Three Seconds: Recent Contemporary Fiber Work by Shannon Wardroper

Three Seconds, recent contemporary fiber work
Shannon Wardroper
August 16 - Sept 4

Shannon Wardroper:
"The earth has been in existence for 3.5 billion years. 3 Seconds represents human habitation if compared to a 24 hour day cradled within our mere 300,000 years of existence. In this short time we have left an indelible mark on a verdant, layered and fascinating natural world, our home. I recall as a child swimming endlessly underwater and watching the current carry a swaying smorgasbord of imagery past my field of vision. This complexity is what inspires my textile work and keeps the eye travelling through layers of screenprinting, wax resist dying, hand and digital embroidery, appliqué and piecework. 

Currently, the Attention Economy has ensured that our attention shifts away from the gift nature offers towards all things artificial, online, and virtual. 

We are endlessly elsewhere. 

3 Seconds thus also represents the average attention span when scrolling, clicking and tapping on social media, online news and video. 

Recent Work by Cheryl Long

Recent Work by Cheryl Long
July 26  - August 14
Opening Reception: Friday July 26, 5-7pm

Cheryl Long:
"Through the alchemy of mystical BC landscape, subconscious dreamscape, and written word, this body of work aims to take us on a journey from the darkness of the inner world to the rising of spirit.

Much of this recent work uses the imagery of whales and icebergs. These two forms have become dear to my heart for different reasons. The whale, because I had visited an aquarium years ago and stopped in front of a large round window to look into the pool of sea life swimming by. A large whale stopped directly in front of me, and we gazed into each others eyes ... I felt like I was looking into the depths of eternity and felt inspired by a love and wisdom that has remained in my heart. 

The Iceberg I consider to be a metaphor for grace. I think of them tumbling off an ancient glacier and their huge weight being cradled and carried by the sea to distant lands. Their journey inspires me to try and surrender to the currents of life without so much struggle and resistance. I also find icebergs to be amazing sculptural forms, and strive to express the power and simplicity of their shapes."

But I Love You

But I Love You
Patrick McCallum
July 5  - July 24
Opening Reception: Thursday July 4, 5-7pm

“But I Love You” is a hybrid exhibition focussing on themes of love, longing and lament. It features new large scale “captured moment” charcoal drawings of Patrick's “Back Letter Day” series alongside his current series of brightly coloured hand-printed serigraphs. All works feature the indeterminate narratives and elements of Surrealism often associated with McCallum’s work, in addition to morsels of dark humour.

Born in Penticton BC, but living most of his life on the West Coast, Patrick McCallum has spent the majority of his career in the creative sector. Essentially self-taught, McCallum has worked in a wide range of roles including: commercial illustrator, art director, graphic designer, copywriter, comic book creator, storyboard artist, and art instructor until committing to Fine Art full time in 2015.

Since entering juried shows in 2015 he has won The Award of Excellence at the Sooke Fine Art Show 2015; The Juror’s Prize at the Sidney Fine Art Show in 2016; The Juror’s Prize at the Sooke Fine Art Show in 2018, and "Best in Show" at the 2020 Au Natural International Exhibition of Figurative Art in Astoria, OR.  His first solo show was mounted in July of 2018 at ArtSpring on Salt Spring Island BC. Since 2015 he has been featured in 18 group exhibitions, including the notorious (Re) Location Group Show of 2024 where his installed road signs created an island-wide controversy.

Both Sides Now

Both Sides Now
Julia Lucich
June 14 - July 3
Opening Reception: June 14, 5-7

Julia Lucich, artist:
"My approach to art, as with life, is varied.  I was drawn to painting in response to a love of portraiture. With time, my focus expanded to other subjects including wildlife, all of which remained very representational. While working on a painting of giraffes, though, I played with an unconventional colour palette, resulting in a painting I titled Party Animals. The response to this painting was unexpected:  it was selected by USArt magazine as “Editor's Choice” for wildlife, which prompted the start of a series.

As with many artists, it's easy to become pigeon-holed in relation to a particular style or body of work. For me, that's been true with Party Animals. While my art is most often associated with that series, I paint anything and everything that catches my eye or evokes an emotional response. In a sense, there are two “sides” to my art work:  those that fall under the rubric of Party Animals ... and all the rest."

Remembering the Joy of Life

Remembering the Joy of Life
Matthew Hildebrandt
May 24 - June 12
Opening Reception: May 24, 5-7

Matthew Hildebrandt, artist:
"In 1906 Henry Matisse painted The Joy of Life, a painting that participated in opening the doors for what would become the Western Modern Art movement. 

That piece was an ode to Cesanne's work The Bathers, and many artists in history have played on the theme of an idyllic age of humanness, where we frolicked naked and free, imbued with an aura of Eden-esque innocence.

...Maybe the whole universe is inside us, and maybe it would be impossible to be anything but this romantic oneness except for the trauma-infused mind's capacity to convince otherwise, and maybe those little birds singing in the tree really are cherubs after all and maybe, just maybe life is, in fact, perfect and maybe that includes you...

And that's a pretty joyful thing to remember.

My work steals unabashedly from artists such as Matisse, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Carr, Morrisseau, Rivera, Hockney, and many of the folk art styles from around the world including but not limited to the stone and wood carvers of the Pacific Northwest, the yarn and bead art of Huichol Mexicans, the Fraktur art of the Pennsylvanian Dutch Mennonites and the stone carvings of the Celtic and Norse."

Tossed and Found 7

Tossed and Found
Annual Group Show
May 3 - 22
Opening Reception : Friday May 3, 5-7pm

Tossed and Found's annual exhibit is more than a recycled material art show: the level of creativity we have seen through the years here leans toward morphing the object and animating what the artist captures in the energy of the item found.

Not only does this type of art showcase display the talent and creativity of the artists, but it also highlights the importance of sustainability: it challenges us to see the potential in everyday items and  to think differently about the materials we use and discard. 

Tossed and Found has built a loyal following and gets great reviews. Most of the artists exhibit their work only once a year and the well attended receptions reflect the playful and meaningful quality of the work presented.

Imaginarium Botanica

Imaginarium Botanica
Melanie Thompson
April 12 - May 1
Opening Reception: Friday April 12, 5-7pm
 

"Using a collection of botanical and found materials, I have made an installation creating an imaginary space, an Imaginarium Botanica. A variety of techniques from basketry, stitch, 3d sculpture, printmaking to paint and cyanotype is used to create the work. This environment encourages viewers to view botanical detritus with new eyes.

This work is partly born from a dire need to encourage the world to appreciate our natural environment with a desire to help saving it."

Melanie Thompson is a Canadian multi disciplinary visual artist. Already a professional basket maker, Melanie completed the Diploma in Fine Arts at ECUAD and continued with additional course work for a number of years. Her practice has a conceptual focus on material transformation and the environment, often including both 2 and 3 dimensional work in installations. 
Melanie has exhibited and sold her work widely. Her work can currently be found at Summer Artcraft, The Pottery, and Nook on Salt Spring Island, BC. It can also be viewed at https://ssartscouncil.com/user/melanie-thompson, www.craftcouncilbc.ca and on her instagram account https://www.instagram.com/melaniethompson1

Drawing from life

Drawing from Life
Dragonfly Life Drawing Group
March 22 - April 10 2024
Opening Reception Friday March 22, 5-7pm

Meeting weekly since 2021 at the Dragonfly artist supply store, the Dragonfly Life Drawing group features a wide range of talented professionals: painters, sculptors, fabric artists, illustrators, woodworkers, metalworkers, and interdisciplinary artists all sharing a passion for drawing the human body from life.The artists: Mike Deas, Bryn Finer, Georgia Henn, Martin Herbert, Jane MacKenzie, April Mackey, Patrick McCallum, Mel Williamson, Sal Wiltshire, Zoe Zafiris.

The artistic tradition of drawing the live figure has deep roots dating from the 5th century BCE, its foundation in the European academies of the late Renaissance and early Baroque era's classical art instruction. Sadly now generally absent from Contemporary art instruction, for many purists life drawing remains an integral element in an artist's mastery of drawing, painting, and most importantly: seeing.    

The exhibition will feature studies and sketches created during the live model sessions, in addition to figure-inspired finished works executed in a variety of mediums by the artists.