BLANK CANVAS COLLABORATION PROJECT

NEWS

 'Multi-media jam session' goes public

Photo-Tina Schliessler

By Erin McPhee

Last Monday, a group of diverse artists entered began work on an exhibition at the Seymour Art Gallery in North Vancouver.

Complete freedom of expression is before them as they work to fill 15 large canvases that will eventually be on display. However, what separates this creative process from others is that the public is invited to watch the five participating artists work together to complete the paintings.

Coined the Blank Canvas Collaboration Project, the process has been dubbed a "multi-media jam session" by organizers. In addition to the creation of the actual works, the process-from its inception to the finished paintings-will be documented by some artists and inspired by others as the work continues over a two-week period at the gallery.

"I think that Vancouver hasn't really seen this sort of thing in a while," says Deep Cove resident Steve Horvat, one of the participants in the project and its founder. Horvat graduated from Capilano College's studio art program in 2002 and says the project is reminiscent of happenings in the 1960s when people would gather and work off the vibe created.

James Picard, a self-described "abstract modern artist" who was trained classically and teaches internationally as well as on the North Shore, was one of the artists asked to participate in the project by Horvat last year.

"Artists in the past used to collaborate all the time, like Picasso and Braque, who started the whole Cubist movement. There used to be an incredible collaboration among artists and I don't think that has happened for many, many decades," says Picard.

Artists also involved in the project include urban artist Jordan Roberts, mixed media artist Tania Gleave and Natalia Vetrova, who has a studio in Kitsilano. Picard says he's excited to work with the artists who have such diverse backgrounds and styles. "That's going to bring out a whole different aspect of who I am."

Horvat says he's looking forward to the challenge and potential sense of accomplishment through working collaboratively. "The people involved have a positive energy as well as they're open to this idea which is breaking down all of our barriers in a lot of ways."

The project's only parameters are the time period allotted and the number of blank canvases. "There is no preconceived notion of where this is going to go, it's going to unfold before us in a very mysterious way and I think that that's the beauty of it," says Horvat. A set theme would be detrimental to the project, adds Picard.

"Each of the artists will make marks on all of the 15 canvases and we'll see how all of these styles fuse together on the canvas," says Horvat.

During the creation of the works, the gallery will be set up the same as the artists would have it in their own studios, says Picard, providing a unique opportunity for the public to see how creative processes come to fruition. "I think this opens the doors to a world that not a lot of people are privy to, so I think it's going to be fantastic, whatever happens," he says.

The artists will display examples of their individual works to show their individual styles during the working period. In addition to the public's presence, some 25 artists will also be on hand to document the project (photographers Sprout, Tina Schliessler and filmmaker Julia Ivanova), provide live musical performances (Sacha Levin) and hold readings (Buddy Wakefield).

Following the public working period, which runs until July 24 at the Seymour Art Gallery (4360 Gallant Ave., Deep Cove), the 15 pieces will be on display from July 25 to Aug. 13. The opening reception will be held July 25 at 7 p.m.

After the exhibition in Deep Cove, representatives of the project will take the format to San Francisco next year, followed by Prague in 2008.

For more information on the project, go to www.stevehorvat.com.

published on 07/14/2006

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