BOXCARSIX Residency
Artist Talk & Open House: Saturday July 28th,
12:00–4:00 PM
Residency runs Monday, July 2nd through
Sunday, August 26th, 2018
Gallery Hours:
Saturdays and Sundays, 12 to 4 pm,
or by appointment.
About the Residency
The dynamic cityscape just outside the windows of Xchanges Gallery, viewed from the balcony exposed to the elements, is the catalyst for this summer artist residency. Victoria-based BOXCARSIX Artist Collective invites the viewer to consider #TheViewFromHere. Where one stands in relation to the viewpoint, how one physically experiences, interprets and responds to the ‘there’ from ‘here’, are notions to explore through the process of contemporary drawing.
Victoria’s architectural landscape is evolving and developing at a rapid rate; from a low-rise horizontal assembly of brick and wood buildings, there are multiple vertical thrusts of construction cranes and reflective glass and steel structures. This geometric jumble of architecture is in constant dialogue with its organic environs. The view from here, this transitional viewing space, provides the opportunity to explore the concepts of perspectival conventions, utopian and dystopian visions, and the intersections of natural and manufactured landscapes.
The summer residency provides BOXCARSIX the opportunity to work collaboratively in an open studio setting, to create an active and integrated contemporary drawing installation and exhibition. Through research and process, we will explore ‘drawing as verb, drawing as noun’—a residency filled with ephemeral and concrete actions of transcription, representation and imagination. Our point of reference will start with the view from the balcony and windows of the gallery. The installation will be a culmination of descriptive impressions and renderings, progressively layered with process-oriented work, reflecting our individual perspectives and reflections of and from this viewpoint. Work strategies will include plein air studies, tracings, projections, photography, paper cutting, and illustration.
BOXCARSIX Artist Collective and Xchanges Gallery welcomes the local and global community into the creative studio and exhibition space, throughout the summer residency. The physical space will be a creative hub, where there will be open exchange of ideas, techniques and inspiration, between the individual artists and the community, face to face and through the social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: #TheViewFromHere, #tvfh, @boxcarsixartistcollective
Member Bios:
Mary Babineau’s paintings and drawings are a visceral response to the urban environment. She creates architectural spaces which combine representational elements with sense memory expressed through intuitive mark-making. She is a graduate of the Vancouver Island School of Art Independent Studio and Diploma Programs and holds a BA Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia.
Celine Berry’s twenty-six year passion, developing and caring for her large rambling English-style cottage garden, has provided the inspiration for her most recent series of plein air oil paintings and drawings which portray this ever-changing environment through the seasons. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Gloucestershire, UK, and Diploma of Fine Arts, Vancouver Island School of Art, Victoria, BC.
Sarah Cowan’s practice focuses on drawing and paper cutting to bridge the apparent disparity between her physical and spiritual/emotional selves. Active in several artist-run centres, she has led drop-in community art classes, and curated exhibitions at the Slide Room Gallery. She is a graduate of the Vancouver Island School of Art Diploma program and in 2016 attended the NES Artist Residency in Skagastrond, Iceland.
Joanne Hewko is interested in the intersection between natural and human-made space. In mixed-media drawings and paintings, she focuses on mark-making, emphasizing mood and gesture. She has a background in design and architecture and holds a Diploma in Fine Art from Vancouver Island School of Art.
Jessica Kuyper’s work explores themes of place and memory. Through drawing, paper cutting and painting she seeks to understand the lexicon of her experiences. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Gloucestershire, UK. She has exhibited her work in Canada and the UK.
Fern Long explores the intersection of architecture and personal history. Fluctuating between recognition and abstraction, her painting, drawing, and sculptural work asks questions about home and how we create spaces that reflect our humanity. Fern is a Diploma student at the Vancouver Island School of Art, Victoria, BC.
Clare Thomas investigates memory loss through figurative drawings and paintings that questions the veracity of events captured in family photographs. Her photographic and sculptural work foregrounds the societal amnesia that results in ocean plastic pollution. She holds an MA in Art and Environment from the University of Falmouth, UK, and Certificate of Independent Studio Program, Vancouver Island School of Art.
Jenn Wilson’s current artwork addresses the object-hood of the photograph and the photographic image through the aesthetics of repeated gesture, juxtaposition, and the blur. Other interests include questioning the concept of failure and its relation to art making. She holds a BA Fine Arts from the University of Gloucestershire, UK, and Diploma of Fine Arts, Vancouver Island School of Art, Victoria, BC.
