Showing posts with label Bill Blair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Blair. Show all posts
Monday, August 15, 2016
Friday, May 11, 2012
Blair, Yardley, Schultz and the Pop Sensibility by Philip Willey
Call it synchronicity or serendipity, one of those words, but sometimes things just seem to come together….as when three quite different artists with similar pop interests decide to show simultaneously.
I think the first time I met Bill Blair it was at a show of his photographs, Open Space maybe, back in the 80s, salmon chanted evening, so I thought of him as primarily a photographer. But I knew he had other interests. Paint by numbers being one. It’s the kitchiness that intrigues him I think. He likes to pose people in front of paint-by-number type trees….perhaps holding an axe or a decoy duck. The result is a whimsical Canadian unreality. He likes Mexican iconography too, the nostalgia of vintage postcards, votive offerings. In recent years all these elements have fused into what he calls guitar shrines. These are guitars, or ukuleles, often incorporating paint-by-numbers scenes, nudes, birds, artificial flowers etc. often with a string of coloured lights. There seems to be no end to Blair’s inventiveness. You can see his work at Victoria Spirits out on Old West Saanich Road. You can also learn a lot about the distilling process. They make gin there. And whisky and vodka. Take a designated driver.
Carollyne Yardley is another artist with a pop sensibility. She studied at U.Vic, the Victoria College of Art and with Tony Ryder in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1997 she founded a software application and web development company so she has a strong foundation in the visual communications industry. She views art and design as a process of thinking, creating, problem-solving, and communicating.
She describes her work as Pop Surrealism. She cites Mark Ryden as a major influence along with Todd Schorr, Heather Watts, Ron English and Noah Becker perhaps because they blend pop culture with traditional techniques. She also likes Wonder Woman, Elvis Presley and helicopter rides. And she’s Sirius about squirrels.
In September 2010, Carollyne launched her new business as a visual artist, and “began to remove the mask of technology to emerge as her true self, standing with her hands on her hips, yelling and laughing at the squirrels in her yard.”
The squirrels turned out to be an ideal vehicle for communicating her observations about people. They allow her to explore character development without being too blatant or anthropomorphic. We in turn are obliged to think about her intentions. If we recognize something of ourselves in these cute little creatures so much the better.
Her technique is illustrational rather than painterly and always it’s the big eyes, that look of startled surprise, which hold the viewer’s interest. Her work will be at Sooke Harbour House Gallery until May 28th.
Meanwhile at Bean Around the World, on Fisgard Street, Lyle Schultz, yes him again, continues to explore the obscure recesses of his mind to bring us a new collection of mixed media creations. Full of surprises that’s Lyle. He manages to be both alienated and accessible. His abstracts are never totally abstract, his figurative works enjoy throwing curveballs. You just never know where he’ll pop up next. You may have seen his soup cans, or his hairy trousers, or his pointy shoes. Perhaps you’ve run into one of his light-bulbs? Maybe you’ve thrilled to his gladiatorial sponges fighting to the death in a kitchen sink arena on facebook? Perhaps you have some of his worms. No? Well now’s your chance to get some. Versatile? You bet. He can do cartoons. He does landscapes too when he’s not making wry comments on art history and foraging through the dark side. All this on a diet of Mr. Noodle and ketchup with a landlord breathing down his neck.
Victoria, BC - May 2012
I think the first time I met Bill Blair it was at a show of his photographs, Open Space maybe, back in the 80s, salmon chanted evening, so I thought of him as primarily a photographer. But I knew he had other interests. Paint by numbers being one. It’s the kitchiness that intrigues him I think. He likes to pose people in front of paint-by-number type trees….perhaps holding an axe or a decoy duck. The result is a whimsical Canadian unreality. He likes Mexican iconography too, the nostalgia of vintage postcards, votive offerings. In recent years all these elements have fused into what he calls guitar shrines. These are guitars, or ukuleles, often incorporating paint-by-numbers scenes, nudes, birds, artificial flowers etc. often with a string of coloured lights. There seems to be no end to Blair’s inventiveness. You can see his work at Victoria Spirits out on Old West Saanich Road. You can also learn a lot about the distilling process. They make gin there. And whisky and vodka. Take a designated driver. 
Carollyne Yardley is another artist with a pop sensibility. She studied at U.Vic, the Victoria College of Art and with Tony Ryder in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1997 she founded a software application and web development company so she has a strong foundation in the visual communications industry. She views art and design as a process of thinking, creating, problem-solving, and communicating. She describes her work as Pop Surrealism. She cites Mark Ryden as a major influence along with Todd Schorr, Heather Watts, Ron English and Noah Becker perhaps because they blend pop culture with traditional techniques. She also likes Wonder Woman, Elvis Presley and helicopter rides. And she’s Sirius about squirrels.
In September 2010, Carollyne launched her new business as a visual artist, and “began to remove the mask of technology to emerge as her true self, standing with her hands on her hips, yelling and laughing at the squirrels in her yard.”
The squirrels turned out to be an ideal vehicle for communicating her observations about people. They allow her to explore character development without being too blatant or anthropomorphic. We in turn are obliged to think about her intentions. If we recognize something of ourselves in these cute little creatures so much the better.
Her technique is illustrational rather than painterly and always it’s the big eyes, that look of startled surprise, which hold the viewer’s interest. Her work will be at Sooke Harbour House Gallery until May 28th.
Meanwhile at Bean Around the World, on Fisgard Street, Lyle Schultz, yes him again, continues to explore the obscure recesses of his mind to bring us a new collection of mixed media creations. Full of surprises that’s Lyle. He manages to be both alienated and accessible. His abstracts are never totally abstract, his figurative works enjoy throwing curveballs. You just never know where he’ll pop up next. You may have seen his soup cans, or his hairy trousers, or his pointy shoes. Perhaps you’ve run into one of his light-bulbs? Maybe you’ve thrilled to his gladiatorial sponges fighting to the death in a kitchen sink arena on facebook? Perhaps you have some of his worms. No? Well now’s your chance to get some. Versatile? You bet. He can do cartoons. He does landscapes too when he’s not making wry comments on art history and foraging through the dark side. All this on a diet of Mr. Noodle and ketchup with a landlord breathing down his neck.Victoria, BC - May 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Bill Blair – March 2012 – Artist of the Month
Bill Blair has been creating photomontage images since the early 1980s. Much of his imagery fluctuates between themes of Canadiana and Mexicana - both real and imaginary. Both play off ideas of early-20th-century romantic travel ideals and issues of souvenir culture and national identity in North America.
His earliest influence was the tall-tale or fantasy postcard - popular at the beginning of the 20th century - with its exaggerated images (such as larger-than-life vegetables and giant wildlife) and surrealist qualities - where mysterious juxtapositions are the norm.
In recent work, he often samples human subjects from his extensive collection of vintage real-photo postcards, mixing them - and other elements – with his own background images.
The final montage is photographed and processed on black-and-white film. Then he prints from the negative a single archival silver gelatin print in the darkroom. This fiber print is then hand-tinted with transparent photo oils.
Each photographic print is an edition of one only. They are not duplicated, so each image has only one signed and numbered print ever available of it.
He also creates mixed-media assemblages and wall shrines – described by the Vancouver Sun as “dashboard art” – incorporating vintage guitars and ukuleles.
Blair lives and works in Victoria, BC. He has exhibited his photo-based and assemblage works in numerous group and solo shows regionally and internationally.
Recent commissions include pieces for chef Rick Bayless’s XOCO restaurant in Chicago, and for the Latin Grammy award-winning singer, Lila Downs.
AWARDS
2005 Canada Council for the Arts
2005 British Columbia Arts Council
2003 British Columbia Arts Council
2002 British Columbia Arts Council
Examples of his Canadiana and Mexicana works can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/billblair/sets
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