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July 14, 2006
Project creates rippling effect
by Erin McPhee
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photo Tina Schliessler
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Group effort on Blank Canvas just the start of collaborative work
Day one: prep canvases.
Day two: start painting.
Sounds pretty straightforward; however, the five artists who participated in the Blank Canvas Collaboration Project were faced with a few additional challenges as part of their latest exhibition, the results of which are currently on display at the Seymour Art Gallery.
Artists Steve Horvat, James Picard, Tania Gleave Natalie Vetrova and Jordan Roberts were required to contribute to all 16 pieces in a two-week period from July 10 to 24 and the public was invited to watch.
"There were a lot of people that called us courageous," said Horvat, sitting in the gallery this week, the fruits of their labour properly installed around him.
"Each individual contributed to make these and without that personality, what you see in front of you wouldn't have occurred," he added.
In total 16 canvases were filled, left untitled, forming a widely varied exhibition in terms of style, subject and colour, said Jacquie Morgan, director and curator of the Seymour Art Gallery. The paintings were done using acrylic and oil paints as well as mixed media aspects.
"It's very valuable work," she said.
Horvat said each painting tells a different story, some whimsical and some serious.
"Some of them are very harmonious and some of them you can see that there were some great conflicts," he said.
Horvat said the artists experienced many ranges of emotion in the two-week period but learned very quickly how to make it work.
Participant James Picard said the project has had a great rippling effect.
"This to me is the stone that we threw in the pond," he said.
In addition to the paintings, a huge body of work has been created by other artists inspired by the project. Musicians, poets, photographers and filmmakers would drop by, perform and create their own, often collaborative works.
"The whole atmosphere was so creative, you couldn't help but get sucked into it," said Picard.
"There was a few times where I left so pumped after painting all day, I'd go back to my studio and paint the whole entire night and then come back here the next day and not even have slept because I was so wired," he added.
Morgan said she was proud to be a part of the project, providing the public with a glimpse into the world of an artist.
"I think the biggest comment made by visitors was they felt like they were coming into an artist's studio and many people had never seen an artist paint before," she said.
After the exhibition in Deep Cove, representatives of the project will take the format to San Francisco next year, followed by Prague in 2008. Spinoff projects, like a film and CD, are in the planning stages.
The exhibition officially opened on July 25, drawing approximately 210 guests, which is huge for the gallery, said Morgan.
The finished works will be on display at the Seymour Art Gallery, located
at 4360 Gallant Avenue in Deep Cove, until Aug. 13.