March 27, 2014
Vancouver Island School of Art Newsletter

Art is good for you

I am slightly skeptical of art therapy. I know that art is very useful in helping people recover from various mental and even physical disorders. My hesitation in fully endorsing art therapy as a discipline, is that many art therapy programs put the emphasis on the therapy as opposed to the art. So when I saw Alain de Botton's new book, Art as Therapy, I was very curious what this could be about. I am a fan of some of de Botton's writing such as How Proust Can Change Your Life and the Architecture of Happiness. So naturally this made me want to look further: a writer I respect, writing a book on a topic I have been known to approach with some trepidation. What could this be about?

De Botton's book is not really about art therapy but as the title says it is 'art as therapy' which switches the focus to the art. I have not read the book yet, but I have come across excerpts in the Tate Magazine: Art can be good for you. De Botton elucidates on how one might have an enhanced museum experience by using narrative to approach the work in a more in-depth way. More excerpts of the book can be found in this article in the Guardian: Alain de Botton's guide to art as therapy.

Here is an example of how de Botton approaches a work of art, in this case the image above called The Twilight of Life by Sydney Tully (from the Ontario Gallery of Art): 

Its hard to take much of an interest in other people, especially perhaps elderly people. In Tully's portrait, an elderly woman sits stooped and thoughtful against a stark background. We're being encouraged to look for longer than we normally would. She used to be strong and decisive. She had lovers once; she carefully set out with a quiet thrill in the evening.

 

Now, she's hard to love and maybe she knows this. She gets irritated, she withdraws. But she needs other people to care for her. Anyone can end up in her position. And there are moments when a lot of people - at whatever stage of life - are a bit hard to admire or like. Love is often linked to admiration: we love because we find another person exciting and sweet. But there's another aspect to love in which we are moved by the need of the other, by generosity.

 

Joshua Rothman from the New Yorker gives an overview of de Botton's approach, which is to shift the focus from art history to a kind of personal narrative: Alain de Botton's Healing and the Arts.  While de Botton's interpretations of art could be considered too reductive, too romantic, too prosaic, or even too psychologically based; I think the interest here is in the idea of taking time to engage with a work of art. I often suggest to students that instead of immediately writing off a work because they don't like the look of it, they could perhaps approach the work with the eye and sensibility of a detective. I recommend that a work of art can be looked at as a mystery that needs to be solved. Why was it made? What was the artist trying to say? How was it made? And in de Botton's case, he is asking 'what is the story here?' So whether you agree with de Botton's approach, reading what he says about the work, might just make you slow down the next time you are whizzing through a major art museum trying to take in as many works as possible. Maybe you will slow down, stop even, and just look at a handful of works, and notice how you really begin to see the work once you start asking and answering questions about what is in front of you. 

Drawing Simplified -this weekend!
Sat & Sun, March 29 & 30, 10am-5pm

This weekend workshop will cover  the visual elements that make up the language of drawing: line, tone, texture, pattern, shape and form. Instructor will introduce a series of simple drawing exercises, with the focus on using black and white drawing materials. Students will leave workshop with an understanding of terms such as composition, space and shape, as well as the skills to draw what they see. Students will work from an array of interesting source material, such as shells, flowers, assorted man-made objects, and photographs to be used as inspiration for your drawing. Suitable for complete beginners.

Instructor: Blythe Scott
Cost: $235 (all materials included)
Monoprint: The Painterly Print -this weekend
Sat & Sun, March 29 & 30, 10am-5pm

There is a creative spontaneity in the painterly process of making monotypes. A monotype is a type of printmaking made by drawing or painting on a smooth, non-absorbent surface such as Plexiglas. The image is then transferred onto a sheet of paper by passing it through a printing press. The name 'monotype' refers to the fact a unique print is produced with each pass through the press. This process will provide the artist with tools and materials that yield unparalleled results that are often innovative and surprising. Using oil based inks, as well as liftprints, stencils, found objects and chine coll� techniques, you will progress through a series of steps that will open new possibilities for expression. You will receive individual attention regarding drawing, painting and composition, and learn to pull prints from the Plexiglass matrix to paper using a manual press. You will also be introduced to different papers, and the experience of working in a printmaking studio atmosphere. The excitement of transformation and discovery is inherent in this media and is sure to inspire and fascinate you. There will be discussion and class critiques throughout. 
Instructor: Heather Aston
Cost: $250 (all materials included)
To register on-line 
Watercolour Sketching -this weekend
Sunday, March 29,  10am-5pm

This workshop is an introduction to basic watercolour techniques through the simple and informal process of sketching. Students make their own sketchbooks and learn to use them as a method for recording ideas and observations, with the added potential of turning the sketchbook into an art object. You will leave this workshop wanting to continue painting on a daily basis in the form of a 'watercolour journal'. Suitable for complete beginners.
Instructor: Tracey Nelson
Cost: $125 (all materials included)
Oil Painting for Beginners Workshop postponed to:
Sat & Sun, April 5 and 6, 10am-5pm

The focus of this workshop will be on developing an understanding of the character of oil paint and experimenting with this versatile medium, rather than on creating a finished painting. You will learn the basics of colour mixing, medium, brushes and supports. Instructor 

Kate Scoones will bring her wealth of experience with oil paints and provide all kinds of tips including how to keep colours clean and work area organized. Suitable for complete beginners.

Instructor: Kate Scoones
Cost: $235 (includes all supplies)
Artist Talk at VISA: Ren�e van Halm
Wednesday, April 2 at 7:30





Here's an opportunity to see the work of the artist who recently donated $2 million to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria:
 


SHORE LINES Margaret Hantiuk
Opening Reception, April 5 at 7 pm
Gallery 1580

1580 Cook St

Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat 12 to 5

Continues to April 26 
EXHIBIT V REPORT

Check Exhibit V's Weekly Reports. In celebration of Exhibit-V's fifth anniversary, Efren has started a weekly report where he gives an overview of exhibitions of the week that he has seen as well as what is to coming up. To see more about what is going on in the Victoria art scene including reviews of exhibitions, artists of the month, videos and upcoming events go to: EXHIBIT-V 
exhibit-v report - March 26,2014 
exhibit-v report - March 26,2014
 
CALL FOR ENTRIES:
The Copycat Academy

A weeklong masterclass with an absent master
Place: The Theatre Centre, Toronto, Canada
Date: June 9-15, 2014
Application deadline: April 7, 2014
A project by Hannah Hurtzig.
Commissioned and produced by the Luminato Festival

The Copycat Academy takes the work and biography of an artist as the model for its curriculum. Over a one-week, intensive learning experience an artist's method of production will be hijacked and subjected to a temporary parasitic inhabitation. The 2014 pilot will start with one of the most influential artist collectives of the late 20th century, Toronto based General Idea. This is meant to be idolatry and cult. Or more precisely an act of mimicry. Or more accurately it is a critical test of thought and practice, a laboratory where 20 participants can observe the emergence of meaning while they occupy and replicate themselves in the host. It's a master class with an absent master. For the next edition we will choose another master.

Confirmed faculty to date for the Copycat Academy include: Bruce LaBruce, Kendell Geers, Guy Maddin, Philipp Monk, and M�rten Sp�ngberg. Check back soon for the complete faculty listing in March.

Check out the curriculum and application process at: Luminato Festival and Mobile Academy

Applications must be received by April 7 , 2014.
To submit your application or to make other inquiries email Evan Webber
For more information contact Linda or Laura in the office