exhibition in Japan

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Just received this beautiful poster about our Art Institute Printmaking group’s exhibition coming up for May 29th to June 14th at the B-Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.

Huge thanks go to one of the artists, Michiko Suzuki originally from Tokyo, for her generous efforts in acquiring the gallery for our exhibition and for carrying all our work with her on her flight to Japan. (She has frequented these pages often, please search if interested.)

I’m hoping we shall see some images of our show on the gallery’s site once it is up for the benefit of those (most) of us who will not be there, and for readers. As more information comes in, I will add it here or in another post.

As an exchange, works by several Japanese printmakers will be exhibited in the Studio Art Gallery at Capilano University in North Vancouver during the month of October this year. Exciting times!

More, August 28th: Exhibition photos at last!

Wayne Eastcott: Systems

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Another exhibition coming up very soon, by another artist friend and a mentor.Internationally known printmaker Wayne Eastcott will be showing his latest work at the Bellevue Gallery in West Vancouver. This new series, called Systems: New Works on Metal and Paper, explores:
the relationships between nature and technology and how they interact and form the human condition and environment. The surfaces of these works are developed by various combinations of digital silkscreen and hand painted stenciled enamel as well as pigments of mica and metallic dusts applied to either paper or riveted aluminum.

I’ve had glimpses of some his work in progress and it looks exciting. You may view some of Wayne’s earlier works as well as the collaboration Interconnection on the Bellevue Gallery pages.

A few related posts from the archives:
Interconnection: Eastcott / Suzuki
visiting Interconnection
Wayne Eastcott & Michiko Suzuki
Wayne Eastcott exhibition

the opening

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Looking into the gallery as we arrive on time for our exhibition. Lots of folk already there!

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This is the front area, with a peek towards the rear on the left side…

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The front wall with a work by Peter Frey on the left, two of mine in the middle, and one by Christel Kleinewillinghoefer on the right.

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Speech time. Here is North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto,

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and Capilano University President Dr. Kris Bulcroft.

Our exhibition opening at CityScape last night was excellent and very well attended, so much so that it was difficult to take photos of the work, especially in the rear section of the space where the table of wine and nibblies attracted everyone to linger. Our work looked great in the space. There were speeches by several people – was I ever thrilled to have my work behind them – what a photo op!

exhibition at CityScape

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From the Press Release:

A diverse printmaking exhibition by members of the Art Institute of Capilano University that explores a microcosm of dynamic changes occurring in international print culture, especially with regard to the digital revolution.

The exhibition includes a variety of printmaking processes- everything from the classical etching, relief and silkscreen to the more modern photo and digital work, often in combination with each other. Through these processes, the artists explore the surfaces and possibilities of scale, embossments, enamels, rare Japanese Gampi papers and metallic surfaces.

The exhibition will showcase diverse images and concepts- every thing from environmental issues, technology and the human condition to the creative act, music and ecology.

The exhibiting artists are: Hans-Christian Behm, Katie Dey, Wayne Eastcott, Roger Fidler, Peter Frey, Orianne Johnson, Bonnie Jordan, Christel Kleinewillinghoefer, Marja-Leena Rathje, Linda Robertson, Joan Smith, Michiko Suzuki, Francis Tremblay.

Free Artist Talk and Demonstration: Saturday, February 11, 1-3 pm. An artist’s talk and demonstration on relief and intaglio printing plates and process. Please register: 604-988-6844 or exhibitions@nvartscouncil.ca

Everyone is welcome! Our group is excited to be showing in the lovely and spacious Cityscape Community Art Space at 335 Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver.

Added later: View these photos of the opening.

at the print studio

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Here are some glimpses of the printmaking studio in which I work – my desk with the proof on the wall which I printed last week, and our wide-format inkjet printer, affectionately called Lucy.

a great day on Bowen

What a fantastic day we had yesterday! The gloriously sunny day began with the arrival of a cousin and her husband from Germany. After a quick visit over tea and biscotti on our deck, we whisked them to the ferry over to Bowen Island. Hans-Christian, one of the artists in the exhibition and a resident of the island, invited all the artists and their guests for pre-show nibbles and wine at his home. How lovely it was on his deck looking out over the sea, getting ourselves in a mellow mood for the reception to come. What was very unusual was how many German speakers were present: three of the artists including our host, and three visitors from Germany, plus my husband! Our daughter Erika was enjoying practicing her German with them but I was quite lost beyond the pleasantries.

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Anne and I in front of some of my work

Then on to The Gallery at Artisan Square to see our exhibition and be there for the artists’ reception. I was immediately greeted by a beautiful lady – Anne Wadleigh, the amazing 20th Century Woman and her husband Jerry! How delightful that they made it and how honoured I felt that they had made the trip up from their island on the other side of the border in Washington! Though this was our first meeting face to face, Anne and I felt like we’d known each other a long time. Jerry and my husband found many things of common interest while Anne and I talked about printmaking. With her own background in printmaking, Anne had many perceptive questions and comments and was interested to learn about the Capilano University Art Institute. Anne expressed the desire to be able to work in such a place and be inspired by other printmakers. I look forward to another visit one day and to showing her our facilities.

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left to right: Michiko Suzuki, Wayne Eastcott, Curator Ann Ramsay, Peter Frey, Linda Robertson, Hans-Christian Behm, Joan Smith, Christel Kleinewillinghofer and I (Bonnie Jordan was unable to attend)

The opening was very well attended and the work well received. It was hard to get good installation photos but the show looked great in this lovely space. Our special thanks to Ann Ramsay, Gallery Coordinator/Curator for giving us this wonderful opportunity to share our works with Bowen Island residents and visitors. Thanks to my husband for taking all the photos, also Erika though I haven’t seen hers yet.

Then a lovely ferry ride home again. I was a little tired from all the excitement and had dinner to prepare (thankfully I’d prepared the main dish the day before). Our family circle around the table was larger and richer with the German cousins and we were grateful for this wonderful day.

invitation

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Just received this exhibition poster. See you there tomorrow afternoon!

exhibition on Bowen

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detail: ARKEO 2, Marja-Leena Rathje (may or may not be in exhibition)

You are invited to:
An exhibition of prints by the Art Institute Printmakers of Capilano University
at The Gallery at Artisan Square

589 Artisan Square, Bowen Island, BC

Artists’ Reception: Sunday, September 20th from 2-4 p.m. Open to everyone
Exhibition runs September 11th to 27th, 2009
Gallery hours: Friday – Sunday, Noon – 4 p.m.

The exhibiting artists are Wayne Eastcott, Bonnie Jordan, Michiko Suzuki, Peter Frey, Joan Smith, Hans-Christian Behm, Christel Kleinewillinghofer, Linda Robertson and Marja-Leena Rathje.

The Bowen Island Arts Council runs this gallery along with many cultural programs. This is a fascinating fact on their website:

Based on a recent national study of communities with a population of less than 50,000 people, Bowen Island was identified as the 4th most artistic community in Canada.

Bowen Island is a short 20 minute ferry ride from Horsehoe Bay, West Vancouver. Here is a map of the route to the gallery from the ferry landing at Snug Cove.

I’m looking forward to this special visit to Bowen Island and hope to meet a few readers there!

Michiko Suzuki: Flicker of Life

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I’ve written about my friend and fellow printmaker Michiko Suzuki several times here but I missed telling you about her most recent solo exhibition Flicker of Life ~ Selected Works (1993 – 2008) held at the Penticton Art Gallery in Penticton, BC. She now has a lovely slide show of it that I think you will enjoy, just click on slide show. What a beautiful space and Michiko’s work looked fantastic there!

Also, you may like to read her exhibition statement on the gallery’s site.

And here’s more about Michiko in my earlier posts:
August 2004
October 2005
September 2006
October 2006
April 2008
(UPDATE April 8th, 2009: The link to the slide show is now fixed. Please try it and let me know if there are still any problems viewing it. Thanks to J for spotting the error!)
UPDATE August 3rd, 2012: The exhibition is now also viewable in video.

Robert Young

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Robert Young: Sampler – Enhanced multiple plate intaglio, linocut, woodcut
Printed for Artist’s for Kids

We had the great pleasure of having Robert Young, one of BC’s most respected senior artists, visit as a guest speaker in the Art Institute, Printmaking*** at Capilano University yesterday. He spoke first about his early years with dry humour, occasionally making various literary references to reveal the yearning, a desire “to run away” as he kept saying, which eventually led him to become an artist. He proudly wore his 40-year-old ink-stained printmaker’s apron and displayed his custom-made set of engraving tools and a few prints, one of them shown above. A slide presentation of his works followed. Very stunning and inspiring. Most of these works can be viewed at the site of the Atelier Gallery** in Vancouver, which represents him.

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I can’t begin to find the right words to summarize Young’s life and work but thankfully, others have written about his work eloquently. For Artist’s for Kids, Robin Laurence wrote in part:

Although Robert Young is best known as a painter, his early art training was in printmaking, and it is a discipline he revisits periodically. In 1962, after completing a bachelor’s degree in art history at the University of British Columbia, Young left his native Vancouver, taking himself off to England, to the City and Guilds of London School of Art, where he studied etching, engraving and drypoint. He returned to Vancouver in 1964, studied graphic arts at the Vancouver School of Art, then set off again for London in 1966. It was during this second sojourn there, lasting a full decade (he returned permanently to Vancouver in 1976), that he began to paint, finding inspiration in a number of sources, including art history, photography, and the mass media.

and…

Known for his intricate drawing, painting and printmaking, his work has a strong intellectual appeal and an impeccable sense of craft. For more than 45 years he has pursued a bold personal image synthesizing the environment with his strong philosophical and spiritual beliefs. He also shared his love of art and art history with students at U.B.C. for 16 years as Associate Professor in the faculty of Fine Arts.

In an excellent article in the Straight, Christopher Brayshaw wrote:

Between these extremes of illusionism and blunt facticity lies the work of Vancouver artist Robert Young, whose inventive paintings, drawings, and mixed-media collages defy easy categorization. Though he taught for years at UBC, Young is the antithesis of an academic artist, and is now, at almost 70, in the happy position of not really having any followers.

This is something that Young spoke about, the desire to not follow current movements or schools, or the call of curators or critics, but to follow his own path.

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UPDATE Feb.28th, 2013: **The Atelier Gallery link no longer works and has been removed. This long time gallery has closed. Meanwhile, some of Robert Young’s work may be viewed at the Winchester Galleries.

***UPDATE Jan.3, 2014: In May 2013 this program (along with others) was eliminated. Link removed. To read about the Art Institute as it used to be, please visit this older post about it.