You could have cut the tension with a palette knife as four artists took part in Corner Gallery’s Reveal 2 Sept. 6.
Actually, it wasn’t very tense at all as curator David Partridge revealed a black and white image and the artists went to work in their separate corners creating their own interpretations of the mystery photo.
While a reporter would also like to work in that it was like watching paint dry – it was anything but.
Members of the public dropped in and out of the gallery to watch the process unfold. One sauntered over to Harvey Walker with a casual “how are you?” to be told “I’m having fun. I have a paintbrush in my hand. It’s my happy place.”
Walker, David Rolfe, Kelly Whyte and Zoey Zoric all accepted the challenge of taking part in the activity. The first Reveal featured Marissa Sweet, Holly Hutchison, James Brown and Barbara Hart on Aug. 9.
Partridge had heard about similar events but found them more competitive. He wanted the artists to use their own styles, with no limitations. The first time around, he provided the twist of a black and white photo, and did so again for Reveal 2.
“They have to paint in colour and they are not allowed to look at each other’s works. So, they all come out very different. I think that’s cool.” He added if people looked at the image closer, it was interesting when placed upside down. One of the artists did the flip.
Partridge added it wasn’t easy finding images because he didn’t want the paintings to be boring.
Joan Hawley and Alex Isbister came to watch. Hawley said it was slow when the artists were just starting, “but once they get going, they get the idea, then they just seem to take off.” She finds it interesting how each artist approaches the process differently.
Isbister said he doesn’t care much about art when it is on the wall, “but I care a lot about the moment of production. I care a lot about the courage, the creativity…”
Whyte had never done anything like this before and was excited. She brought a lot of art supplies in preparation. She shared she was thinking of scrapping the Muskoka chairs on a dock in the image, but instead making leaves on the trees the focus and going with an Autumn theme. She also planned to spend time on reflections in the water. “We’ll see as we go along what happens. It may change, you just never know.”
Partridge said the Reveal series is going well. He got emails after the first one with people saying, “it was so cool to see the process. I know for artists, sometimes you do something like this and all it is are other artists coming to learn … but we’re seeing genuine curiousity from the public.”
He’s thinking of now doing a quarterly Reveal, with another one in the new year. He has lots of ideas. “Next time, it might be I’m going to show them the image for a half-a-second and say ‘go for it’.” He added there could be other media. For example, George Hall, a stone carver, has already signed up for the next one.
