Sarah Goldrup
The artful pledge for August is Share. A month dedicated to sharing with you some of the things we are most passionate about, be it authors, musicians, artists, makers or innovators.
I am sharing this video https://vimeo.com/102248581 about Katherine Jones, a printmaker living and working in England. I have been greatly inspired by her works, but even more so how she talks about her practice. Printmaking becomes the process through which she creates her finished works. Working in a playful, intuitive way, the medium of printmaking allows her to reflect on her initial research, which includes drawings and small paintings, and move forward to the final work.
As a printmaker myself, I love this video not only because it shows printmaking as I see it; A medium that combines the best aspects of painting and drawing, with processes that encourage exploration and play. The video also shows printmaking as a way to gain a new perspective on a work through the process.
Printmaking is not a well know or understood media, but I have been so excited to see its impression on the Guelph Arts community. There are many strong printmakers in the roster of amazing Guelph artists. If you are looking to round off your summer by trying out something new I could not recommend printmaking more, there are great classes available through Idea Exchange and Guelph School of Art.
As Katherine puts it, “Like any artist using print, I know that the medium and the infinite possibilities it affords deserve to be understood and elevated in line with other media. Printmaking and other forms of artistic practice remain divided, to the detriment of every artist, and I feel heartened to see the increase in the understanding and recognition of the medium year to year.”
Home Katherine Jones
Guelph has an amazing arts community, and I am so thankful to have had this opportunity to get to know it better. Thank you for a wonderful summer.
Katie Wilde
This is a dangerous topic for me; let’s see if I can restrain myself. I know we always say there’s so much to see and so much to love in the arts, and particularly here in Guelph, but I’ve found it to be true. I am a visual artist but I love performance, sound, and kinetic sculpture. I’ll try to be brief as I share only a few of the artists that have made an impression on me in recent years.
David Caesar was one of the first artists I came across when I moved to Guelph. I was at the Cornerstone enjoying a refreshment and had to catch the attention of a server to ask who had done the beautiful painting of a pigeon on their menu board, so precise and effortless-looking at the same time. They pointed across the room and said “He did”. So I was fortunate to meet the artist without a moment’s delay, but since he’s not one to talk up his own art, and I discovered on my own later just how much impressive work this artist had created. If you spent any time at Ox before it closed for renovations, you’ll know the large painting of the crow featured there, and you’ll have an idea of what I mean. David Caesar teaches at Guelph School of Art and sells exquisite originals and (very reasonably-priced) prints. www.davidcaesar.com
Terra Vista Studio’s (Randy Hobson’s) High-Dynamic Range photography is something I never tire of looking at, although it does make me go a little cross-eyed. One of my favourite things in art is the line between the real and not-real, and Randy’s work pushes this line from the real into the hyper-real. You can find his work at the Guelph Creative Arts Association’s Guelph Artisans Store in the Quebec St. Mall. Hobson is Vice President of that charitable organization, and their store and events are well worth a visit.
Ragnar Kjartansson and Anish Kapoor are contemporary world-renowned artists who have really changed how I look at scale, focus, and repetition in art. They’re the only non-local artists I’ve mentioned here, although if anyone hears of them coming to Guelph, I’d like to know! I recommend browsing their work online, but also really making an effort to see their works in person, as they exist at their strongest by making you aware of (or doubt!) your physical presence in relation to each piece.
Both Sona Mincoff (selected works available through Art Gallery of Guelph store) and Chris Evitts (currently up in the Joint Café) harness something in their paintings that could be called “what’s not there”, and possess a lot of intrigue with very little detail, something that fascinates me.
Gillian Wilson’s printmaking and painting always makes me happy and at the same time, slightly uncomfortable. Her prints, paintings, drawings and designs are memorable without being easily definable or digestible, and for that reason she is one of my favourites.
Lastly I want to share about an artist who has inspired me not just with their art but with their ethic. Over the past year since he did the electrical box in St. George’s Square, I’ve seen artist Jason Inglis really work hard to improve his art, try new techniques, and develop his own style. Inglis is an inspiration to keep going despite setbacks, to get out and share your own work and struggles with the community in a spirit of generosity and determination. You can find Jason Inglis’s work on display right now until the end of September at 10 Carden (10 Carden St, across from City Hall).
We weren’t able to share as much as we would have liked in August, so we’re extending the theme over the rest of the year with #haveyouheardof Wednesdays. We will post on Wednesdays but we encourage you to share anytime on Facebook or Twitter, using the hashtag #haveyouheardof and tagging @guelpharts (Twitter) or @Guelph Arts Council (Facebook) and share your artist, medium, author, movement – anything! We will be pleased to share it with our followers.
