The event is a great way to support the gallery, meet and connect with local artists and take home an original piece of art. With over 60 participating artists, the selection and range of work is sure to be diverse – there is something for everyone.

Some of the artists include Bear Witness, Pat Durr, Tony Fouhse, Jonathan Hobin, Manon Labrosse, Penny McCann, Ron Noganosh, Andrew and Deborah O’Malley, Colin Muir Dorward, Theo Pelmus, Leslie Reid, Norman Takeuchi, Laura Taler, Cara Tierney, Guillermo Trejo and Andrew Wright. Click here to see a full listing and samples of the work you can bid on.

As in years past, a panel of local experts have selected a few stand-out pieces, which will be announced the day before Le pARTy, at the Art Auction preview. This year’s critics are curator and art historian Diana Nemiroff, Nuit Blanche Ottawa + Gatineau curator Megan Smith, and Ottawa Magazine’s art critic Paul Gessell.

For a chance to win tickets to the event, let us know below which work you’d like to take home. Contest closes at noon on Friday, May 24.

Le pARTy gets underway at 6pm on Thursday, May 30 at the Ottawa Art Gallery (2 Daly Avenue). For more information, check the OAG website.

Scott H. Wilson

Photo by Scott H. Wilson

It has been said that photography is a picture painted by the sun.  If this is true, then a talented photographer is someone who can capture the solar “hand” of the sky as it paints its living masterpiece.

This thought crossed my mind while thinking about the gorgeous work of Scott Wilson.  Originally from the Toronto area, he moved to the National Capital Region about 1 ½ years ago to follow his girlfriend who is doing her PhD at the University of Ottawa.

Currently living in Hull, his popular tumblr blog contains a stunning collection of images that capture the natural landscape in our region.  For instance, consider these wonderful photos from a stroll in Gatineau Park, or these breathtaking shots from the Champlain Bridge on the Ottawa River.

Photo by Scott H. Wilson

“I want to get out and shoot every day in order to get better,” says Wilson, who takes a good portion of his photographs while walking his dog.  ”I try to pick a different spot (each day) to walk.”

Wilson says that he aims to tell a narrative in his shots, rather than surrendering the lens to a specific subject. “The photographers that I follow are like that,” he says.  ”They are not about pose shots or portraits, they tell a story.”

While most of Wilson’s work focuses on nature, he does shoot urban landscapes, such as the photo above.  You can see more of his urban images here and here.  If you want to know more about his work and/or hire him for a shoot, you can go to his professional web site or follow him on Twitter.

In the meantime, here are more examples of his fantastic work: these winter photos are so vivid you can feel the snow; the fiery colours of autumn sparkle here; the joy of summer is alive here.

Chris Vanderwees (Street Photography and Other Snaps)

Photo by Chris Vanderwees

The soul of a city can be found in its music halls, restaurants, art galleries and bedrooms.  If you want to see a city’s face, however, then you can turn to the street, which is arguably the only place in society where all classes, ages, ethnic groups and personalities cross paths.

Chris Vanderwees’ wonderful photo-blog is like a mirror reflecting Ottawa’s visage.  In his fantastic collection of street shots, he captures the full palette of personalities that traverse through the Glebe, Centretown, Golden Triangle and Rideau Street neighbourhoods.

“I see people from all walks of life,” says Vanderwees, who is a PhD candidate in Carleton University’s English Department.  ”There are people who are pretty poor to people who are well off.  Different ages and different professions.”

Photo by Chris Vanderwees

Having first received a camera at the age of ten, the 29-year-old decided to chronicle the various characters that he saw while walking in the street after working on his thesis.

His images range from the touching (see the two women embracing and kissing on the cheek above), to the quirky/hip (see man with the glasses on the left), to the disturbing (see anti-abortion protestor below).

Photo by Chris Vanderwees

When asked how people respond to his camera, he replies that it varies.  ”The spectrum of reaction is interesting,” he tells me.  ”Some people are indifferent, while others will have the patience to let me take a half-a-roll of film.”

While observing his work, I felt as if I was becoming better acquainted with my fellow Ottawa residents. Whether it’s drug users, hipsters, the homeless, business owners, buskers, lovers or friends, his photos make you feel like you are strutting beside him, interacting with the wide range of personalities in the city.  The non-judgmental tone of the pictures also appeals to me, as they allow the subjects to be who they are, with their unvarnished glory and faults.

While Vanderwees’ blog is a labour of love, he says it might be possible to put out a photography book with a small publisher in the future.  For the time being, however, he is content to continue chronicling the city’s inhabitants as they live their day-to-day lives.

Brian Brooks

Photo of heavy horse show, Carp Fair, by Brian Brooks

It’s tempting when writing about art to pigeonhole people into distinct categories.  In the case of photography, one can classify images as landscapes, portraits, abstract shots, street photography or countless other genres.

If we resist the urge to define, however, and let photographs speak for themselves, we can sometimes discover that a single person can cover a lot of ground with a camera lens.  As a case in point, consider the tumbler site of photographer Brian Brooks, whose wide ranging work cannot be described in a single category.

Photo by Brian Brooks

Originally from Texas, the longtime Ottawa resident shoots everything from thoughtful profiles (see here), to intriguing rock formations (see here), to artistic shots that turn mundane objects into abstract forms (see left), to interesting urban landscapes (see discussion of Texas below). The location of his pictures also vary, as he has taken shots from such places as Mexico, Australia, Texas, Montreal and Ottawa.

“For a lot of the abstract stuff I walk down the street and it just happens,” says Brooks, when asked how he tackles different subject matters.  ”When it comes to portraits it’s planned.”

One of the things that I particularly love about his work is a series of recent photos that he took while travelling in his native Texas.  These photos include beautiful images, such as his shot of the the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth Texas, which can be seen below (original here), to haunting shots of small towns in Texas that have been hard hit by the recession.

Photo by Brian Brooks

“You could see the impact of the economic downturn,” says Brooks, as he recalls his Texas trip.  ”Many stores on the main streets where closed down.”

While reflecting on his voyage to the Lone Star State, he made reference to a photograph of a church parking lot (see here for photo).  In the image, there is a parking spot that is labelled “handicapped” and which lies below three crosses.  The parking spot for the pastor, in contrast, is located a bit to the side.

This image, says Brooks, represents for him the religious idea that the weakest members of society should be looked after, a thought that comes to mind when thinking of the brutal economic impact that many regions in the United States have recently suffered.  This analysis, however, is unusual for Brooks, as he normally shies away from defining his photographs.

“I don’t want to tell you want it means,” he says when asked to comment on his work.  ”I don’t want to ruin it for you.”  This is another thing I like about his photos, namely, that he completely trusts his audience to make their own judgements.

On the second floor of her home, in a room filled with guitars, books and walls smeared with colourful brushstrokes, Manon Labrosse creates her intriguing abstract paintings.

For several years, her practice combined abstract forms with images of telephone poles or power lines, such as the painting below (one of my favourite pieces by her).  Inspired by memories of road trips to a family farm in Northern Ontario, the colour tone in these paintings is dark – to the point that one can imagine being on the side of a highway at dusk, looking at electrical lines.

In contrast, her most recent work contains much brighter colours and has as its theme tree logs, an idea inspired by the former tree farm that her father owned for many years.

“I didn’t appreciate what I had,” recalls Labrosse, as she reflects on her teenage years, while growing up in the small francophone community of Hearst.  “I didn’t take advantage of [the tree farm].”

If you look at the top of this post,  you will see the progress on her current series of paintings called Thaw, which combine abstract techniques with log images (the latter being based on two photographs taped to the wall).

With her earlier work, Labrosse says that she ended up feeling constrained by the darkness of the colours and painting style.  In a quest for more artistic freedom, she started experimenting with lighter colours, as well as the intriguing technique of letting drops of paint roll down the canvas in order to leave clear lines.

“Now I want to relax more and be more messy,” says Labrosse, who has lived in Ottawa since 1998.  ”I just like the drips and I added more colours, added more white.”

My initial reaction when I saw the drip lines was to think of teardrops or rain drops.  These lines, however, can also symbolise an awakening, such as in her Thaw series, where the drips can be seen as the melting of snow and ice.

As for her style of combining abstraction with images of a specific “real-world” objects, she says that this comes from inspiration during her student days.

“I started in university,” says Labrosse, who graduated with a B.F.A. from the University of Ottawa in 2002.  “At the time I was obsessed with Radiohead.  The guy who did their album covers was Stanley Donwood, who works with symbols.”  This interest in symbols lead her to create themes inside otherwise abstract paintings.

While Labrosse has no plans to exhibit this year (her focus is to finish the Thaw series), she hopes to participate in this year’s Nuit Blanche with a video project.

As well, her work will be on display at the Le pARTy yearly auction at the Ottawa Art Gallery (stay tuned for a ticket giveaway contest next week).  The fundraiser at 2 Daly Avenue is scheduled for May 30, and is a great opportunity to buy art from local artists.

In the meantime, her paintings can be found at Galerie St-Laurent + Hill.  For specific examples of her work at the gallery website click here.

Disclosure:  Author Sharif Virani is the co-organizer of CreativeMornings, a monthly speaker series and morning gathering of creative types.

What does that mean? Who is this prodigal son of Oakville? Why is he known as Mr. Sign?

Well, for those of you that have been either living under a rock or captivated by this past season of The Vampire Diaries (I’m not judging… and I’m a season behind so no spoilers please), Dave Arnold is Montreal-based visual artist best known for his unique Pop-Art. His aesthetic combines a modern sensibility with a penchant for nostalgia. In late 2009 he launched a commercial art business called Mr. Sign to respond to widespread demand from restaurant and clothing stores for his uncannily precise lettering and lines.

As such, Mr. Sign has gone on to provide premium interior and exterior painting services to a range of established retailers and restaurants in the Montreal area; including culinary Mecca Joe Beef and popular hipster hangs like the Sparrow.

If you were lucky enough to catch Mr. Sign at the February CreativeMornings talk then you know what he is all about – passion, laughs and creativity. For those of you not as fortunate, be sure to check out the video of his talk at the top of the page.

Earlier this month local designer Steve St. Pierre, cofounder of Maker design studio, sat down with Dave for a quick Q&A:

MAKER: You mentioned in your talk at Creative Mornings that there’s a trend these days tilting toward the value of craft and hard work and all things handmade. Why exactly do you think that is?

DAVE ARNOLD: I think it’s in response to the mass-computerization of EVERYTHING over the last 20-30 years. Granted, it’s pretty fascinating what computers can do, but they’re not humans. A skilled human can blow a computer out of the water with their eyes closed. It’s a fuckin’ computer for god’s sake.

MAKER: Many people get caught up in the every day and decide not to follow their passion, ignoring signs along the way of things that could take their life in a more fulfilling direction. Was there a specific moment for you where you just said, ‘fuck it’ and went after what you wanted?

DAVE ARNOLD: Yeah, the last ‘straight’ job I worked pushed me to brink of insanity. I chose dirt-poor doing something I was good at over semi-poor doing something I hated. In the end it was a pretty good call. Three years later and I’ve surpassed semi-poor and now I’m just poor. It’s pretty nice.

MAKER: What’s the creative process like for you? Is there a lot of collaboration between you and the client, or do they just give you a tip of the cap and say ‘go do your thing’?

DAVE ARNOLD: It really depends, job to job. Some people DO give me the tip of the hat and let me run with it, but more often than not it’s a real collabo.  I’ve learned to appreciate both approaches. They each have their pros and cons, but it’s always interesting watching the collabo develop.  It never ends up QUITE how I expected, which, in this business, counts as ‘interesting.’

SHARIF VIRANI: Do you like tasty brews?

DAVE ARNOLD:  YES.

Dave Arnold aka Mr Sign will be joining us in Ottawa again this weekend (you will need something to do as they are calling for rain!) and a limited amount of people will be lucky enough to have the chance to sit down in a workshop with him where he will school you in his fine art and precise craft!

Details and sign up information all available here. Tickets to the workshop are $90.00 and include all the supplies/equipment for the workshop + everything required for you to take home and practice on your own afterwards!

The artist swapped his brushes for recording software and went about breathing life into a catalogue of some 100+ original songs that he’d quietly amassed since youth. What began with a few humble home recordings (Claude taught himself how to record & mix) has grown into the realization of his musical vision – a wildly popular act known as The PepTides.

So you might say that last Saturday night, Patrick Gordon Framing played host to a rather momentous occasion.

When word began circulating of a showing of a retrospective collection of Claude’s visual art, the town started buzzing. A couple of media stories confirmed his return to painting and before long, the list of confirmed attendees on the Facebook event page was climbing.

It was both a laid-back and celebratory affair. Billed as a sale, the retrospective is a rare opportunity to revisit Claude’s artistic past. Patrick Gordon’s space makes for a perfect gallery, with the familiar faces of Claude’s portraits hung from walls and crates alike. An ensemble of musicians in the corner provided a light jazzy soundtrack (singers from The PepTides joined them for a later set). For many of us, it was like reconnecting with old friends. For others, it was a chance to meet for the first time the portraits that had put a burgeoning artist on the map of local and regional art scenes.

When I spoke to Claude on Sunday, I was eager to find out what feedback he got from attendees.

“A lot of comments were the same as what I’ve been hearing my whole career – people not only appreciate the quality of the work, but the atmosphere it creates. Not necessarily a message, but a feeling of unease. I get compliments about paintings that challenge.”

Claude believes art should go beyond the expected.

“I’m always taken aback when people are open to hanging darker pieces in their living room. I appreciate people who can go beyond needing art to decorate the walls or match the couch.”

I overheard someone at the show remark to Claude that he (the artist) had obviously been grappling with tough issues when creating some of this past work and he had responded, “Art was a way of purging my demons.”

So I had to ask whether new demons have brought him back to the canvas. Claude says he’s worked through so many difficult things over the past 20 years, that’s not a primary motivator these days.

The series now in progress has “an air of melancholy” he says, but isn’t necessarily evocative of the emotions or questions people may have inferred from earlier work.

I wondered whether The PepTides – such a major part of his life, time, and creative energy – could be a sort of muse for his new visual art.

“[The success of the PepTides] just confirms to me that if you have a vision – and that goes for any kind of creative aspect in life that starts as a seed in the brain – it can come to fruition if you give it the time and dedication it requires.”

Okay, so The PepTides is more a proof of mission than inspiration. But I still wanted to know, what (or who) is Claude painting these days, what themes is he exploring?

Turns out, Claude’s latest inspiration is technical: “I’ve always asked my subjects to stand under a certain type of light to create a certain type of shadow. Now, I’m working with full-on lighting with no shadows. It presents a really different challenge for me as a painter.”

“Everything under the sun’s been done. Hopefully as an artist you can find something that has a little originality.”

Screen shot of Claude Marquis’ work, reproduced with the permission of the artist

Maybe the artist has evolved past the angst that might have imbued some of his past creations. Or perhaps it’s just a calming that comes with age. But this artist does not appear to be brooding.

Should fans expect to see the quirky campy pop sensibilities of The PepTides reflected in Claude’s new paintings?

“I’m not worried about what this will say or where it’s going. I’m just happy doing it.”

While the show was billed as a sale and several paintings were indeed purchased that night, everything will remain hung for five weeks. Don’t miss the chance to see them in person. Patrick Gordon Framing is at 160 Elm Street.

As a part of the launch of Northern Scene, a handful of galleries in Ottawa and Gatineau will be hosting events, exhibition openings and performances by some of the best talent coming from the North. Billed as “the largest gathering of artists from Yukon, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut”, the festival will showcase more than 250 artists over ten days.

SWARM starts with a gallery crawl at 6pm — to get around the city you can walk, bike or take a ride on the free shuttle bus. For a full listing of galleries and exhibitions, see below.

At 9pm, the National Arts Centre is throwing a party with Hip hop artist Aaron “Godson” Hernandez, DJ Madeskimo and throat boxer Nelson Tagoona. The foyer of the NAC will also feature Boundless, complete with a runway showcasing fashion from Northern designers.

The SWARM party continues throughout the night at Club SAW – don’t miss a special performance by Joseph Tisiga and Lauren Passmore at 11:30pm.

Gallery Listing

AXENÉO7
Not Real, Only In The Mind
Work by artist-in-residence sculptor (and Mayor of Ivujivik, QC) Mattiusi Iyaituk.

Carleton University Art Gallery
Dorset Seen and Dorset Gold
The first 100 visitors to stop in will get CUAG swag bags!

City Hall Art Gallery
The Soniferous Æther of The Land Beyond The Land Beyond
Film by Charles Stankievech – recorded at CFS Alert, the northernmost human settlement on Earth. Presented in collaboration with SAW Video Media Art Centre.

Cube Gallery
edge of the ‘knife
A contemporary group show featuring Yellowknife artists Rae Braden, Landon Peters, Jennifer Walden,  Terry Pamplin, Helene Girard, Angus Beaulieu and Margaret Nazon.

DAÏMÕN
Afriques: Art Video curated by Pierre Beaudoin. 

Galerie SAW Gallery 
Northern Exposures
Curated by Candice Hopkins. Featuring work by Steve Anderson, Janet Ripley Armstrong, Goota Ashoona, Joe Ashoona, Bob Kussy, Aidan Cartwright, Marcus Jackson, Jimmy Kamimmalik, Quvavau Manumie, Ohotaw Mikkigak, Leo Mukjunik, Willie Mukjunik, Danny Osborne, Itee Pootoogook, Monique Robert, Nicotye Samayualie, Doug Smarch, Joseph Tisiga, Jutai Toonoo, Papiara Tukiki and Mary Tutsweetok.

Gallery 101
Aurora Boreawesomer
Curated by Lynn Canney, in partnership with The Open Sky Creative Society. Opening ceremony at 7pm with Dehcho Elder Gerald Antoine.

National Arts Centre
Artists’ Marketplace - Panorama Room
Boundless: Fashion from Canada’s North - Main Lobby (foyer)
Whalebone, Beads, Fur, Feathers, Fibre and Soapstone - Mezzanine
From the collection of the Canada Council Art Bank
Relish Gourmet Food Truck
Chef Paul Bergeron will lure you in with smoked Arctic char tacos and braised elk poutine.

National Gallery of Canada
New Voices from the New North
Curated by Heather Campbell. Featuring work by Davidialuk Alasua Amittu, Luke Anguhadluq, Tony Anguhalluq, Kenojuak Ashevak, Karoo Ashevak, Kiugak Ashoona, Shuvinai Ashoona, Igloolik Isuma Productions, Elisapee Ishulutaq, Mattiusi Iyaituk, Helen Kalvak, Qavavau Manumie, Michael Massie, William Noah, Jessie Oonark, Jacoposie Oopakak, Kananginak Pootoogook, Itee Pootoogook, Pudlo Pudlat, David Ruben Piqtoukun, Nick Sikkuark and Ningeokuluk Teevee.

Ottawa Art Gallery
Larger Than Life
Work by Sonja Ahlers, Rosemary Scanlon, Joseph Tisiga, Veronica Verkley.
Whitehorse artist Sonja Ahlers will be hosting a drop-in workshop where party-goers can make their own art inspired by her installation of found objects.
ᑕᑯᓱᕐᓀᑐᖅ (Ta•ku•shur•nai•tuk) n. 1. Things Never Seen Before 2. Aisa Qumaaluk Sivuaraapik and Others
On display in the Firestone Gallery, with work from Bobby Najummialu Novalinga, Levi Alaasuaq Pirti (Smith), Mattiusi Manukuluk Qilurqi, Mattiusi Ilimasaut Amarualik, Aisa Qumaaluk Sivuaraapik and Aliva Tuktu Tulugak. Curated by Catherine Sinclair.

For more information on events, performances, workshops and happenings occurring throughout the Northern Scene festival (April 25-May 4), check the NAC website.

Sonja Ahlers, Untitled (detail) 2013. Toe shoes, fur, glass, ephemera, porcelain leg by Shary Boyle. Courtesy of the artist.

Let’s begin with Andrew Carver, who has been photographing Ottawa musicians for years.  Since starting his blog National Capital Rock in 2005, Carver estimates that he has published about 15,000 photographs online, spread across more than 3,000 posts.

While this site can be classified as a photo-blog, it is also an indispensable source of local music news, with the long list of labels and bands on his blogroll alone being a musical encyclopaedia.  From a photographic perspective, his photos capture the raw energy of a live concert, and transport the viewer into the club, pub or house party where the concert is occurring.

In a phone interview, I asked Carver how he sees the city’s current music scene. “One of the things that I have seen is a big explosion in festivals,” he tells me, before adding that Ottawa is no longer an overlooked destination for shows.

“(Touring bands) would go to Toronto and Montreal but not here,” he says.  “This doesn’t happen anymore.”

In addition to his blog, you can see Carver’s work on Flickr and a separate Tumblr account.  He is also on Twitter.

Photo by Ming Wu (copyright)

A second site worth checking out is PhotogMusic, founded by local photographer Ming Wu.  Since 2008, the omnipresent Ming has been using his camera to shoot shows, while writing about his love of music.

As those who know him can attest, his work rate borders on the ridiculous (the term “prolific” doesn’t do him justice).  When asked how many shows he sees in a year, he replies that the number is probably between 150 to 200.

While PhotogMusic contains numerous photographs, it is much more than a photo-blog.  Among other things, the site contains write-ups on new releases, information on bands, links to music videos and even the occasional ticket giveaway (see here for an example).  You can think of this blog as an online music magazine that contains a lot of information, along with many photos.

Photo by Ming Wu (copyright)

When I ask Ming what local bands he likes, he mentions several great choices.

“Roberta Bondar for its loud experimental rock music,” he writes in an email.  “Silkken Laumann for its electro-dance pop music. Big Dick for its post punk and rock music.”

As for the development of Ottawa’s music scene: “I see mostly the scene evolving in Somerset and Hintonburg area with its smaller venues like Raw Sugar Café,” he tells me.

You can follow Ming on twitter and Flickr, as well as listening to his hour long radio show on CHUO FM 89.1 on Mondays at 3 pm.

Know of any other local music related blogs that you would like to mention?  Please let us know in the comments section below.  In the meantime, if you want to know more about local bloggers, please go to The Ottawa Blogging Library, a blog that I created to accompany the Tour de blogosphere columns.

Exhibition No. 8, the annual portfolio survey, showcases the work of twelve senior students who have recently completed their second year of study: Sarah Anderson, Dante Penman, Matthew Bula, Reena Kokotailo, Angela Walker, Treawna Harvey, Jessie Park-Wheeler, Stephanie Masters, Valérie Mercier, Zachary Pantalone,  Blair Smith and Jenifer Szadkowski.

Ranging both in process (from traditional silver prints, alternative printing techniques and for the first time digital SLR video work) and in subject matter (self-expression and identity, formalism and fantasy, nature morte and quotidian life in a small southern town), Exhibition No. 8 is a project curated almost entirely by the students, allowing them the opportunity to fully conceptualize their work within a gallery setting.  A series of artist talks will occur over the weekend, allowing the public to engage directly with each photographer and their respective process.

Two smaller exhibitions by first and third year students further highlight the breadth of work that was produced at SPAO over the past year – from haunting studies in portraiture to explorations of the under-appreciated architectural spaces in which public events unfold.

The rigor of craft and content that we have come to associate with SPAO is ever-present in this trio of exhibitions. The “SPAO Look”, a label that may have, at one time, been shied away from for its homogenizing connotations, has here been fully embraced as a mark of distinction for the staff and students.

Interestingly, Framed: In and Around the Photograph (in the Red Wall Gallery), presents a striking contrast to the classically conceptualized portfolio shows. Here, students in their second year have been challenged to explode all framing devices – whether it is the lens through which they look, the method they use for display, or the subject they focus on – in an attempt to broaden their, as well as our, experience of what photography can be.

In its nascent stages of installation when I visited Wednesday, photo-collaged silhouettes, images mounted on vinyl records, hand-held mirrors and vintage hard-cover books, as well as still-life studies that take museum conventions as their subject matter, were laid out along the gallery wall, awaiting what Assistant Director Randy Innes described as his take on a salon-style installation. While this theme is not something overly novel in the world of contemporary art, the photographers have embraced it whole-heartedly, presenting us with diverse approaches to the experiment, the results of which are sure to engage visitors over the coming week.

All four exhibitions open at 3pm this afternoon and will be on view until April 26 at the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa (168 Dalhousie Street).

Senior Portfolio students will be giving artist talks at SPAO on Saturday April 20, Sunday April 21 and Tuesday April 23, all beginning at 1pm.

At first glance you may see four, or is it five, if you include the canvas that encompasses the four “inner” works of art?  Look closer, however, and you will realize that the number is higher still, as there are paintings within paintings, where artists draw other artists making art.

Welcome to Metapainting, the current exhibit by artist Phil Delisle that runs until May 19 at the ByWard Market Gallery of the Ottawa School of Art.

A Fixed State of Irresolution (detail) by Phil Delisle (2010)

A graduate of the University of Waterloo, as well as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Delisle explores the process of creating art.  Many of his pieces contain images of painters painting, or as in my favourite work in the exhibit A Fixed State of Irresolution (a diptych, or work comprised of two separate paintings), the exploration of how an image can simultaneously be a standalone piece and also part of another painting.

If you look at the painting to the left, you will see an interesting abstract image.  This work is located immediately beside a second painting (below), in which a painter is working in his studio.  If you pay careful attention, you will see that the abstract painting has been replicated inside the artist’s studio.

A Fixed State of Irresolution (detail) by Phil Delisle (2010)

On the top left hand corner of this second work, you can see the abstract painting amidst several white canvasses.  As the artist begins working on another piece, the viewer can observe the abstract painting in “miniature”, which has been “transported” from the larger standalone piece that lies right next to it on the wall.

In a phone interview, I ask Delisle where he gets his inspiration to focus on process.  “This touches on what I am interested in literature,” he replies.  “That a fragmented work can be more interesting.”Delisle tells me that he draws inspiration from such novelists as William S. Burroughs, the late U.S. writer who promoted the cut-up technique, in which a fully linear text is cut up into pieces and then reassembled.

He also admires the work of the world-renowned Argentinian short story writer Jorge Luis Borges.  “In Borges, he has a story of a Don Quixote that is more beautiful,” says Delisle.  “[It’s about] a man who spends all his life rewriting [Don Quixote] and never finishing it.”

This Borges anecdote is telling, for it touches on a central part of Delisle’s painting style – namely, that the process of making art can be just as beautiful as the finished product.  To borrow the name from one of Delisle’s work’s, a fixed state of irresolution can sometimes be more interesting that a definitive answer.

Metapainting runs until May 19 at the Byward Market Gallery of the Ottawa School of Art (35 George Street).  Admission is free.

Tupper wanted to help support a community that needed it – geeks. He knew they were around, but hadn’t realized “the city was so gung-ho, so excited for shows of a geeky nature” until seeing the huge crowds at Ottawa Comiccon last year. As a self-professed geeky artist himself, he’s all too familiar with the fact that there aren’t any outlets for that type of art outside of conventions. (When’s the last time you saw zombie art in a Bridgehead?) So with the enthusiasm of Comiccon and the desire to showcase his artist friends combined, he summoned Captain…he founded WGA.

WGA had their first event in February - a geek-themed art show at Zaphod’s. It was so successful that they’re doing a second round this upcoming Monday, April 15^th. Eleven different artists will be displaying their work, with everything from Super Mario Brother’s jewelry to Breaking Bad Hello Kitties. In addition to the joy of drinking bevvies while you browse, there’ll be geek-themed music (think video game tunes made to dance), and SNES linked up if you feel like having a go. If you like costumes, this event is another reason to break ‘em out, but don’t feel like you have to. Tupper really just wants people to “come out and be. It’s the sort of thing where if you’re any sort of geek or nerd, you’re normal.”

Not so into art? Since the WGA team are all artists that’s been their focus  (in addition to Tupper there’s Executive Producer Edith Chartier, Promotions Coordinator Cherry Valance and Lead Designer Morgan Dunbar), but they’ve got lots of other things planned to help you geek out. Geeky burlesque (a show is scheduled for May 8th), costuming, theatre, music, more art…an event for each member of the 501st legion is coming! Okay, that might be a geekified stretch but they’ve got lots planned for you, Ottawa.

Wonder Geeks Activate! 2: Activate Harder is happening Monday, April 15th at the aptly named Zaphod’s Beeblebrox. Tickets available at the Comic Book Shoppe 2 and online. For more info on upcoming WGA events check out their Facebook page.