Dear Friends of VISA,

We all have noticed that everything that is old can be new again from retro fashions and designs; to record albums and turntables and to letter writing (some of you might familiar with the wonderful store in Vancouver called The Regional Assembly of Text where they have a Letter Writing Club that meets once a month). 

When I travel around to look at art in galleries and museums my focus tends to be on the 'new', in particular contemporary art. Knowing it is important not to dismiss 'the old', I took some time to see the Van Gogh Up Close exhibition at the National Gallery in Ottawa. Of course it goes without saying that Van Gogh's paintings are masterpieces. I've seen them in Seattle, New York, Montreal and Europe, but somehow I saw them in a new way in this exhibition at the National Gallery. I was startled at how fresh and new these works appeared to be. This particular selection and arrangment of paintings really drew my attention to the intense specificity of Van Gogh's brushmarks. His paintings are an incredible example of mindfulness in that each singular brushstroke seems to be done with a sense of very conscious deliberation. So often I look at paintings where layers upon layers of paint seemed to be randomly applied with the artist perhaps hoping that if they add enough paint eventually a painting will emerge. And sometimes this does happen. But other times the surface just becomes a flat sterile arena with little life emerging from the overworked canvas. With Van Gogh's work you feel every single brushmark has a life force of its own. There is a good short review on the Canadian Art website: Van Gogh Up Close: Not the Movie.

Thinking about Van Gogh's focused brushwork does make me think of the work of VISA guest instructor, Inga Roemer who is teaching two upcoming workshops, one called Painting Space and the other is Painting: Photographic Influences. I own a couple of Inga's paintings and I really admire her decisive and deliberate brushmarks. While Inga's work is very different than Van Gogh's there is a similar consideration and mindful approach to applying paint to canvas. Inga does not cover 'mistakes' with more paint. Everything that is on the surface is visible to the viewer. One major difference is Inga's incorporation the 'white' or 'blank' areas of the canvas into the composition so they end up having as much presence as the full areas. For more information on Inga's work: Inga Roemer

Inga Roemer is arriving from Berlin to teach two workshops at VISA this summer. If you haven't had the chance to experience Inga's teaching she comes highly recommended by many students. Not only does Inga bring a wealth of knowledge about contemporary European painting, in particular what is happening in Berlin, her kind demeanour and good humour make her a delight as an instructor. Inga conceived of this workshop in the early years of VISA and she also taught it as 12-week course. You will learn unique ways of seeing space and how to consider its importance in the dynamics of composition. A great workshop for students who are interested in taking a fresh approach to the challenges of making compositions with a persuasive sense of depth, drama and play. Artists include: Fiona Rae, Julie Mehretu, Eric Fischl, Franz Ackermann, and Matthew Ritchie.

 

Many artists today are using photographs as source material to influence the content and meaning of their work. The photographic structure and subject often get transformed through the language and process of painting. This workshop explores various ways photography can be used in painting, both as source imagery, and a means of better understanding our relationship to narrative depiction. Artists include: Gerhard Richter, Vija Celmins, Glenn Brown, Richard Prince, Elizabeth Peyton, Karen Kilminik and Marlene Dumas.
Tuition: $250.00  

(includes 18 hours of instruction and two optional studio days, Thursday & Friday)  

Supply list 

Photographic Influence images

 

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