June 22, 2016
VISA Newsletter

Painting as serious play

American artist Mary Heilmann has always been ahead of her time. A retrospective of her work, Looking at Pictures is currently on display at the White Chapel Gallery in London. I only came to know her paintings a couple of years ago, a surprising fact considering Heilmann has been doing work since the 1970s. She is an artist who combines flat abstraction with illusionistic space; seriousness with play; painting with sculpture. There is always a fresh childlike quality to her work, while at the same time the work is very considered and well-thought-out, as revealed in this Art 21 interview. Adrian Searle in a recent article in the Guardian describes Heilmann's work as being "cool and Californian and punky and urban".

Heilmann's work fits in really well with many of the current trends in abstraction, perhaps much more so than with the work of the minimalists such as Donald Judd who first inspired her. This might explain why she has only come to international attention in the last decade or so. An affinity can be seen between Heilmanns' work and contemporary abstraction such as that seen in last year's Forever Now exhibition at MOMA; more so than with the very formal geometric compositions of early minimalism. Jason Farago addresses Heilmann's underexposure in an article called "Artist Mary Heilmann: the Californian surfer still making waves in her 70s".

Many artists have claimed to follow Robert Rauschenberg's motto about making work that blurs the boundaries between art and life, but Heilmann brings this to a new level by making chairs as part of her work so people will spend more time looking at her art (see image to left). A work called Sunset was recently installed on an outdoor terrace at the new Whitney Museum in New York. This work really does blur the lines as many people sitting on the chairs don't actually realize they are sitting on a work of art.

A 2014 interview with art historian Jennifer Samet gives a great overview of Heilmann's work from the early 1970s to today: Mary Heilmann and Jennifer Samet, in conversation at the New York Studio School. Heilmann is a very open and generous in revealing her process and her sources of inspiration; it is fascinating to hear about the connection between her art and her life. A written interview by Jennifer Samet appears in the onlline art magazine Hyperallergic: Wild, Punk and Slightly Off-Kilter. I love that she says she starts her work by daydreaming because that seems to be the perfect starting place for any work of art.

There are many monographs on Heilmann's work, the most recent one being from the current retrospective at White Chapel: Mary Heilmann: Looking at Pictures. Most of the monographs on Heilmann's work are out-of-print and sell for $300-$400 but there are still a couple online for around $50 right now: Good Vibrations and Save the Last Dance for Me. Painter Ross Bleckner has also written a book on Mary Heilmann (long out-of-print); here is an interview he conducted with the artist in 1999: Mary Heilmann by Ross Bleckner. Heilmann gives an overview of the way her mind works as she answers Bleckner's question.

After looking at Heilmann's work and hearing her speak, you come away with the realization that this artist is filled with a sense of joy about the creative process and that she has a very strong direction for her personal vision and approach to her practice. To quote Bleckner: "Mary Heilmann's paintings contain a joy so contagious one smiles upon seeing them. This is not innocent joy -which is why her viewer does not laugh out loud as at the antics of a child. There is something wry and sophisticated about these seemingly simple abstractions. Perhaps it's their maker's innate knowledge of the paradoxical nature of people and things."

If you would like to explore more about abstraction and its processes we highly recommend John Luna's weeklong workshop: Abstraction: Three Ways.


Wendy Welch

Executive Director
Vancouver Island School of Art

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SUMMER STUDIO SPACE RENTAL at VISA

Every summer we rent out our large bright classrooms to artists to work on projects over the summer. Rooms are usually shared by four artists.

VISA Students, Alumni & Faculty Rates:
$75/week
(7 days, 24 hour access*)
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$50/week (5 days, 9am-5pm)

Others Rate:
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PAINTING: ABSTRACTION THREE WAYS
July 4-8, Monday-Friday (10am-5pm) 

This weeklong intensive painting workshop will concentrate on different approaches to idea development, technique and presentation associated with abstract painting. The workshop's content aims at illuminating varied sources and approaches to abstraction, including the use of representational sources (video stills), approaches to the surface (appliqué and décollage), and compositional experimentation with support and space (sculptural installation). The instruction will include a combination of slide shows, demonstrations, one-on-one feedback and group critique. Some painting experience recommended.

Instructor: John Luna
Cost: $395 (bring a friend and they receive 50% of their tuition)
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COLLAGE: DISCOVERING YOUR INNATE CREATIVITY 
(only a few spaces left)
June 26, Sunday 1:30-4:30

Do you spend more time thinking about making art than actually doing it? Take an afternoon to work on fun and imaginative projects guaranteed to get you back into the flow of creating art on a regular basis. The time to start making art is right now, not some vague day in the future that never comes.

You will learn to make striking compositions through the arrangement of line, form and colour. All this will be done by simply gluing papers to a surface. No experience necessary.

Instructor: Wendy Welch
Cost: $75 (all materials included)

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OIL PAINTING PRIMER (only 4 spaces left)
Sunday, June 26, 10am-5pm
 

In this one-day workshop you will explore the enormous potential of oil paint. Oil paint is a slow-drying and a very forgiving medium, ideal for beginners because you can redo any brushstroke. Smelly solvents are a thing of the past; we will explore non-toxic methods for thinning paint and cleaning brushes. The focus will be on creating the lush, textured mark-making, rich colour, and subtle effects that only oil paint can achieve. This workshop is open to painters of all levels, from beginners to experienced acrylic or watercolour painters who are curious about working in oils.
Instructor: Neil McLelland
Cost: $150 (all supplies included) 
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QUILT AS ART: FREEFORM INTUITIVE PIECING
 Saturday & Sunday, July 9 and 10, 10am-5pm

You will learn to compose using spontaneous imagery and freeform cutting in this workshop. Projects include combining colours and value in an intuitive way and using the resulting design as a springboard for exploration in line and pattern. This process allows for exciting surprises along the way, resulting in kinetic designs. You will learn direct ways to make compositions and how to use design elements and principles such as line, contrast, repetition, and value. You will leave this workshop with the discovery of your own innate sense of design and some lively art quilt pieces. Some sewing experience is recommended and some materials are provided.

Instructor: Susan Purney Mark
Cost: $225 (includes some materials)
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Find out about all of the wonderful arts and culture activities Victoria. Arts Victoria is a great resource for all the latest arts-related events in Victoria. Click here for more info: artsvictoria
 


Certificate of Visual Arts at VISA = 1st year of Bachelor in Arts at the Vancouver Island University
As of 2015, Certificate of Visual Arts = 1st year of Bachelor in Arts, Major in Fine Arts Degree at the Vancouver Island University.
Diploma of Fine Arts at VISA transferable to University of Gloucestershire, UK
Diploma of Fine Arts + 8 months at the University of Gloucestershire = BA in Fine Art.
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