An interview with CHRIS KEATLEY, Curator Pendulum Gallery, Vancouver BC, Canada. Tell me about the Pendulum Gallery and what is does. The gallery evolved out of an agreement between the City of Vancouver and the original owner of the building to provide a public cultural facility when it was constructed in 1986. First envisioned as a performance venue, a moveable wall and display case system were added in the mid 1990’s, [...]
Encaustic, or molten beeswax mixed with pigment, is Steeves’ medium of choice. The physicality of the encaustic medium is reinforced in the form of large renderings of fingerprints layered over the canvas surface. The prints are often Steeves’ own — he had himself ‘processed’ by the Vancouver Police Department in preparation for this work — and they serve to remind us not only of the existence of the painter, but of the substance of the painting itself. [...]
Why does someone become an artist? It's a big question that can yield seemingly inconsequential answers. Sometimes, it all comes down to a chance encounter — stumbling across a comic strip, accidentally walking into a band's practice session or visiting an artist studio for the first time. I ask our feature artist, Jose Jimenez, to tell us about the pivotal moment that inspired his desire to create and set him on his career path. [...]
Why does someone become an artist? It's a big question that can yield seemingly inconsequential answers. Sometimes, it all comes down to a childhood chance encounter — stumbling across a comic strip, attending an art exhibition for the first time or an emergency trip to the hospital. I asked Rubeena Ratcliffe to tell me about the early art memories that inspired her desire to create and set her on her career path. [...]
Elissa Cristall is pleased to present our Artist Spotlight interview with Toronto-based artist Mara Korkola. In conversations and email over two months in 2021, Mara spoke to me about her path to contemporary art making and the curiosity that continues to drive her work. Korkola's captivating works compress worlds of information into small intimate oil paintings. The interplay between the landscape and the light is perhaps what excites Korkola most, prompting buttery brushstrokes in electric colour. [...]
We delve into the meticulous three dimensional cast resin sculptures by Halifax artist Jessica Korderas. Film is a major inspiration for Korderas and we examine new work based on her recent discovery of 1970's genre of Italian movies called "Giallo”. Can you tell me about the process of making your work? I have been developing my unique methods of working with acrylic resin for over 15 years creating pieces so clear [...]
Carrie Walker's art practice explores the fraught relationship between humans and non-human animals by looking at how humans write about, photograph and paint non-human animals. She uses original drawing, photography and video, as well as found and appropriated materials such as text, paintings and photographs. Humour and playfulness are a vital part of her work. Was there a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your passion for [...]
In this interview we present five new large-scale paintings by Dutch-Canadian artist Jeroen Witvliet. Witvliet's art is a response to contemporary times; to be aware and to find a sense of the poetic while questioning current events, historical accuracy and memory. Tell us about yourself. My country of birth is the Netherlands. I would like to be objective and without irony when describing myself but that is an impossibility. [...]
