I'm officially an Artist - Vancouver Art Box Show

Hello!

Welcome to my first blog entry. This blog is about my art, or more specifically, about the process and what happens when I get my hands dirty. I started this blog because I recently decided that I am officially, an ARTIST!

I read somewhere online (see links & other blogs) that all artists should have an art blog. After reading a few I realized this could actually help me be more of an artist. My work is no longer going to be hiding in visual diaries, folders and on my floor! My ideas and thoughts are going to be posted here, for everyone to see and comment. Watch-out world! I’ve unleashed my creativity!

Through this process, I hope to become more productive in my practice and therefore, better at my craft.

So to kick-off, here are some pictures of three pieces that I did for the Vancouver Art Box Show which was held at the Autumn Brook Gallery in Vancouver on December 30th, 2008.

The task was to collect some 12x12inch wooden boxes and create! The space was already booked, Christmas and the Silly Season was in full swing, Vancouver was having a snow storm of the century and we artists had only two weeks to lament over the box and come up with something interesting for the show. Two weeks became only three days for me.

I’ve been fascinated by snowflakes for a while now, so I decided to follow the folding and cutting technique learnt in kindergarten to create my shapes. Tracing them onto the ‘canvas’, they served as a template for my woodcut designs.

Having never done a woodcut before, I felt it was the perfect time to try, given I had three pieces of wood in front of me and the necessary tools that had never been used.

Creating a woodcut was surprisingly easy, quick and enjoyable. Apart from the tricky bits, the wood just peeled away as I carved and my images materialized.

I was going to create two wood cuts, and use them to print a merged image onto the third art box. However, this my friends didn’t work. The paint wouldn’t stick to the surface and nothing was imprinted. Oh no! With only an hour to deadline, I settled for a third woodcut, in a much simpler form.

Being part of the show was amazing! It was a huge turnout, and I was proud to have my work on display for the first time, for the public to see. It was so fascinating to see the 200 other pieces, and how each artist had interpreted the assignment.

I didn’t sell but I’m glad because I wasn’t satisfied, my last half-finished snowflake stood out, like a sore thumb. I went back and carved away, until I was happy with the final result.

Now they hang proudly in my flat, a reminder of lessons learned and my first public group exhibition…