marks take place. The way each painting is uniquely executed depends on the harmony of proportions, value or texture.

7. Which artistic sources do you draw inspiration from and how has exposure to their work influenced your practice?

I am continually energized and stimulated daily and am forever discovering new sources of visual stimulation. It could be the texture or colour of a textile or an organic shape, or looking at art books, maps and catalogs both historical and contemporary. With regards to artists past and present who influence and inspire my work, of which there are many, my eye gravitated first towards Monet for his depiction of light, Van Gogh and Bonnard for their use of colour and Hofmann for spatial illusion. The historical pedagogical connections of Joan Mitchell and Pia Fries opened my eyes and affirmed my own interests and tastes in art. Then when I found the work of Mary Heilmann and Thomas Nozokowski there was a real ‘ah-ha’ moment of joy that fuelled me to not be confined or restrained with paint. Seeing their work gave me permission to make art on my own terms.

VIEW WORK BY NICOLE KATSURAS

Jamie Evrard: Painting La Dolce Vita

Jamie Evrard has spent this autumn season in her pied-à-terre near Tuscany cycling through the countryside and gathering new landscape inspiration for painting. In this candid interview, she shares a glimpse of her adventures and artistic process.

1) What have you been working on lately?

Well, my friend Florence and I just spent eight days on a bike trip in Sud Tirol and Alto Adige Provinces up in northern Italy. We biked along the Mincio and Adige Rivers as biking along a river is usually easier and less steep than taking a random route through the mountain. We stopped frequently to take photos of the turquoise blue water reflecting the trees along the shore.
I’m painting landscapes and reflections. The light is so beautiful here, along with the view out my window. I’m getting all caught up in the dreamy imaginary qualities of reflections and the impossible tangle of old-growth forests, and am especially loving painting something completely different.

2) Where in Italy are you located and how often do you go there?

My house is located in the Val di Pierle just east of Cortona in Tuscany. This is a very humble, down to earth area where people farm corn, sunflowers, and tobacco. People work with their hands and talk a lot about food. My friends are carpenters and stonemasons with the odd expat thrown in.

3) What do you find most inspiring about working in Italy?

There are several things that I love about working here. One is that life is simpler...no double shot, extra hot, double cup soy lattes, just un espresso. A small selection of old clothes with the odd piece from the 3 Euro table at the market, a car whose hubcaps have disappeared and long days to garden and paint with nary a phone call. My last three phone calls were from a seamstress whose kid got a hold of her phone and dialed me my mistake. The food is beautiful—hot sweet tiny tomatoes from our neighbor’s garden and yesterday a big haul of porcini mushrooms which they shared with us. Simplicity and emptiness can be inspiring. Having hours strung together without distraction is the best thing about this place. And the warm, golden quality of the light.

4) Can you tell us about your creative process? Are there any Italian artists that have influenced your work?
I usually take care of errands and odd jobs in the morning and paint in the afternoon. I paint in my bedroom here and move the furniture around to accommodate my easel and palette so that I can be right in front of the window overlooking the valley
Oh yeah, my “process”. I’m painting oils on Arches oil paper which I have never liked but do now for the inexpensive freedom it gives me to try all sorts of things. I stick up a piece and mark off a 20 by 20-inch square and choose a photo from the summer to explore. Sometimes I finish a sketch in a couple of hours, sometimes I work on a piece for a few sessions. Since the subject of the landscape is so new to me and the paper is too, I’m really enjoying not having a clue how to approach it. If a day’s work has been particularly stressful, I’ll go out to the garden and move some rocks or tear up a blackberry or nettle patch.

5) I imagine you have visited lots of art museums, famous art sites/ cultural spots during your time there. Do you have any favorites?
I particularly love the Etruscan Museums in the area—Chiusi and Cortona to name two. The Etruscans were such mysterious people and created with great abandon. I can just imagine a bunch of sculptors sitting around in the studio and one of them saying, "Hey guys let’s put deer hooves on the next candelabra.”
I also love to see anything by Piero della Francesca, a Renaissance painter whose work is timeless and deceptively simple. His Legend of the True Cross in Arezzo, and The Pregnant Madonna, The Deposition from the Cross are nearby. Sometimes I see someone walking down the street and think they could have just walked out of a Piero piece. That’s how vital his figures are. I have a couple of artist friends who live around here whose work I admire but the contemporary art scene here is basically nonexistent.

6) What would be your dream project?
Figuring out how to turn my landscape sketches into large paintings.

VIEW WORK BY JAMIE EVRARD

Artist Residency Q & A: Kathryn Macnaughton

We interviewed the fearless Kathryn Macnaughton on her latest adventure, an artist residency in Lisbon where she has spent the last couple months exploring Portugal and pushing her creative practice through experimentation.

1) What is the name of the residency you are at and how long are you planning on being in the program for?

PADA Studios. I was there in July and August and I’ll be back there again for another month in October.

2) Describe your work in 7 words or less.

Expressive, Colourful, Bold, Graphic

3) What is something most people don’t know about you?

I’m addicted to peeling dried paint. When I want to relax and meditate in the studio, I’ll peel all the paint off my containers.

4) How did you hear about the residency?

Online/social media. I was looking for residencies with large studios. Pada is in a beautiful warehouse in an industrial park on the other side of the river from Lisbon. I also have friends that live in Lisbon so it was a no brainer.

5) What pushed you to take on an artist residency abroad and what do you hope to achieve while in this program?

I needed a change. I wanted my work to evolve and I knew that finding inspiration from another environment and meeting like-minded artists would help with that.

I work alone in Toronto and I’m quite isolated in my studio. I wanted to see how I would work in a larger space with other artists. It was great! I think I’ve grown so much as an artist.

6) I would love to hear about the process of creating these new works during your time at Pada studios. Has this new environment inspired new elements, textures or colors in your work?

When I arrived at the residency, I always had the intention of trying to make my own shaped canvases. It was great. I learned how to build my own stretchers with shapes protruding out of them. The idea evolved and I was very inspired by the window frames on residential and industrial buildings in Portugal. They have interesting designed grills that go over the windows, especially the ones that surrounded the industrial park in Barreiro (the town where the residency is).

I began to have ideas about making window frames for my paintings. Right now, they are solid colours that compliment the washes and the flat colours on the canvas. I’m playing around with the relationship between the frames and the background canvas. I’m finding it important to find the right balance between the two. I’d also like to gesturally paint the frames and have them compliment the flat colour of the canvas.

7) Are you working in a shared space with other artists, and if so, how has this experience affected your artistic practice? How are you finding it in comparison to working out of your own studio?

Yes. We work in a large warehouse together, but there are partial dividers between the studios.

It has been an incredible experience. I love working with other artists and I think it has helped me grow. There are pros and cons. When I’m alone there are no distractions, but sometimes I need them. Having other artists around has given me space to think about my work from other perspectives.

VIEW WORK BY KATHRYN MACNAUGHTON

In the Studio with Andre Petterson: Finding Balance In the Urban Landscape

Andre Petterson is a multi-media artist who attempts to capture the essence of a split-second in time. Over the past year, he has been working on a new series to document his perspective of the changing landscape of Vancouver’s lower mainland. His fascination with observing machines and factories and their integration into the urban environment was a starting point for the series.

“All cities are in a constant state of change. The pockets of change that have taken place since I moved here in 1970 from Saskatoon draw my attention. Neighborhoods, both residential and industrial, have gone through such flux, that sometimes is so slow that things happen that go unnoticed for a long time. Sometimes, the changes are so fast that it boggles the mind.” Through these snapshots he poses the question, how do we maintain a physical and emotional balance as inhabitants of a city that is undergoing rapid urbanization?

Human figures are introduced into some of the artworks and stand facing monolithic found objects such as cranes, high-rises, mountains of sulfur to highlight our coexistence with the built world and illustrate how we view and question our unpredictable landscape. Through scale and placement, Peterson juxtaposes the observer with their surroundings to convey the emotional effect urbanization has on us when we stop and ‘take it all in’.

Peterson has captured this feeling in his mixed media works that depict the sulfur mounds in North Vancouver and Port Moody. Having photographed them repeatedly over time, he has noticed their permanence, despite the encroachment of surrounding neighborhoods and infrastructure towards them. The piles remain the same while the city develops and grows around them, creating a visual contrast between past and present.

This exploration of the tensions and constant flux within our surrounding urban landscape is re-imagined through Andre Petterson’s distinct mixed media methodology, collage and photo manipulation. “I take photographs of things that I find or construct. I enjoy building, painting and arranging objects into still life scenes. I then digitally alter them on the computer, layering things together and then printing multiple images which I then fix to panels. I then paint directly onto the image. Sometimes, what looks painted, is part of the photograph and sometimes, the reverse. Using mixed mediums opens up the art making process for me and eliminates restrictions.”

His upcoming show Balance will be opening at Bau-Xi Vancouver on October 19, on view until November 2^nd.

VIEW COLLECTION

Artist Q & A: Tom Burrows

1) What is “The Curve of Time” as described in M.W. Blanchet’s book and what does it mean to you? What inspired the appropriation of this title?

The curve of time is the basis of modern physics and Buddhist teaching (if time does exist). I am agnostic.

2) Is there a passage in M.W. Blanchet’s book that inspired this exhibition or articulates the theme, concept or mood of this body of work?

Possibly the chapter where Blanchet repairs Caprice’s motor, toiling much like within my studio process. What most inspired me about the book is the exquisite quality of the writing. The underlying motive of alternative housing remains silent but is so relevant to this particular moment.

3) How is this new series informed by your travels along the coast of British Columbia? In what ways does your experience of the landscape manifest itself in your work, and does it influence your use of colour, light and your treatment of the panel surface?

I have always felt better living beside or on the North West ocean, even at the foot of Main Street. It’s probably the ever-changing light and reflections.

4) What is the significance of the compass bearings, landmarks and geographic features that compose the titles of this exhibition? How do your titles and compositions interact? Are your titles related to the visual quality or emotional memory of a given place?

The qualities of my panels arise from the exploration of material and process. Unlike most fine arts media, there is a rich spectrum of unexplored physical properties in my adopted medium. A title / story is attached to a panel only after its material completion. The title / story serves the panel as a memory device (a mnemonic), rather than the panel serving to illustrate a narrative (an illustration). Through this device (the mnemonic) the panels attempt to remain, without external reference, in a purely visual / physical realm.

5) Your works are often grouped into polyptychs, how does the production of polyptychs differ from that of singular pieces, when in your process do you determine groupings and how do you determine the ways in which they are arranged?

They are not initially conceived of as in-combination. Some things just seem to go together.

6) What was it about this body of work that inspired you to experiment with new materials and revisit old techniques? How does this body of work interact with the concept of time?

My role as an artist is to construct a set of parameters within which media such as pigmented polyester or glazed porcelain self-generate image, parameters akin to the climatic conditions that allow ice crystals to form snowflakes. I do try to avoid gesture. Any emotional or narrative content is imposed by the viewer anthropomorphizing the medium. The medium is the message. It glows with an inner luminance, a trace to the Chauvet Cave. (The Curve of Time)

8) What prompted your thematic return to the landscape of the Pacific Coast and how does it relate to your journey as an artist?

There is an abundance of geographic titles on the maps of the West Coast to be appropriated for my panels. Also, I’m studying sailing as a second language, calisthenics for the aging mind. It involves maps.

VIEW NEW WORK BY TOM BURROWS

David Leventi: Romania Revisited

Transfagarasan Highway, Fujicolour Crystal Archive Print Mounted on Archival Substrate, 40X50, 50X60, 72X90, Starting at $10,600.

Bau-Xi Gallery is excited to present David Leventi's latest series, Romania Revisited. Leventi's photography is included in prestigious private and public collections including The Sir Elton John Collection and The Cleveland Museum of Art. He has been widely published in TIME, The New York Times Magazine, ESPN The Magazine, FT Weekend Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, among others. In 2007, Leventi was selected by Photo District News as one of their Top 30 Emerging Photographers.

"I found myself sitting in a wooden hut making an effort to down another swig. The dirty plastic bottle labeled American cola was the only object keeping me in this century. It was filled with tuica, a clear fiery plum brandy. Like the village, the old man, my drinking companion, seemed unchanged since the days of the Ottoman Empire. I had come following the story of my great-grandfather, who had been imprisoned here in Romania for seven years as a dissident.

"Romania Revisited" retraces my great-grandfather’s footsteps into an unexpected past. Based on stories told by my father and grandmother, I traveled to Romania with a 4x5” large-format view camera, collecting lost memories on a journey through a country now struggling to put behind it a lifespan of tyranny, while all the best and brightest who dared or were able to left.

I went to Sighet prison first. The building stands as a concrete eyesore in the green tranquil landscape. It was here that in 1948 the victorious communists imprisoned their political opponents. Now, the prison is the museum of the resistance to communism. The walls have been whitewashed. Children on school trips run about aimlessly. I asked the curator if they knew of Asra Berkovitz my great-grandfather. They were shocked that I had come from America - I became an instant celebrity by default. They knew more about him than I did. My great-grandfather had been a senator and publisher of a liberal newspaper. The curator showed me his cell, where Iuliu Maniu, the former prime minister, had died in his arms. She pointed out the black and white portrait of my great-grandfather on the wall - the same one my grandmother has on her night table.

Drink, the old woman gestured to encourage me. After our drink together, the old man appointed himself my guide and guardian..."

- David Leventi

Robert Marchessault, Kuma, Oil on Canvas and Panel, 24x48 in., Acquire

‘As the trees burn, we are diminished:’ Toronto-based artist hopes his paintings ‘speak’ for the world’s trees

Tree of the Week showcases some of the biggest and most beautiful trees in the GTA, as compiled by Megan Ogilvie. Here, we break with tradition so that Robert Marchessault, a professional artist based in Toronto and whose work is displayed in public and private collections in North America, can tell us why trees have long inspired his paintings.

"I am a painter who thinks trees are important.

They are my subject matter and have been for a long time — more than 40 years.

My father introduced me to trees when I was very young, while he was a professor at the College of Forestry at SUNY (the State University of New York), in Syracuse, New York. Trees have been a part of my life ever since.

I believe trees are powerful, both symbolically and physically.

We can see ourselves, our character, our passions and our efforts in their many forms.

Trees can be elegant and stately, but often they may grow bent and twisted. Like people, they begin as youthful and fresh, then age, break and wither. Artistically they are allegorical. Every one of them is unique, like us.

Wherever I travel, I study the trees.

The world contains a bounty of arboreal treasures. Toronto is no exception; the city is blessed with a wealth and variety of trees, second to none.

Most of my tree paintings are not exact copies of existing trees. Rather, to make a unique tree painting, I use multiple sources, including my own drawings, memories of trees that have inspired me and photographs of specific and various trees I’ve seen during my travels, in Toronto and elsewhere.

To create a painting, I combine all these elements to invent a tree image that has the emotional impact I want. I believe trees are capable of expressing a wide range of human feelings, which is why I approach my art in this way.

My painting titled “Kimunu” (an oil painting that measures 81 by 102 cm, or 32 by 40 inches) is inspired by cherry blossom season in Toronto’s High Park.

I used many different photos of blossoming cherry trees for inspiration as I created this painting, which now hangs in a private collection in Montreal. The end result is the lush colour of the tree resonating intensely against the dark background.

For me, as an artist, black acts as an anchor.

Classical artists, including Rembrandt and Velazquez, often used a technique of painting against a dark ground. They did this to achieve dramatic impact and strong chiaroscuro effects, or a striking interplay of light and shadow. I sometimes use these same methods in my tree paintings so those who view the art will be moved emotionally.

We live in a world that feels so fragile. The fires of the Amazon are terrifying. As the trees burn, we are diminished.

In my art, I try to use trees to reinforce our spirit, bring pleasure, but also fear of loss.

I often think of The Lorax, a character in Dr. Suess’s book of the same name, who says: “I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.”

I hope my paintings speak for the trees, too."

TORONTO TREES | Article by Megan Ogilvie | Sat., Sept. 21, 2019

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ROBERT MARCHESSAULT'S COLLECTION

Artist Q&A: Sheri Bakes

Canadian artist Sheri Bakes on her newest series, Empathy for the Earth. Bakes invites us into her creative process and gives us a glimpse of the magical setting that inspired her latest artworks.

SheriBakes_studioshot3

1. How do you place your work within the context or lineage of Canadian Art History?

When I was relearning how to paint I was looking a lot at both Impressionism and also the Group of Seven painters, including Emily Carr's work. After sitting with this work, I started to wonder what's missing. What is missing and what can I do to expand on what they were doing so I can be a contribution to the history of art.

Over time I've thought about this a lot. In my earlier work you can see the red trees are a reference to the work of A.Y. Jackson and the handling of brushwork attempts, more and more, to draw on some of what was going on in Vincent Van Gogh's work that relates to physics, specifically on the concept of turbulent flow in fluid dynamics.

2. Which artists have had the most profound influence on you and how have you diverged and developed your own unique imagery?

There are so many. I think Georges Braque and Paul Cézanne had a huge influence on my thinking and work in that they flipped point perspective onto one picture plane and created the painting for itself, as a flat surface. I've been really interested in taking that idea, along with more traditional point perspective ideas of receding space and combining them both to create a sort of "window/wall" effect combined in one painting.

An example of this is when you look at ponds with lily pads and koi fish…the lily pads are the flat wall-like parts, and the more translucent parts that you can travel into are the areas with the koi swimming below the surface of the water. I really like the impact and combination of both of these perspectives together in one piece.

Van Gogh has been a big influence both in his work and in his writings. His cognitive ability to abstract was incredible and I find both his words and work an endless source of inspiration.

The Group of Seven in their focus on Canadian landscape. I love this work and I try to take this direction and marry some of these ideas with what Van Gogh, Braque and Cézanne were doing.

Lastly, I also very often look through the work of the Leningrad School of painters as I love the loose poetic melancholy in so much of this work.

3. You are well known for your pointillist technique in your paintings. Could you describe your methodology and the philosophy behind it?

I do understand the "pointillist" connection in regards to art history, but for me it has more to do with physics. It has to do with the space between the painting and the viewer and trying to depict that space, too. I think so often we just focus on the three points of the artist/painting/viewer triangle but I'm equally as interested in the spaces between the points. That's what the focus on wind has been about too; the atmosphere and space between.

4. Is the luminous glow in your paintings an element you intentionally create and can you tell us about it?

For me light is the base or root of everything. In my spiritual practice this is where everything starts and everything comes from. It's a constant for me. The ideas and illusions between light and matter is pretty interesting to play with inside a context of "wind and weather." Matter can distort and block out the light in areas or create translucent veils, but ultimately the canvases are all painted with 15 layers of white gesso underneath and that is the light base metaphor for all of the work. Just like a prism fractures light into colours, the source of those fractures is one white light.

SheriBakes_studioshot1

5. The colours in a lot of your past works had bright and electric hues but the artworks in this show have a softer palette. What is the reason for this transition?

Sometimes colour shifts have to do with something I want to learn in paint mixing or a feeling I want to experience more of. In this show I've wanted to explore subtly and space to create work that is more quiet but hopefully just as powerful. I suppose I wanted to create more of an awareness through more listening.

6. You mentioned that your studio is located on several acres of farmland and that a lot of your paintings from your latest “Empathy for the Earth” series depict different views of it. Can you describe this landscape and how it inspires you?

I'm currently living on 54-56 acres of farmland on Vancouver Island with highland cows and black Canadian Horses. It's a pretty dynamic atmosphere both in land and weather. There are 5-6 distinctly unique large fields plus trees and pathways from the animals and creeks that run between them. A variety of fruit trees, a lake below my studio in the winter and it empties out in the summer to create a lush field and there is a mountain range further off behind that. There really is a lot to draw from here as things change daily both in weather and in ground. I suppose for me inspiration is like light; it's a constant and not something that is separate. There will be a lot to draw from in any environment.

SheriBakes_studioshot2

7. Can you tell us about the new (bird-like) brush marks in some of these new works?

I was experimenting with a painting from my last show called Serendipity's Run where I wanted to create the feeling I experienced from watching the newly arrived Trumpeter Swans stop in along their migration path. They landed in the lake below my studio one night and I woke up to what sounded like a lot of beeping. They stayed for quite a while as they rested and foraged. Both their vocal and massive wing sounds commanded attention. In this show I wanted to recreate a similar piece in large scale, just to experience a larger version of that same feeling.

8. Does music or literature play a role in your painting process?

Yes, I think it would have to. I wanted to play music but I just didn't have the right training or confidence. My father was classically trained in violin from age seven to sixteen and then switched to guitar. He played a variety of instruments on his own and in bands up until a couple years ago. This had a very big impact on me growing up, and now I try to create music in my work…a kind of visual sound that the brain can feel but can't exactly hear. I hope to create work that can touch the brain as music does but with visual sound.

9. When do you decide a painting is complete?

For me it's the same as making dinner. Decide what you want, put it together, maybe it needs a bit more pepper or salt, or apple cider vinegar or ginger... maybe some olive oil. Your taste buds will know when it's done, or done enough to be a satisfying meal. I paint the same way as making food.

10. What are you excited about painting in the next few months ahead?

Learning, growing, and being able to keep painting.

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Barbara Cole Featured In Cottages & Gardens

Toronto-based artist Barbara Cole spoke with Cottage & Gardens about her career and her most recent series, Surfacing.

Serena Norr, for Cottages & Gardens, August 2019

Get to Know Underwater Photographer, Barbara Cole

Barbara Cole has had quite an impressive and impactful career. Read on to learn more about her in our latest interview:

Tell us more about your journey as an artist?

I am completely speechless about the trajectory my career has taken. I dropped out of high school when I was 17 years old because I was suffering from depression and anxiety. This was back in the sixties when nobody talked about such things. I worked as a model to fill in the time while I tried to figure out what the next step would be. Oddly enough I modeled for a start-up newspaper who took me on as a “fashion editor” the next year.

I traveled to the shows in Europe and the states and wrote articles. The photographers at the newspaper trusted my eye during the fashion shoots and they thought I could do a decent enough job. (That would free them up to cover the “news” stories where they could be noticed). I was fine with that and picked up a set of cameras/learned darkroom and basically began my career. After ten years at the newspaper I was given a three-month sabbatical during which time I created my first art show. I was taken on by a great Canadian gallerist and have been exhibiting ever since.

What have been some of the highlights of your career?

Fortunately, there have been many moments in my career that standout. Throughout my journey as an artist, I have teamed up with some incredible organizations. Most recently, I have been working with Bell Let’s Talk and the Campaign to Change Direction to further their initiatives in spreading awareness and de-stigmatizing mental health issue through my art. I have also proudly become a “clean water ambassador” for SWIMDRINKFISH– a local group helping to protect our water from plastics and pollution.

Since the majority of my work utilizes water, this foundation is especially near and dear to me. On more personal endeavors, in 1995, I participated in a touring museum exhibition about Breast Cancer called Survivors in Search of a Voice: The Art of Courage, Centre. It meant a lot to me because my dear friend and aunt had just succumbed to the disease. Subsequently, I was commissioned by the M. Lau Breast Cancer Centre at Princess Margaret Hospital to place my art in their space.

In 2005, I was invited to exhibit my series, underwater series Underworld, in Tokyo, Japan at the Canadian Embassy and then after that at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC. And in 2008 I won the Grand Prix, le 6ème Festival International de la Photographie de Mode, in Cannes, France. Director, Bob Barrett, created a half-hour documentary about my underwater practice called "Snapshot: The Art of Photography," which has run multiple times on Art TV, TVO, and the Knowledge Network.

Tell us more about your latest series, Surfacing.

Against the enigmatic backdrop of the ocean, Surfacing captures shimmering figures, arising from the depths. At a glance, they may seem like magnificent sea creatures, but a closer look reveals women moving up towards the surface with fortitude and grace. Surfacing represents triumph, survival and self-sustainability. The women appear strong and timeless in a distinctly feminine way. They represent the power of one’s own personal will. In the era of #metoo, they are even more symbolic. These are women taking power back and leading the way. The metaphor echoes my own struggles as well as my personal and artistic accomplishments. I never know what a show means until it’s completed.

This was true with Surfacing, even though it was fueled by my personal history in so many ways. I left high school at a very deep, low point in my life. It felt like I was drowning.

Following my instincts for survival, over time, I found art and it lifted me up and I have used this experience to mentor other women. I have had many challenges to overcome but once the difficult times were worked through, I found myself becoming a focused and resonant storyteller. Surfacing deeply reflects my personal narrative.

What inspires you in your work?

There are endless things that inspire my work. I enjoy working with people (as opposed to shooting still-life's) because I need to capture an emotion. Capturing a person’s emotions, story and mannerisms is a true passion of mine. That being said, I will admit that my next show is still-life, which nearly came as a surprise once it was in development. It certainly presented itself to me. I’m inspired by creating peaceful, loving works since my world has experienced so much upheaval.

Beauty inspires me as do incredible locations; technical challenges and the experience of doing some good whether that is for other’s mental health or for the goodness of our planet. Even though sometimes it’s hard to recognize, I am confident in saying that we are all in this together. I’m inspired by the drive to convey that.

Click here to read the article online.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT SURFACING

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Barbara Cole Featured In Creators Vancouver

Toronto-based artist Barbara Cole about her newest series, Surfacing. This series is fueled by Cole's personal history, and the ethereal figures shown are a celebration of power of will and strength to overcome. Read more below.

Creatives Vancouver, August 2019

Barbara Cole

i. I work as an emotional conduit.

ii. I do this creative work because:
This is how I express myself best. Creating art has changed my life and has allowed me to open up in ways I didn’t know possible.

iii. Personal qualities that help me in my work are:
Stubbornness. I keep trying until I figure it out. This can take years on some projects but I won’t stop until I get the project as close as possible to what I imagined it to be.

iv. The greatest challenges around doing this work are:
Finances. Photography is expensive and creating pictures with people means you are hiring and paying a team. That’s why I’m so grateful to have such good galleries. Sales allow me to continue to create. There are good times and bad and you need to have a good plan to be able to weather this.

v. Creative childhood hobbies:
Handmade birthday cards!

vi. Other creators who inspire you:
David Hockney, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Edward Weston, Heinrich Kuhn, Deborah Turbeville, Sarah Moon, Lucien Freud, Margrethe Mather, Paolo Roversi and the list is always growing.

vii. Training that has helped me in this career:
Inspiration is the best trainer and motivation is the driving force to learn a new skill. Also, I’m quite persistent and a hard worker, which has lead to some of my strongest series.

viii. A common trap that can hurt people in this career:
Try to listen to your own heart rather than people – no matter how well-meaning – who give you the best “advice.” Take it with a grain of salt and at the end of the day, do what you feel is best.

ix. Some proud career moments:
Fortunately, there have been many moments in my career that stand out. Throughout my journey as an artist, I have teamed up with some incredible organizations. Most recently, I have been working with Bell Let’s Talk and the Campaign to Change Direction to further their initiatives in spreading awareness and de-stigmatizing mental health issues through my art. I have also proudly become a “clean water ambassador” for SWIMDRINKFISH– a local group helping to protect our water from plastics and pollution. Since the majority of my work utilizes water, this foundation is especially near and dear to me.

On more personal endeavours: in 1995, I participated in a touring museum exhibition about Breast Cancer called Survivors in Search of a Voice: The Art of Courage, Centre. It meant a lot to me because my dear friend and aunt had just succumbed to the disease. Subsequently, I was commissioned by the M. Lau Breast Cancer Centre at Princess Margaret Hospital to place my art in their space.

In 2005, I was invited to exhibit my underwater series Underworld, in Tokyo, Japan at the Canadian Embassy and then after that at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC. And, in 2008, I won the Grand Prix, le 6ème Festival International de la Photographie de Mode, in Cannes, France.

Director, Bob Barrett, created a half hour documentary about my underwater practice called Snapshot: The Art of Photography which has run multiple times on Art TV, TVO, and the Knowledge Network.

x. If you want to work in my field, I suggest that you:
Develop your own style. It is an over-crowded field and it’s so important to be an originator.

xi. A professional goal I have for the future:
I would love to continue to make good work and use my position to work as a spokesperson for mental health. It’s such an invasive problem and it’s so hidden. Why, I ask you, do people feel comfortable sharing the details of their kidney stones, yet we are still so ashamed to speak about our own mental health problems? We mustn’t be ashamed of reaching out for help – whether talking to a friend or a professional. It’s okay. That’s the message I need to get out there. I’ve struggled with depression all my life and yet I’ve also managed to carve out a decent career. Working in the arts has helped me to recover.

xii. If you want to see my work, go to:
For more information, visit: September Exhibit – Bau-xi Toronto @barbaracoleart

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George Byrne: Third Place Winner At The 2019 Minimalist Photography Awards

Congratulations to George Byrne whose recent work "Post Truth" (pictured above) placed third in the Fine-Art category of the 2019 Minimalist Photography Awards.

Of the work, the artist states:

"This image is from a recent series of mine called Post Truth. It is a photo-collage, constructed from elements pulled from multiple locations. Shot on medium format film. For the Post Truth series, I would look for ready-made vignettes of colour and form in the built world around me, and then try and repurpose or reinvent them. By embracing the process of photo-assemblage or collage, these photographs have become creations as much as they are observations.”

A selection of pieces by Geroge Byrne are available to view in person at Bau-Xi Vancouver and Bau-Xi Photo in Toronto.

Click to see all the winners of the 2019 Minimalist Photography Awards

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ARTIST Q & A: ERIC LOUIE ON CREATING A MURAL FOR FACEBOOK

Recently we chatted with Eric Louie about the mural design he completed for the lobby of Facebook’s Vancouver office. He was one of two local artists selected for the Facebook Artist in Residence Program to create an original mural for the company’s headquarters and was given the timeline of 1 week to complete it.

1. What was your concept for the mural?

My goal was to convey a sense of life in motion. I envisioned the mural and the bustling and transient lobby space as a portal to a virtual world and wanted to transform the elevators into flood gates leading into the expansive space.

2. Did you face any challenges while creating the mural?

I found the large scale of the mural to be a challenge but the hardest part was painting with acrylic. The quick drying time of this type of paint made things difficult as I’m heavily reliant on blending techniques...I had to work fast and improvise my approach to achieve a similar effect on the wall as I do in my oil paintings. I also cut directly onto the wall’s surface using exacto blades which was tricky because of the drywall’s tendency to flake.

3. Have you worked on any murals in the past?

This was my 4th mural. I have done a couple murals in town that year for Granville Island (Art Smash in the Forge space) and for Strathcona Brewery. The creative director for the Vancouver Mural Festival helped set up these opportunities for me which I think led to my presence online as a candidate for Facebook.

4. Can you describe your creative process with this project?

After some brief design planning and a digital project proposal, I began painting. I have always worked from a contemplative approach where taking time to reflect and edit is important. I’m not good at being a designer who comes up with an image and executes it to a tee, but instead like to get into the moment and see where things go unexpectedly. I thought it seemed gutsy to improvise on such a big project but I had to trust in my ability as an artist to follow through.

“Art should always be a surprise otherwise what is the point?”

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