Dear Friends of VISA,

I love great art and in particular I love looking at contemporary art because I think its exciting to try and come to terms with, and acknowledge,  the present times we are living in. However there are many levels and ways of appreciating art, even so-called bad or mediocre art. Once I had to do a critique for a local Art Club where I was presented with 40 paintings of varying subject matter including animals (wild and domesticated), boats, seascapes, sunsets, babies, etc. At first glance, my immediate thought was: is it possible to bolt from this room? These works were so different from the art I am interested in terms of my own practice, research and teaching.  However I was an invited guest to this art group, so running out of the room would have been inappropriate. I took a deep breath and began really looking at the work and I decided to focus on why each of these individuals chose to paint. What made this group of people want to paint?  Where does that desire come from? Why are so many millions of dollars in art supplies sold every year? Why did one person decide to make a painting of tiger from a National Geographic photograph and another person a rose from her garden? I went past the subject matter and pursued the basic impulse that makes people want to paint. That is what interests me. I do know one main reason behind the impulse: making art is a wonderful way to really experience being alive. Several years ago I had a short stay in the hospital and as soon as I was able to sit upright, I took out my watercolours and starting making some small abstract paintings. Everyone who saw this was amazed that this kind of activity could be possible in a hospital setting. The most common reaction from hospital staff and patients were 'I could never do anything like that'. The truth of it is, that everybody can paint or draw or do something creative. And the reasons to do this isn't necessarily to make the best painting or to change the course of art history; it is enough to paint for the pure pleasure of it.

As it is getting time for the annual Saanich Fair weekend, my mind wanders back to a year where I sat in front a wall of rabbit drawings and paintings for most of the fair weekend (we had a booth in the Saanich Fair Art Room to promote VISA). Sometimes it is refreshing to see the paintings of amateur artists. There is something sweet about the humble nature of these works shown in a country fair setting. Sure the artists want their works to be good and perhaps they hope to win a prize, but you also get the feeling that the works were created with a sincere desire to make something with their own hands. So while this work is often devoid of any awareness of a contemporary art language, it has an integrity all to itself. With these thoughts in mind it was interesting to come across Roberta Smith's latest art writing in the New York Times all about her desire to buy paintings from flea markets.

So the next time you are at Value Village or at a garage sale, take a second to look at the paintings and think about the person who made the work and what was going on in their life to make them want to paint. Maybe it will inspire you to take up painting as well.

Buy your tickets today for our
GALA ART SALE

& fabulous

cocktail reception

at 7:00-10:00pm

Tara Nicholson uses travel and temporary relationship as keys for developing a body of work based on locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Holland. She insinuates herself into new communities to determine local byways, campsites and landmarks, temporary shelters and ephemeral spectacles: a swimming hole in an abandoned quarry, ski-doo graveyard, a decaying papier-mâché mascot killer whale, dumped like a corpse at the edge of summer woods.

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