Megan Dickie at The Ministry Of Casual Living

Opening Reception for the exhibit " Ready To Rumble" , the installation runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 19, 2009 in Victoria BC, Canada

Haren Vakil at Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay

Harold Klunder at Winchester Galleries on Broad St.

Harold Klunder- Recent Work
October 29 to Nov. 21, 2009
Victoria B.C., Canada


Klunder's art work is abstract, lush, formal, biomorphic; human shapes are evoked.It fits the notion of 'psychic realism', a term he has used to describe his paintings !

Opening Reception : Oct. 29,2009 5pm to 7pm



Also Showing: John Fox: Landscapes and Interiors of the late 1950s and 1960s

Heather Keenan in "Question Period"

-What is your artistic background?
I received a Diploma in Art and Design at MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta and have also taken many drawing and painting classes in San Francisco and Toronto. My artwork is on the covers of academic journals, books and publications. I’ve received a BC Arts Council award, won Best in Show at Sooke Fine Arts and the Winsor & Newton North American Artist's Competition. I am in the collections of the University of Victoria, Manitou Foundation, British Columbia's Children's Hospital as well as The Canada Council and British Columbia Art Banks.

-How do you describe your work?
I use oil pigment sticks as both a drawing and painting tool to create textured ethereal landscapes sometimes filled with figures.

-Who are the living artists you find more interesting?
I love so many living artists, but to name a few - Susan Point, John Marsden, John Felsing, Gerhard Richter, and Harold Klunder.

-Who are the no longer living artists you find most interesting?
I would say J.M.W. Turner, Edward Hopper, and Willem de Kooning

-Should art have a social/political message?
I don't think all art has to have a political message, but I think it's a very important aspect of artmaking and I salute the artists doing this.

-Why do you do art?
I guess I do art because it's always been hardwired in me even as a kid. I have a need to express myself and painting has been it for awhile now, although I've also worked in a number of different mediums. Writing and photography also intrigue me. But for now it's painting, trying to capture some intangible, fleeting force.

Heather Keenan www.hkeenan.com

Art and Soul exhibition

"Art and Soul " was an evening featuring the art and music of people who have experienced homelessness,The event was part of the Homelessness Action Week, organized and coordinated by Jody Paterson and Eileen Pritchard. October 2009, Victoria BC, Canada

" Quotable Quotes "

Painting is just another way of keeping a diary!
Pablo Picasso

Martin Batchelor Gallery

The dance-themed visual art exhibition BODY LANGUAGE shows a dynamic group of 16 Victoria artists! Featured works express the mapping of movement, imagined energies and the intimate body in a variety of media.

You are invited to the opening reception Saturday, Oct 24 @ 7pm-10pm! Proceeds from the sale of these works supports new programs in this year’s ROMP! Festival. With special thanks to Martin Batchelor for his support.
Victoria,BC. Canada

Wren Katzalay in " Question Period "

1. -What is your artistic background?
I started painting as a child in my Father's studio, and always "dabbled". it wasn't until I was an adult and had already had a career, that I decided to go to Art School. I gradated from the Victoria College of Art in 1997 and have been painting full-time ever since.

2. -How do you describe your work?
My work is completely process driven, I am interested in mark making and the layering of materials, I use many materials and objects to create the works,plaster, graphite, charcoal, and paint are layered, scratched into, scrapped away and added back, lines are intentionally obscured, hinting that a deeper meaning lies beneath the surface. Although the works are autobiographical in nature the symbols are often arcane.

3.-Who are the living artists you find more interesting?
Cy Twombly, Cecily Brown

4.-Who are the no longer living artists you find most interesting?
Rauschenberg, de Kooning, Kandinsky, Durer, The Fauves and Cezanne

5. -Should art have a social/political message?
If what the artist is trying to say has a social of political message, then that is what the artist intended. Some very powerful art has had a social or political message.

6.-Why do you do art?
Because I have to!!! It's like breathing.

Wren Katzalay
www.wrenkatzalay.ca
Victoria BC, Canada

Winchester Galleries-Oak Bay

Until the 24th of October, 2009



Michael Morris was awarded an honorary Doctorship from Emily Carr University, Vancouver in 2004. He lives and works in both Vancouver and Victoria


2260 Oak Bay Ave., Victoria, BC, Canada

Alcheringa Gallery

A showcase of gallery artists.
October 1 to 31, 2009
Victoria, BC, Canada

Robert Amos in " Question Period"

artistic background:
Graduate in Fine Art, York University, 1973
Practiced publishing with Coach House Press (Toronto), performance art with Western Front (Vancouver), mural painting.
Assistant to the Director of Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1975-80), studied painting by my self and with Jack Wise in Victoria.
Travel to Japan and Thailand, 1980-81 and dedication as a professional artist.
Art writer for Victoria Times Colonist (since 1986).

how do you describe your work:
I paint representational pictures in watercolours and acrylics of the city of Victoria, a documentary project.
I am a self-employed artist specializing in commissioned paintings of homes and gardens.
A prominent public profile is important to my work, which may be seen as a form of performance art.
The documentary aspects are usually coincident with publishing - I have seven books about Victoria published, so far.
And then there is my parallel stream of ink paintings inspired by my study of Chinese and Japanese art...

living artist most interesting?:
My newspaper column every week deals with exactly that question.
Pat Martin Bates is always an inspiration. Zhang Bu sets an unreachable standard. David Hockney has a lot to say to me.

no longer living artists?
Stanley Spencer, Munakata Shiko, to name two.

social/political message?
On the surface I would say no - it gets in the way of the beauty of the well-made object.
But on further consideration I know that no artist can avoid being deeply dyed with the views and the atmosphere of the times.
My work surely has a political message, but I am not going to slow down long enough to find out what it is.

why do you do art?
It's my default-mechanism. when other responsibilities are put aside, I revert to it.

Robert Amos.
www.robertamos.com

View Art Gallery

Until October 31, 2009

Allen Brewer
Dave Barnes
Keegan Wenkman

An Exhibition by Contemporary Illustrators.

104-860 View Street, Victoria BC, Canada

www.viewartgallery.ca

Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery

Travels and Treasures:

The Divine Inspirations of Katharine Maltwood and Treasures of the Turcomans

October 4, 2009 to January 29, 2010
Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery

This exhibition showcases striking Middle Eastern textiles by Turcoman artists and sculpture by Katharine Maltwood. Maltwood's sculptural work was inspired by her Asian and African travels. Also explore the Japanese influenced botanical lustrations of Elizabeth Duer.

The exhibition complements two views on foreign travel; The Divine Inspirations of Katharine Maltwood focuses on the renowned globetrotter and artist Katharine Maltwood and her travels to Egypt and Japan in the early 20th century. Treasures of the Turcomans exhibits the jewelry and carpets collected from an expedition made through Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the 1930s.

Katharine Maltwood obtained numerous works of art and was moved by the rich religious histories in the two regions. The show includes photographs and key pieces of sculpture that she acquired while in Egypt and Japan.

Treasures of the Turcomans tells the story of a traveling couple and their encounters with the nomadic Turcomans and Baluchi people in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the 1930s. On display will be the mementos from their experiences – a variety of textiles ranging from clothing to carpets, as well as intricate jewelry and photographs taken during their travels.

Celebrating our 100 post in exhibit-v blog today !!

Mercurio Gallery - Victoria BC, Canada

David Ladmore in " Question Period :

What is your artist background? Self-taught by studying paintings by dead artists.

How do you describe your work? My work is a response to the beauty and
simplicity of the things I find around me. In figure and landscape, careful
study reveals the undercurrents and rhythms of existence.

Who are the living artists you find more interesting? Any artist who paints
with enthusiasm is inspiring.

Who are the no longer living artists you find most interesting? Turner,Rembrandt, Corot, Sargent, Whistler, Waterhouse, Inness and especially Gainsborough.

Should art have a social/political message? It can have, but not necessarily. Everyone is different. I'm compelled to follow the creative process which begins and ends at the decimal point between the positive and
the negative. "At the still point of the turning world...there the dance is"
T.S. Elliot

Why do you do art? That's a very good question. I've thought about it, but I
still don't know. It's a compulsion.


David's web address is: www.davidladmore.com

Silent Auction Fundraiser-Community Arts Council

Laurie Ladmore in " Question Period "

What is your artist background? I went to the Victoria College of Art from
1994-1996. My husband David is also an artist and has been a huge influence
on me.
How do you describe your work? semi-abstract, colourful, playful
Who are the living artists you find more interesting? Helen Frankenthaler
Who are the no longer living artists you find most interesting? Whistler,
Matisse, Monet, Bonnard, Chagall, Group of Seven, Emily Carr, Gustav Klimt,
Mondrian (his flowers), Van Gogh, Odilon Redon, Arthur Rackham, N.C. Wyeth
Should art have a social/political message? It can, but I think art purely
as an expression of beauty or any number of other things is also valid. I
think whatever the message is, the piece of art has to first work in an
abstract way in terms of colour, composition, etc in order to be an
effective vehicle for what you want to express.
Why do you do art? I feel driven to it. It’s a huge part of how I look at
world and process/interpret the experience of being human.

My web address is: www.laurieladmore.com

New Music Coordinator at Open Space

Open Space is pleased to announce the appointment of Kristy Farkas as New Music Coordinator. The Coordinator conceptualizes and delivers Open Space’s series of challenging sound and music programs.
Farkas is a composer, musician, educator and organizer. Farkas studied piano and music composition at Wilfrid Laurier University and received a Masters degree in composition from the University of Victoria. Kristy has performed in Canada and Japan and her works have been presented by Toronto’s Arraymusic, Vancouver New Music, the Music Gallery in Vancouver, the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble, Ensemble Symposium and Continuum. Kristy is a founding member of the ensemble, CURV, a trio dedicated to the composition and performance of new experimental works in alternative venues, and is performing regularly with the local composer-performer collective, LaSaM. Kristy’s music combines both electronic and acoustic elements with performances that often include film, theatre, dance, and painting.
Kristy Farkas: “With such an exciting and innovative program planned for 2009-10, I am thrilled to be working with Open Space.”
Executive Director Helen Marzolf: “We are pleased to have Kristy’s energy and superb organizational skills at Open Space.”
Farkas takes over from Tina Pearson, who has accelerated and broadened Open Space’s music programming over the past four years.

Art Gallery Of Greater Victoria

Sacred Arts of Tibet

Sand Mandala by Monks of Gaden Jangste monastery of Mundgod, India
(c) Tony Bounsoil Photo Design

August 14 to December 6, 2009

The art of Tibet is almost exclusively devoted to the service of Buddhism and is almost never practiced for art’s sake. Tibetan art is representative of the existential character of Mahayana Buddhism known as Tantrayana or Vajrayana (the diamond path or vehicle), which considers its art to be very sacred. Although Tibetan art is religious in nature, it is also rich in artistic or aesthetic value. Tibetan art is evocative and the portraiture, although often rigidly stereotyped, shows a great variety of styles rendered in a powerful and realistic manner, particularly in the treatment of facial features, costumes, appendages and backgrounds.

The making of religious art in Tibet serves several functions. Its actual commission and production are acts for which one received merit, the more images made, the greater the merit. The painted or sculpted image serves to inspire the faithful to reach a higher level of consciousness. This exhibition will feature the Gallery’s extensive collection of painted thankas, sculpted images and sacred or ritual objects. As part of the exhibition, the Gallery is looking to host a group of Tibetan monks to construct a sand mandala. A mandala, which is considered a magical and sacred realm, is a visual prayer and a means of representing the entire sacred universe. It is an all-inclusive symbol and is thought to represent both the mind and body of the Buddha. The basic configuration of a mandala, which is deceptively simple in appearance, is a ring or circle enclosing a symmetrical walled palace with a gateway in each wall facing one of the four cardinal points of the compass. Each detail of its construction has symbolic meaning.

Steven Hubert at The Ministry Of Casual Living

Dave Hutchison in "Question Period "

-What is your artist background?

I have been a professional nature photographer for 4 yrs. Mainly self
taught, but have taken 2 short courses that were very helpful. I have a
20 yr business background.

-How do you describe your work?

Communicating original subjects in a unique and engaging manner.

-Who are the living artists you find more interesting?

Frans Lanting, Tom Mangleson, Shane McDermott.

-Who are the no longer living artists you find most interesting?

Ansel Adams

-Should art have a social/political message?

If the situation dictates, yes.

-Why do you do art?

Original to escape the business world. It is also a major source of
income ... a dream come true.

www.davehutchison.ca

The Claude Glass-October 2009- Book Of The Month

The Claude Glass
Use and Meaning of the black Mirror in Western Art
By Arnaud Maillet
Translated by Jeff Fort

Arnaud Maillet's The Claude Glass is a remarkable contribution to the history of Western visual culture. In the first full-length study of a largely forgotten optical device from the eighteeth century, Maillet reconfigures our historical understanding of visual experience and meaning in relation to notions of opacity, transparency, and imagination. Many are familiar with The Claude Glass as a small black convex mirror used by artists and spectators of landscapes to reflect a view and make tonal values and areas of light and shade visible. Maillet, in this fascinating account, goes well beyond this particular function of the glass and situates it within a richer archaeolgy of Western thought, exploring the uncertainties and anxieties about mirrors, reflections and their potential distortions. He takes us from the magical and occult background of the "black mirror" through a full evaluation of its importance in the age of the picturesque, to its persistence in a range of technological and representational practices such as photography, film and contemporary art.
Julie Fry.