New Show! Pam Carr’s “Mixing it Up” runs August 8 til September 2
Deborah Strong’s new art exhibit, “A Bird in the Hand” …runs til August 5
It’s Saturday evening, the day after our July 5th reception for Deborah Strong’s new art show, “A Bird in the Hand”. Deborah has brought a beautiful display of her detailed & intricate new coloured-pencil drawings of regional birds to the walls of Shavasana Gallery, and I’m honoured to be her Gallerist of choice for this exhibit.
With over 50 people in attendance over the course of two hours, Deborah’s new creative exhibit was very well received & admired – the ambience of the show was lively and fun, refreshments were served, and art was purchased. From my own perspective, as the Gallery owner and curator, it was a fabulous event!
I like to take a moment before each Art Opening and do a little video walkthrough for posterity, and for those that may have been unable to attend…here’s a glimpse of Deborah’s new show:
Deborah has had a lifelong interest in and facility with coloured pencil drawings. Her attention to detail and patience practicing her craft is truly awe-inspiring. Here are a few comments I’ve pulled from her Bio on her website:
“Fur or feathers, hooves or paws, from her own four-legged companions to the wild creatures she encounters, the animal world in all its wonder and variety fascinates this life-long British Columbia artist and fuels her creative passion. She has been making art since she could first hold a pencil and is known for realistic coloured pencil drawings and lively paintings on silk.
Deborah has a Fine Arts diploma from the University of the Fraser Valley, is a senior signature member of the Federation of Canadian Artists (SFCA), and has an extensive exhibition record in southwestern British Columbia and beyond. Committed to community involvement, her roles have ranged from organizing art tours to serving on the board of directors of arts organizations. She is currently president of the Southern Gulf Islands Arts Council.”
Recently, Deborah was one of 121 artists selected out of 1,100 juried entries – worldwide – for inclusion in “Coloured Pencil Treasures – Volume 6”, honouring master coloured pencil artists from every corner of the globe.
Deborah’s show will be available for viewing weekly at Shavasana Gallery until August 5th – hope you can make it!
New Show! Deborah Strong, “A Bird in the Hand…”, July 4 – August 5
We are just gearing up for our first show of the summer season and are very pleased to welcome the beautiful work of Deborah Strong to the walls of Shavasana Gallery and Café. Deborah has created a collection of new coloured pencil drawings of birds which stems from her passion for the animals which populate this region of the world.
There will be an Opening/Reception on Friday July 5 from 7 until 9pm, please drop by for a chance to meet the artist and see Deborah’s newest works! Refreshments will be served!
Shavasana Gallery is located at 457 Village Bay Road, Mayne Island – Hope to see you there!
(The show runs from July 4 to August 5
Previous Show: Nicole Rittemann “Shapes of Life” and Linda Dzus “Deja Vu” June 7 – July 1
It’s Sunday June the 9th – a day after we launched our first show of the 2019 season – and I’m taking a quiet moment to do a little Website (and F’Book) update. The new show is a collaboration between artist Nicole Rittemann and her mother Linda Dzus. These two women bring a variety of talents to the walls of Shavasana Gallery. Their art exhibit includes photos on canvas, acrylic and oil paintings on canvas and canvas panel, art cards and paintings on rocks – an eclectic mix!
Here’s a picture of Linda and Nicole working tirelessly (with me) to hang and arrange the art the day before the show – it was fun working with these two. It’s always at least a 3 or 4 hour job depending on the number of pieces, but I always find it enjoyable to see the new work that will reside on the walls of the Gallery for the next month – Galleries are, by their nature, constantly changing
The Opening Reception ran from noon til 3 on Saturday and was quite well-attended – despite the many things that were occurring on Mayne Island at the same time. The island has a small population of 1,000 people but it’s a busy little place. While our show was humming along with happy guests, the farmers market, the ladies church auxiliary clothing sale, a celebration of life, and a conservancy demonstration were all taking place at the same time. Clever islanders are usually able to strategically plan their days to weave multiple events into their – surprisingly – busy schedules.
Here are Linda and Nicole (and I) shortly before the opening reception, standing in front of the kitchen island laden with snacks and a generous bowl of fruit punch. The fifty to sixty guests ensured that there was very little left to pack up at the end of the 3-hour show.
I always like to do a walkthrough video of the show after the crowds have gone home so I can keep a record of the exhibit and include a wee commentary on individual pieces – here it is below, have a look:
The show runs until July 1st, come on by and have a look at Linda & Nicole’s art if you have a chance – cheers!
The Show Between Shows
After 6 years in business, Shavasana Gallery & Café has evolved into a two-season cycle – the “Open” season from May through October, and the “Closed” season throughout the winter months into early Spring. The Open season consists of scheduled Art Shows of local and regional artists, with art hangings & take downs and Opening Receptions. It’s the time of advertising, invitations, catering decisions and – hopefully – sales. The closed season arrived several winters ago when I realized that business was just too slow to remain open, and that my time would be better spent either travelling or working on my creative process. Luckily, when the last scheduled art show has packed up and gone home, I have enough art squirrelled away at Shavasana to completely fill my walls with familiar pieces. This is the “Show Between Shows”…
As this Show Between Shows is now up for 5 to 6 months of the year I thought it would be a good idea to keep a record of it and acknowledge some of the artists who are part of this collection. All of the pieces are artworks I have bought, inherited or created over the years. Many are NFS but some are for sale as I do – on occasion – open up to the public (as I am right now – June 1) The video gives a nice walkthrough and commentary on most of the pieces & artists so I encourage you to have a look…if you are so inclined.
George Bathgate – June 2019
*ps. the Featured Photo is a picture of “Kabul 1973″…a painting I did many years ago upon my return from Afghanistan & the far east. I hope to elaborate on this with a little article in http://www.clayandbone.com …soon
NEW SHOW! Nicole Rittemann & Linda Dzus, “A Collaborative Art Show”, Opening Sat. June 8, 12 – 3
Shavasana Art Gallery & Café is pleased to welcome artists Nicole Rittemann & Linda Dzus as the first exhibitors of our 2019 season which just opened on May 16. The title of Nicole’s show is “Shapes of Life” and Linda’s show is called “Deja Vu”. These creative and talented women are bringing a wide variety of their work to adorn the walls and shelves of the Gallery – works include Paintings, Photos on Canvas, Art Cards & Painted Rocks.
An Opening reception is being held on Saturday June 8 from noon til 3 pm. Please come by for a chance to meet the artists. Refreshments will be served.
The show runs from June 7th until July 1st 2019.
Shavasana Gallery is located at 457 Village Bay Road, Mayne Island – Hope to see you there!
New Show! Bill Maylone’s “Landscapes” runs until December 16 -don’t miss it!
It’s currently Nov. 26 and I am sitting in a café in Kitsilano. We are experiencing our first strong autumn storm, which has arrived – not unexpectedly – to the Pacific Rain Forest in which we live.
Our last art exhibit of the year showcases the talents of island artist Bill Maylone who has adorned the walls of Shavasana Gallery with a beautiful display of oil and acrylic paintings. Bill’s show is titled “Landscapes”, which he explains thusly…“Everyday through life we navigate landscapes, geographical, political, mental, emotional, and metaphorical” , and indeed, his paintings reflect these varied landscapes through which we all must tread. From bold mountain vistas, ominous skies and quiet glades Bill juxtaposes these
appealing images of the natural world with a darker glimpse of human nature. Bill has also created a collection of six paintings graphically illustrating his deep concern for the troubling political shifts toward fascism that we are witnessing around the world right now…
Angry men and women bringing their message of Hate, Lies and Ignorance – depicted as temples of intolerance in Bill’s provocative work.
The Opening Reception was held on November 24 and was a well-attended and fun event. Great food and conversation and a chance for many Mayne Islanders to get out and see Bill’s newest work. He also brought a gorgeous and Zen-like collection of Suiseki rock displays which were garnering a lot of admiration by the crowds. Here’s a little walk-through video which shows all of Bill’s work:
As well, I have a little bio of Bill, which will give you an understanding of the landscapes through which he has journeyed …
“Bill Maylone developed skills as an artist through an eclectic thirty-year career planning and creating animated films, CD-ROMs, websites, and other visual media. His work has been seen on television, in feature films, planetarium shows, museum installations, and magazines. Self-taught as an artist, he sharpened his skills in painting, design, animation, and 3-D fabrication through work in professional productions.
He made his first animated movies as a kid in the late 1950s, and in 1975, the National Film Board spotted his work and helped launch his professional career.
His 1981 NFB animated short, “64 Million Years Ago”, featured naturalistic stop-motion models of dinosaurs that helped define the vision of prehistoric life for a generation of Canadian school kids. Over the last two years, this film has tallied over 600,000 views on YouTube. “Look Again”, the six-film live-action series he created to promote critical thinking in primary school students, won more than a dozen international awards and was the NFB’s most successful educational title in 1991/92. Footage from his first 16mm production, “The Gift”, has just been featured in the latest music video by the Canadian rock band, “Mounties”.
His work is often topical. “Autosaurus” and “American Excess”, two animated productions he directed for Adbusters Magazine, gained international attention in efforts to discourage automobile pollution and consumer waste. His approach to graphic and educational design resulted in several awards and top-selling multimedia programs including, “Defining Canada: Active Citizenship for the 21st Century”, and “Making History: Louis Riel and the 1885 Rebellion”.
In the five years before moving to Mayne Island in 2003, he was an animator on “Gary and Mike” (a raunchy half-hour TV series aimed at teenagers); an artistic consultant working with artists from the ‘Namgis (Nimpkish) First Nation on a project to teach Native language; and the co-director/animator of an interactive dinosaur installation at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. On Mayne, he edited and laid out the local magazine for over four years.
In the 1980s and ‘90s, he instructed animation, film, and media courses at Emily Carr College of Art and Design, the University of British Columbia, and Capilano College.
He now develops his property on Mayne Island, and paints, carves, and practices Suiseki, the ancient Japanese art of stone display. His art demonstrates an appreciation for the natural world, and much of it continues to have a strong political bent. His exhibition at Shavasana examines different kinds of landscapes in oil and acrylic paintings, small carvings and other woodwork, and Suiseki.
Bill loves his pet rabbit, but wisely, he doesn’t go in for rock climbing like he used to.”
“Landscapes” runs until December 16 – please drop in for a chance to enjoy Bill’s show!
New Art Show: Bill Maylone’s “Landscapes”, Nov. 22 – Dec. 16
I’m just sitting at TJ Beans coffee shop in Ganges, Saltspring – -killing a bit of time before I make my way to the ferry back to Vancouver. I’ve got a quick turnaround in Vancouver before I head back to Mayne Island to set up the last show of 2018 – Bill Maylone’s “Landscapes”. I’m looking forward to Bill’s show because I managed to preview his newest work and I gotta say, he’s got some beautiful & provocative pieces coming to the walls of Shavasana. As Bill says on his poster, “Everyday through life we navigate landscapes, geographical, political, mental, emotional, and metaphorical”, his work reflects this varied landscape and I am pleased that he has chosen to exhibit at Shavasana Gallery. Here’s a little blurb about the opening:
“Art Opening! it’s a new season and Shavasana Gallery is gearing up for it’s pre-winter show! Bill Maylone has created a stunning new collection of oil and acrylic paintings* which will be on display from Nov. 22 thru Dec. 16 – we are having an Opening on Saturday Nov. 24 from 3:30 – 6:30, please drop by then for a chance to meet the artist! Refreshments will be served!
*(Bill is also exhibiting some of his furniture creations, carved pendants, and Suiseki rock displays)”
Hope you can come by and see the show!
Cheers!
George
Previous Show: Donna Williams & Kriss Boggild, “Surface & Strata” Sept. 8 – 30, 2018
Donna Williams & Kriss Boggild have both returned to Shavasana Gallery with an exciting new collection of photographs and paintings for their second show here in the past year, and I’m delighted to – once again – enjoy their creative expression on the walls of my Gallery.
The opening – last Saturday September the 8th, 7 – 9 was well attended and fun. Both artists have an established community of friends and interested admirers of their work so it wasn’t hard to fill the room with art buzz.
(the two images above show Donna’s photographic image enlargement of Leaves on Stone, #XIII on Stonehenge Archival Paper – and Kriss’s Triptych: “Train South” Acrylic Paint & Letraset on Canvas Board)
Shavasana has now been operating as a Gallery since April 2016 and, thus far, seems to be a well-received idea. The rewards are often intangible, yet must include the pleasure of working with talented creative types such as Donna & Kriss & the visual rewards of having exposure to their beautiful art for the four week duration of the show.
(an image of faded Arabic Script from one of Donna’s trips to Greece, #II – on Stonehenge Archival Paper)
If you were unable to attend the opening or have been too busy to drop by the Gallery to see the current show – here is a brief walkthrough video of what you’ll encounter when you come by – the show runs until September 30! 🙂
New Art Show! Donna Williams & Kriss Boggild “Surface & Strata” Opening Sept. 8, 7 – 9pm
I’m happy to be welcoming Donna Williams & Kris Boggild back for their second art exhibit at Shavasana Gallery & Café. Their show is titled, “Surface and Strata” and will display both of their talents with a new array of mixed media works.
I haven’t had an opportunity to see their new material so I am looking forward to hanging the show with them next Friday September 7th and participating in the reception which will be held the following day – Saturday September 8 between 7 and 9 pm. There will be nibblies and refreshments, so please come by for a chance to meet with the artists and see their new creative work. Hope to see you there! 🙂
The show runs until September 30th
Art Gallery & Café 