The Arts Council of New Westminster presents:
“As You Are”
by Cara Bain & Gillian Wright
August 3 – 28, 2016
Wednesday 1 – 8pm, Thursday – Sunday 1 – 5pm
*ARTISTS WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE ON WEEKENDS*
ARTIST STATEMENTS
GILLIAN WRIGHT
All of my figurative and portraiture works have come from weekly sessions of Life Drawing. Doing this every week has an effect similar to that of a musician practicing in an orchestra; it fine tunes your skills and nurtures your imagination. I have found being part of a group of fellow artists creates camaraderie and strengthens the artist. Although I am not limited to figurative work the subtle difference in each person’s face and body improves observational skills that can then assist in still life, landscape, other forms of realism and even abstract. I work in all mediums: pastel chalk, pencil, charcoal, oil, acrylic and watercolour. I find each medium requires different skills to master, at the same time contributing to the other forms and an overall creative strengthening.
CARA BAIN
Ever since discovering my affinity for art, I found a specific passion for capturing the faces of those around me. The things that make each person unique inspire and drive my creativity. I am intrigued at how tweaking the tiniest aspect of a portrait can change an expression completely. Each stroke can portray so much about a person’s character.
This body of work explores the idea that every person is a creation that overflows with endless depth and beauty. Rather than projecting onto my subjects a heady and complex concept of my own creation, my aim is to capture something about the identity or expression of each individual in a given moment. This can take the form of both lightness or darkness – ranging from joyous freedom of the gospel singers in Blessed Assurance, to calm defiance of a young woman facing death in #29. Together they are meant to capture and reflect a small piece of humanity.
One of my priorities is to create pieces that have the capacity to impact any viewer, whatever their age, demographic, or education level, while still pushing the limits of my creativity. I hope to achieve this by relying on the shared experience of all people – human connection.
carabain.ca
