Carollyne Yardley at Deluge Contemporary Art

Winchester Galleries, ‘Five’. May 2-27th. by Philip Willey.

Vicky Christou was born in Melbourne, Australia and immigrated to Canada in 1969. She is a graduate of the Emily Carr College of Art and Design. Her work exists somewhere between painting and sculpture. She is inspired, she says, ‘by the simultaneous happenings of visual and personal metaphorical dialogues.’

Multiple layers of impasto are protected by a woven textile grid to produce striking 3 dimensional images of light and shade.

Jeremy Mangan was born in Seattle and has spent most of his life in the Pacific Northwest. He studied at PLU in Tacoma also in Munich, Germany and New York. There is something of Rene Magritte in Mangan’s paintings. He uses a realist technique to paint recognizable objects in an unusual context thereby creating improbable landscapes and events.

“My current work explores phenomena: the unusual,
exceptional moments just on the edge of plausibility,
and occasionally beyond.” Jeremy Mangan

He has shown frequently in Tacoma and Seattle and now Victorians have a chance to see his work.

Sean Mills, a graduate of Emily Carr University, based in Vancouver, explores light and transparency using paint and plexiglass. He sees paint as both occupying and containing space. The way his works play with light and shadow makes them appear less substantial than they actually are.

Neil McClelland is from Gatineau, Quebec now living in Victoria where he teaches sessionally at UVic and Vancouver Island School of Art. Of all the artists in this show perhaps McClelland comes closest to having a political agenda. His current interest is the perfectibility of society and his striking, albeit somewhat ominous, paintings capture the current societal unease. 

See:

http://exhibit-v.blogspot.ca/2017/02/neil-mcclelland-at-deluge-contemporary.html

In a lighter vein is Carollyne Yardley who is best known in Victoria for her squirrels, cheeky little critters that appear in her paintings in various disguises. Squirrels and masks have led to her current preoccupation, therianthropy (the ancient belief of shapeshifting, and animal ancestors), and theriocephaly (animal-headed humanoid forms such as the ancient Egyptian gods Ra, Sobek, and Anubis). She has also been collaborating with Rande Ola K’alapa.  Rande is part of a new generation of indigenous artists who are open to cross-cultural experimentation. Their show ‘Shapeshifting’ is ongoing at the Fazakas Gallery in Vancouver.

Carollyne is in Venice but her fan club showed up.

It was a lavish opening and very well attended. This is not strictly speaking a group show. There’s no unifying theme and the five artists don’t have a lot in common. That’s not the point. They are all serious, committed and in for the long haul. Their work is finely crafted and Winchester sees a bright future for them. Hence the sub-title FIVE: TO COLLECT. Winchester Galleries are to be congratulated for their forward thinking.

Anna Banana: 45 Years of Fooling Around with A. Banana at AGGV

Ravenous. Carollyne Yardley and Rande Cook at Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria B.C. June 23rd. – July 19th. 2014 by Philip Willey.

 

Language evolves according to circumstance. Using terms like Indian, aboriginal, native, indigenous or First Nations is full of potential pitfalls. Writers must be careful to use the currently acceptable vocabulary. It’s important to be both involved and objective without being elitist or patronizing.

First Nations art has evolved considerably in recent years and it’s understandable that young First Nations artists should want to be more, dare I say it, relevant. One needs only to look at the art of Andrew Dexel who stretches recognizable ovals and trigons into dynamic curving shapes. We saw this evolution again in the show called Urban Thunderbirds/Ravens in a Material World at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria last fall. Four young artists, lessLIE, Dylan Thomas, Rande Cook and Francis Dick, got together to present a fresh look at the kind of First Nations art that has become so familiar especially here on the West Coast. They used traditional formats to make political statements. lessLIE showed bold prints with provocative wordplay and Dylan Thomas’s prints were stylized images of non-traditional subject matter. Rande Cook’s paintings suggested what it means to live in a city. One of his photographs showed the artist posing in the streets of New York City wearing a Kwaktiutl/Louis Vuitton mask. Francis Dick added a feminist perspective to the show by depicting First Nations women as cultural heroes. The work of these four artists and others like them is transformative. They are re-appropriating imagery to create new cross-cultural forms.

photo by Luke Marston

So is it possible, or even desirable, to transcend cultural barriers and arrive at some kind of fusion? This is the kind of question posed by Rande Cook and Carollyne Yardley in their collaboration ‘Ravenous’ at Alcheringa. There are certainly elements of both cultures here.

As Chris Creighton-Kelly points out in his article about fine art (Focus Magazine, June 2014) both Picasso and Gauguin borrowed - some would say stole - motifs, styles, and content from so-called primitive peoples. The borrowing seems to have gone full circle. Of course some will see it as appropriation but neither Yardley nor Cook appears to have a problem with that. There is no sense of conflict. The show isn’t intended to be a break with tradition so much as a comment on contemporary society. There is an acute awareness of the modern world and the dilemmas faced by aboriginal people. Yardley and Cook have gone beyond deep-rooted stereotypical thinking and aimed for some kind of apolitical synthesis.

Rande Cook was born in Alert Bay in 1977. He is a chief of the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation and very aware of his cultural heritage. He works in a variety of ways, wood-carving to jewellery making and painting.

In this show Cook uses the story of the Raven as trickster or shape-changer. “I vowed to never reproduce and sell sacred ceremonial objects,” says Cook. In order to do this he had to invent a new vocabulary of design motifs. He tells ancient stories using contemporary methods.
Carollyne Yardley was raised in Victoria. She uses classical painting techniques and a traditional i.e. fine-art, style to create work that reflects contemporary and personal concerns. She is the first non-native artist to show at Alcheringa.

Yardley describes her art as pop-surrealism…‘exploring character development through humour, portraiture, pop culture, and absurdity.  The squirrel face is a metaphor for the secrets we keep.’ She is not shy about her fixation with squirrels.

Elaine Mond of Alcheringa Gallery sees the show as a ground-breaking collaboration; the first of its kind in Victoria that she hopes will broaden the base of the gallery. With ‘Ravenous’ at Alcheringa Rande Cook and Carollyne Yardley have taken an intrepid step in a new direction.

There’s nothing disrespectful or exploitative about any of this but my sense is that purists are going to find some of it a little hard to digest. They shouldn’t. The show is challenging. Art is never static. Definitions are constantly evolving. Anyone who finds it shocking needs only to look at the revisionist art of Kent Monkman. Monkman, of Cree and Irish descent, makes very strong statements about history, consumerism and the ironies of life in the modern world. Cook and Yardley have combined humour and spirituality to the same effect.

Pride in Art show at the Fifty Fifty Arts Collective

Rande Cook and Carollyne Yardley at Alcheringa Gallery

Carollyne Yardley, Jose Brand and Paul Dowd at AGGV by Philip Willey.

 
There’s no point in rehashing old arguments about whether comic books are art or not. They are. But there are degrees. There is great art and not so great art. Comics, fantasy, digital art and video games still rate lower, for now at least, on the spectrum than Caravaggio. That said nobody at this point in time is going to deny Frank Frazetta’s amazing painting skills. Or Dave McKean’s contributions to Arkham Asylum. Walt Disney’s work is in the MOMA collection. Jonathan Jones says Disney is a great artist, so consider the matter settled.

Perhaps it makes more sense to define Pop Art, not so much in the Warhol ironic consumerism sense of the word but meaning popular, as in approachable, something that ‘ordinary’ people can relate to and want to hang on their rec room walls. Robert Bateman fits that bill along with the kind of thing one finds in shopping malls.

The three artists in the show at AGGV probably don’t see popularity in quite that way. Their work is a little too offbeat for that. Which may be why they decided to call the show Strangelings. Their work occupies a niche in a new kind of technology based media.

These three artists, Carollyne Yardley, Jose Brand and Paul Dowd have all made professional careers as Art Directors in the game and technology industry. Beyond the strangeness they share an illustrative technique and a liking for meticulous finish. They call themselves Pixel Wizards and the show attempts to weave the art and tech worlds together.



Jose Brand is resident artist at KANO/APPS, a successful local gaming company co-founded by Tim Teh. Jose comes from Terrace B.C. In an interview for KANO/APPS he says… ‘I usually stay away from realism, I don’t do landscapes or anything like that. Style-wise, I feel like I’m all over the place. It really just comes down to what I feel like drawing at that moment.’



Paul Dowd was a lead artist at Zynga, He worked on the famous Farmville. Right now he is searching the universe for another planet rich in experience and energon.
Robots, dinosaurs, zombies, skulls and steam-punk this art-form has its own post-Star Wars iconography and language. It’s hard, if you see art as a continuum, to see how the subject matter relates to art history. It may be a branch line or perhaps digital art has made a clean break and we are in uncharted waters. Technically the work is excellent, the colours are pleasing and all these artists seem to have an instinctive sense of composition. They are eager to demonstrate the traditional skills behind digital imagery.



Carollyne Yardley takes a slightly different tack. She was co-owner and former Creative Director of Star Global Advanced IT Corp. Her ubiquitous squirrels have evolved from surreal personal vehicles to wry comments on humanity to playful references to the contemporary art world. The squirrel stays central but the context is always changing. Recently she has found ways to incorporate artists as varied as Magritte, Murakami and Banksy into her work.

Photoshop is causing quite a few headaches in the art world. Is it a tool or a creative medium in its own right? There is a reluctance to accept it in some quarters but for a generation that has grown up with computers it seems perfectly normal. It may be some time before photoshop gets full accepted but this show should help people to understand what goes on behind the scenes.

There’s no artspeak with this show and no deep existential statements. There may be a lot of underlying complexity but these artists want their work to be accessible. Fine art? That’s not the point. Badass, cool, WTF, you name it, this show is fun and games.

The Massey Gallery
October 2013 

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/09/1
http://www.kanoapps.com/2012/01/31/meet-jose-brand-concept-artist-and-illustrator/
http://www.pauldowd.ca/
http://www.carollyne.com

Video

Carollyne Yardley, Jose Brand and Paul Dowd at The Massey Gallery - AGGV

 

This show features paintings by three artists: Carollyne Yardley, Jose Brand and Paul Dowd who have made professional careers as Art Directors in the game and technology industry. Creatives working in tech are often excluded by their fine art cohorts, due to their association with digital media.

 

Digital media is both a challenging and liberating medium. However, there are no lucky accidents. It’s during the production stage, before we build our digital world, where the artist is most free to explore, and to give their imaginations free reign. 

 

Many people don’t realize concept development often begins in traditional media – hand drawing, painting, pastels, and photography. In this show, you’ll see the creativity and skill that opens up our story worlds, and give form to the visions that drive a digital industry.

 

Going analogue, these pixel wizards use paint and canvas to highlight their talents beyond software programs.

 

#Strangelings weave the art and tech communities together.

 

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Massey Gallery

 

October 17 – November 10, 2013

 

Opening Reception: October 24, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

Carollyne Yardley at the ApArtment Gallery

Romancing the Squirrel
A Restrospective - Carollyne Yardley
at The Emerging Art Gallery/ The Apartment Gallery 

1016 A Fort St

Opening Reception on Friday, February 22nd from 6pm - 9pm

Carollyne Yardley's signature style has captivated all, creating composite squirrel creatures which inspire discussion and laughter. By entering the subconscious and revealing our hidden characters, Yardley challenges the spectator to let their inner selves free. Romancing the Squirrel presents the next progression of this unique series while embracing the origins of 'The Squirrel'. This is no ordinary art event, rather it is an all encompassing environment of quirky characters and eccentric worlds. Jump into the surreal mind of Carollyne Yardley - you may never want to jump back out!

"Days in The Life" book by Philip Willey

Synopsis
  Simon is a groovy young rock writer in Swinging London who always manages to be in the right place at the right time. We follow him to the TV studios where Ready Steady Go is produced, then on to the flat of art dealer Robert Fraser where only the hippest of the hip hang out. He drives out to Weybridge to visit John Lennon, Abbey Road Studios where Sergeant Pepper is being made, and the Bag of Nails club for the London debut of Jimi Hendrix. Many years later, in Bermuda, he reflects on his life and has an encounter with John Lennon’s ghost. All that in 54 pages, 9 beautifully illustrated. Fact or fiction? Or a mixture of both? Read it and decide for yourself.

 Here you have the new book about John Lennon by our collaborator Philip Willey illustrated by :

Carollyne Yardley, Lance Austin Olsen, Michael Lewis, Lyle Schultz, Robert Amos, Roy Green, Brad Pasutti and Darren White.

to buy the book go to : 

www.philipwilley.com

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 28^th.
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

Carollyne Yardley at Sooke Harbour House Gallery

Boudoir Group exhibition at Victoria Emerging Art Gallery

Exhibit "Never Dine Alone - Surreal Friends"

" Never Dine Alone - Surreal Friends "

Nov. 5 to 13, 2011 

at the Sculpture Studio

211 Harbour St.,  Victoria, BC  Canada

" Friends and Other funny Folks " at Red Art Gallery

" Flor de Vida " exhibit by Luis Enrique Oliver opening

Video with Luis Enrique

Carollyne Yardley -Big Eyed Ladies and Other Creatures- at Penelope's Cafe

Black Olive Restaurant (Penelope’s Cafe)
Wednesday, November 03rd, 2010
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
739 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, BC, Canada
Nov. 3 to 30, 2010

Carollyne Yardley – October 2010 – Artist of The Month

In September 2008, Carollyne decided to become a professional visual artist, and began to remove the mask of technology (Nerd Squirrel) to emerge as her true self, standing with her hands on her hips, yelling and laughing at the squirrels in her yard. Her husband - is a collector of things.
Raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Carollyne Yardley completed two years in the Faculty of Fine Arts, and has a History in Art degree from the University of Victoria. Most recently, she has taken art classes at the Victoria College of Art and studied with Tony Ryder at The Ryder Studio School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For over a decade she has been the business owner and creative director of a web development company.
This painting will be shown along with earlier works available for sale at Penelope's Cafe (The Black Olive Restaurant) for the month of November 2010.
Visit her website for more details: http://www.carollyne.com

A big shout-out to Carollyne Yardley !!

Thanks Carollyne of :http://www.carollyne.com for all your support !!