The November Oak Bay Artists’ Exhibition is a hybrid of open studios at artists’ homes, and an exhibition space at the Monterey Centre. Here’s a link to the brochure, listing all the participating artists.
The Art Caravan exhibition at the Monterey Recreation Centre includes handcrafted notebooks and journals, photo and original art greeting cards, postcards, and bookmarks for sale.
Days of Christmas, greeting cards from original photo images, T. Vatrt
Original prints, including recent mini print collages, are available. Older works are also included.
touchstones, 1/1, 2022, T. Vatrt
Sacred Ground, T. Vatrt, intaglio, embossing
The exhibition at Monterey Center is Saturday, November 5 (10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) and Sunday, November 6 (10 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
Days of Christmas, greeting cards from original photo images, T. Vatrt
I’ve never been to Taiwan (have you?) but one of my artworks is juried into the International Biennial Print Exhibition: 2022 ROC. The show runs from August 27 to November 20, 2022 in the Dadun Cultural Center, Taichung City, Taiwan. (It’s conveniently located next to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, in case you’re planning a visit.)
The International Biennial Print Exhibitionbegan in 1983. Here’s a link to images from the exhibition. There are 180 artworks, from artists in 50 different countries. A virtual catalogue of the exhibition is available here. It’s an opportunity to see a diverse (and inspiring!) collection of contemporary printmaking.
I’m honoured to participate in the International Print Biennial: 2022. My artwork, before and after, here and now, is a 22 by 30 collage of original printmaking (intaglio, collagraph, embossing) and photographic (prints and transparencies) images.
“before and after, here and now” 2021, collagraph, intaglio, photography, photo transparency, embossing, 22×30″
Two themes, Risk Delight and Totem, are emerging in my artwork. Re-examinging the piece, it seems before and after, here and now is a combination of the two series.
“before and after, here and now” (detail) 2021, collagraph, intaglio, photography, photo transparency, embossing, 22×30″
Not Going to Buenos Airesopened (in person visits!) last weekend at the Errant Art Space in Victoria, B.C. The previous Art Caravan post explained the genesis of the art show’s theme – six artists inquire into the complexity of yearning to be anywhere other than the ‘here’ of a pandemic shutdown.
Not Going to Buenos Aires group art show postcard
As you can imagine, six artists interpret one theme in vastly different ways. The website for NGTBA provides each artist’s statement and artwork images. The diversity of media is remarkable – you will see embroidery, collage, printmaking, paper sculpture and painting.
Annus Horribilis, Amy Marcus, embroidery on cotton
Jardín di Los Sueños 1, (detail) Joanne Hewko, acrylic on canvas
As I noted in the last post, overlapping ideas, like climate change and environmental degradation, emerged from the works. Other commonalities are evident. It’s interesting to see Janet Brooks and Kate Scoones both reference the ubiquitous Zoom calls we are all enduring. Janet created a series of Zoom Room paintings which mimic the fractured Zoom experience in an emphasized horizontal perspective.
Zoom Room 3, Janet Brooks, acrylic and pencil on cradle board
About her works Among my Souvenirs, Kate says: Each subject is alone and motionless on a colourful background, with no specific landscape or environment. They are intimate yet aloof (not unlike a Zoom call when private space is shared with strangers).
Among my souvenirs, Kate Scoones, acrylic gouache on foamcore
My series wish you were here….. echoes Kate’s observation about uniqueness within a relationship. The presentation of the artwork also reinforces the grid inherent in a Zoom call.
wish you were here…. Terry Vatrt, mixed media
Almost all of the artists commented that the pandemic, while forcing us to slow down, resulted in new discoveries in our art practises. Trish Shwart says she’s been able to… work more slowly, and at a much larger scale than I have worked in the past few years. The continuous day to day practice has allowed me to develop a kind of resilience in terms of how I approach and modify the paintings over the course of their development.
The Air was Still and the Sun was Out (detail) Trish Shwart, acrylic on wood panel
Kate writes I wouldn’t have delved so deeply into a mundane subject and found it so compelling had I not been confined.
In my own studio, I was surprised by the long lengths of time I spent working on the larger pieces. It felt like an extraordinarily contemplative process. Standing on their Shoulders took me several iterations, and months, to complete.
Not surprisingly, Amy humorously summed up her experience working at home.
I have a short attention span so for NGTBA, as a challenge, I took on a v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-w-w project.My Monkey Mind was hand embroidered with single strands of thread and that extended the work time into just short of forever. And that was supposed to be the point. At times i experienced it as a meditation as intended, and at other times it felt like a drawn out trial. In those times, if ‘trial’ is a metaphor, I found myself guilty of monkeying around. In the end, fast, s-l-o-w, meditative, drawn out, guilty, or not, it was all part of the dance.
My Monkey Mind, Amy Marcus, embroidery
The show is open one more weekend, (April 17-18, 2021) with covid protocols in place. We’ve provided a website with plenty of visuals, links to a CBC radio interview, and a visual walk through ‘tour.’ Please visit as you are able, and see if any of our responses to these strange days resonate with you.
The Art Caravan has compiled a brief list for this year’s Christmas wish list. Since the best gifts are books and art (dark chocolate goes without saying,) I chose one book and one work of art.
Without too much deliberation – it seemed an easy choice – Guerrilla Girls: Art of Behaving Badly is at the top of my list. Goodreads.com gives it 5 stars. The New York Times rates it as one of the Best Art Books of 2020. It comes with a punch-out gorilla mask – who could resist?
Guerrilla Girls: The Art of Behaving Badly
Just for fun, I decided to make the choice of artwork hypothetical – price is not a consideration. (It is, after all, a wish list.) This made the selection far more difficult. I considered a sculpture by Oviloo Tunnnillie, the Inuit sculptor. Here is my 2016 post about this remarkable artist, with several images of her sculptures. The ones I like the best are of Sednas, and are in museum collections, so, hypothetically speaking, not available. (One can makes one’s own rules in this game.)
I decided to shop for a print by Sybil Andrews, the British printmaker and welder (!) who eventually settled on Vancouver Island, after World War II. Her linocut images, carved in the machine age style, are colourful and dynamic.
Skaters, Sybil Andrews, 1953, artsy.net image
It seems like the perfect choice, doesn’t it? It’s a wintry scene, created in Canada, for someone with a fondness for printmaking and outdoor skating.
Since we know, and the pandemic is emphasizing, that the best things in life aren’t things, I have a third and final wish, which is a non-material item. (See above about making the rules.) My wish is for high quality art education in all schools, at all age levels, as part of the basic curriculum. This would include practical classes, wherein all students learn to draw, play a musical instrument, sing and participate in drama classes. In addition to the hands-on learning, art appreciation opportunities would be provided. Students would attend art shows, and performances by professional actors, musicians and dancers. Artists would regularly visit schools to lead workshops and give performances.
It’s a big wish, I know. But think of all the benefits: happier, healthier, creative individuals. Employment created for artists and teachers. We know that art brings a myriad of benefits to our lives. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone had the same exposure to arts and culture?
The original Art Caravan
I’d be happy to hear your three wishes. And please, pass the (dark) chocolate.
I know, isn’t every month Print Month? ( I remember, as a child, asking my Mum, Why isn’t there a Kids’ Day, like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? Of course she said, Every day is Kids’ Day.)
For The Art Caravan and many art afficiandos, original, hand made, fine art prints are irresistible. Once you get some familiarity with the world of printmakers, print studios and print shops, it’s easy to become a fan, and collector.
Last year, The Art Caravan happily traveled to NYC to meet friends, and celebrate Print Week. The main event was held at the Jacob K. Jarvits Center. To say we were thrilled to attend is an understatement. I felt like I was on a pilgrimage.
Javits Center NYC, T. Vatrt image
The second floor of the conference centre was devoted to booths from international and North American galleries and museums. Artwork from Dürer and Rembrandt to contemporary artists such as Swoon were on display, and for sale. It was exciting, inspiring and provided abundant choices for the IF You could have any Artwork on Display? game. A few happy hours were spent wandering up and down the aisles, viewing artwork and talking to the dealers. Here’s a link to this year’s list of exhibitors.
International Fine Print Fair, 2019, NYC, T. Vatrt image
New York being New York, the art community embraces Print Week. What I assumed would be the main event is, in reality, one of many print-rich opportunities available in both commercial and public art galleries and museums. Because of New York based printmaker Elizabeth McAlpin‘s knowledgable recommendation, The Art Caravan also visited the E/AB Fair. This year the E/AB Fair is sponsored by the Lower East Side Printshop.
Editions / Art Book Fair, NYC, 2019, T. Vatrt image
The Editions / Art Book Fair featured hand made print editions from individual printmakers, as well as print shops. The Art Book portion is dedicated to artists creating handmade books. Many of the artists and printmakers were present, and happy to talk about printmaking. The Art Caravan spent several hours, over two afternoons, talking shop with printers and studying the artworks. Click here for this year’s viewing room…..and enjoy!
Leviathian V, Marion MacPhee, 2019
Levithian II (etching), Marion MacPhee, 2016
I was particularly smitten by these gorgeous etchings by Marion MacPhee from the Glasgow Print Studio It was a highlight to talk with her about the studio, and her fabulous etchings.
Viewing prints online is not the same as seeing them in person. The textures, the marks, the depth achieved in printmaking doesn’t easily translate via photography. (Another example of ambiguous loss.) This year, the experience will be virtual. Maybe next year we’ll be attending in person. Perhaps. In the meantime, enjoy the multiple offerings of everything print at this year’s Print Month.
