Posts Tagged ‘Art Exposure’
Many artists begin showing an interest in art as very young children: Roberta Murray is no different. In fact, her mother wrote in her baby book, “very artistically able from the age of two”. This Calgary born photographer recently joined the Alberta Society of Artists, and has photographs on display in galleries worldwide.
Roberta Murray
Roberta completed the New York Institute of Photography’s certificate program in 1990, but sold all of her photography equipment shortly after to shift her focus to textiles. After fourteen years of textile work Roberta returned to photography at first to document her textile work, and later as a form of meditation. Fortunately for all of us, this long break from photography led Roberta to discover new ways to think about colour and detail, and resulted in the impressionistic pictorialist style she is known for today.
The photography of this Rocky Mountain House Resident is truly striking, almost having a closer resemblance to paintings than photos. I strongly encourage everyone to take a good look at her portfolio to take in this very unique style.
Joan Bailey - Image from ArtistsinCanada
Alberta artist Joan Bailey boasts an almost entirely self-directed art education, and as a result she has skillfully created a very diverse collection of art using paint, wax, and metal. Because of the variety in her art her online portfolio is much more interesting to peruse than many of the artists I investigated for this edition of Art Exposure. Bailey claims to thrive on exploring the patterns and mysteries of life through the use of stark contrast in her art, which was very apparent as I explored the works on her website.
The reason I chose to feature Joan this week is because of the variety in her work. Although I am by no means knowledgeable about art, I have noticed that many artists tend to specialize in one form of art (even if they do explore a variety of mediums as well). She doesn’t appear to focus on any one form of creation more than any other, which pretty much made her perfect for Art Exposure, in my opinion.
Joan has an email provided on her website for those who are curious about pricing or other aspects of her work.
Painting by Arthur Lismer from groupofsevenart.com
The Group of Seven were a group of Canadian landscape painters that was highly influenced by European impressionism. They banded together in the 1920’s to tackle the enormous task of painting lansdcapes in Canada, primarily around Ontario. At the time the landscapes were thought to be either unpaintable or unworthy of being painted. Initially the reception of their artwork was indifferent, but as time went on, they became recognized as pioneering artists in Canada.
The logic behind believing that some Canadian landscapes were unpaintable was largely due to the fact that the scenery around Ontario was so full of trees and hills that anything painted would inevitably end up looking like a large blur of paint. As pioneers, the Group of Seven developed techniques, which were frequently based on Impressionism, to create their art. Some of them had formal training as painters or designers, which can sometimes be seen in their art.
Later in the Group of Seven’s career, they expanded across Canada to gain inspiration and paint what they saw. They even ventured so far as the Arctic, where they became the first artists of European descent to portray the wintry landscapes in art.
The Group gained a few members over the years, becoming more like a Group of Ten, and by 1931, their influence had spread so far that there was no longer a need to be a ‘Group’. They disbanded, and later formed the Canadian Group of Painters in 1933, and now we are living in their legacy.
Prints can be ordered from the expansive gallery on the Group of Seven website. http://www.groupofsevenart.com/
Photo by Robert Berdan
Although Robert Berdan worked as a Cell Biologist at the Universities of Alberta and Calgary for twelve years, then managed the Calgary Science Centre for five years, he has also been well-known photographer for thirty years and owns a web design company in Calgary. Cell biology seems a strange career path for such an creative person, but the variety in his work life most likely made his photography and design much better.
Berdan’s photos have been published in science journals, book covers, and IMPACT magazine, and have even been a part of a traveling exhibit with the Science Centre. Robert prefers to print his own photos using an inkjet printer that produces the astounding detail he is known for. The primary focus of Berdan’s photos is nature, and all animals that appear in his photos are wild, rather than captive or rehabilitated. I like that detail the most, I think. Every time I see footage of “wild” animals I think of a video I once saw of David Attenborough stumbling through a forest searching for a species of bird, that is so rarely seen… in an Australian zoo (so disappointing). Needless to say, it is quite impressive that Robert is committed to taking pictures of animals in their natural habitats. All of Berdan’s photos have been taken in either Southern Alberta or Georgian Bay, Ontario. Presumably the quality of the picture I posted here was not compromised by being viewed on a monitor as the only modifications done on them are those that would be done in a dark room (burning, dodging, dust spot removal, and colour enhancement through the use of masks).
In addition to his photography, Robert owns a small design company called Science and Art Media in Calgary. Apparently, Robert was the first person in Calgary to offer internet training in Calgary. so much for the stereotype of older adults being inept at learning internet skills. I am going to leave the commentary on the quality of the designs up to the two designers that run this site since I’m sure they will pounce on it as soon as they read this.
For those of you who are wondering about the Attenborough reference I have included the video to which I am referring, it is very cool even if it is in a zoo.
After researching numerous Albertan artists to be the subject of the second edition of Medicine Hat Media’s Art Exposure, I decided to write about the well known roadside landmarks found across Canada.
Saamis Teepee by Roadside Attractions
Although many of these statues, buildings, and other structures are often whimsical, confusing, or even straight up bizarre, the creators of these landmarks are extremely talented individuals. Fortunately, I discovered a website already in existence, created by Ed Solonyka, entitled Roadside Attractions.
After exploring a little bit, I found the website has been online since 1998 and surprisingly, is updated fairly regularly, not that the outdated design gives any indication. The comprehensive updates can be found in the “What’s New” section of the website. So instead of planning a lengthy road trip across the country to witness the landmarks first hand you can take a leisurely stroll through the site to see the strange things Canadian towns are “famous” for (but a roadtrip would be far more fun).
Roadside Attractions can be found in numerous ways on their website, including by provincial location, alphabetical listing and by category. There is even a “Wanted” list with what attraction they want a picture of and where it can be found. As Hatters, we can all proudly gaze upon the Saamis Teepee while browsing the site, so no worries about being left out of the fun.
RoadsideAttractions.ca displays it longevity with the myriad of awards it has earned (back when Internet awards meant something), all of which are pre-2003. Unfortunately, many awards, such as “The Canadian Advantage Web Award” and the “Canuck’s Choice Award” link to broken websites, many of which were issued from the now defunct Geocities.
Despite the dated layout and graphics of RoadsideAttractions.ca, it still offers the most comprehensive list of any large scale attraction (like the giant Easter Egg in Vegreville) that you will see in Canada.