by Skye Morrison
I want to take responsibility for what I create. I can no longer be careless with my words, thoughts, actions, or paintbrush.
I believe that we have chosen the most challenging and exciting time to be alive on this planet. Humanity is being called to rise, and that is now an urgent matter. Every aspect of our lives is being shaken, and we are becoming aware of our careless impacts on the Earth and one another.
In general, pain sells more easily than ecstasy, and fear is more contagious than joy. Throughout history, for most passionately creative people, it was vital to tell the story of the collective struggle. People found beauty in the darkness around them by looking through the gaze of an artist. It was a matter of survival.
Although today is arguably a difficult time, I believe it is even more an evolving time. We are at the threshold of boundless possibilities. I want to shine a light, to connect to those around me through honesty and awakening, to celebrate this fantastic adventure.
Maybe I am making it harder for myself by not capitalizing on the morbidity of popular media. But then, aren’t we all ready for something different? Ready to release the judgments of an outlived sorrow? I believe we are hungry for light and hope.
I humbly offer you your own reflection: one of a healing humanity, one of a sublime divinity.
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by Skye Morrison
I find inspiration in unexpected places.
During a lull in motivation, I may wander into my sewing room, and there on the floor lies a scrap of Indian fabric from an old skirt. Struck by the intricate design, I hurry back to my painting to glue it onto the canvas. That fabric may take me somewhere I could never imagine with paint alone.
While strumming my guitar, I may sing out some words that suddenly come to mind, and notice the words are reminiscent of my current painting. Later, I will add these lyrics of text onto the painted image, and in doing so add a new depth and an interactive quality to the piece.
Another time I may go into the kitchen to make myself a snack, only to be enchanted by the colors in the fruit bowl.
If all else fails, I crank my stereo and dance. Movement and breathing always seem to get the creative juices flowing.
I am realizing more and more that it is all connected. Ideas echo and evolve through past, present, and future; regardless of medium or culture.
Why do we insist on borders between “art” and “craft”, 2D and 3D, profession and play? Are there really lines there? Are they patrolled by critics, skeptics, and snobs? What if we cross over without “proper training”? What if we unconventionally merge two opposing sides?
Are these artistic expressions not all birthed of the love to create?
I believe that multiple mediums can coexist in harmony. Better yet, I believe that the product of such encounters can be stylistically original, and profoundly inspiring.
Let the arts mingle! They are symbiotic and interwoven; infinitely dimensional.
by Skye Morrison
Hannah Heartsong sees the colours that are beyond consciousness; sees beyond the static and trite to the unexpected miracles. Though she is limited to the visible spectrum, the brushstrokes of colour transcend reality. They walk on water. They give birth to the divine.
Honouring the three vortexes of air, earth, and water, Hannah journeys home past fear and ego. She maintains excitement, meticulous hours spent pouring herself onto the canvas, charging every ripple, every blade of grass with the vital force. Hers is an inner response to the subtle nuances hinted in the world around.
“Developing, deepening, transforming, colours, shapes, patterns, and directions of movement... all based on an unconscious trust in the process... I experience it as an entity, as a hole in the wall that is an obsession.” This obsession leads her on a passage between two worlds, two visions, tangible and surreal, inner and outer. Hannah wraps herself around an element of nature and embraces the essence of the source. Trees, water, and figures radiate their own light-source, shadows occur where one ends and another begins, and even this distinction can be elusive. “The way I see things is when they are lit from the inside. We are the light.”
Hana’s exhibit entitled “A Walk on the Beach” is on display at the Community Resource Centre 4752 Joyce Avenue until the end of November
by Skye Morrison
I would like to tell you about one of my favourite things in the world. Well actually now there are eleven of them, and they are quickly multiplying. They are black, 9”x6”, hardcover sketchbooks, known as the Draw in Me Books. They can be found lying on tables and shelves, in stacks of magazines, and tucked under the couch cushions around Local Loco’s —usually not far from a case of pencil-crayons or a box of markers. They implore you to add something, whether it is a scribble, a poem, a cartoon, or an elaborate painting. They colourfully showcase the diverse creativity of our community and its visitors.
One day I remember a woman approached me with tears in her eyes, after having spent nearly two hours absorbed in working in one of the books. She confessed that though she had loved art in her youth, she hadn’t drawn in over thirty years until that day.
These books are, themselves, a work of art. A collage of playfulness, wisdom, inspiration and beauty, with of course the odd morbid doodle and innuendo.
If you should happen to find a blank spot in one of your “Draw in Me Book” journeys, don’t pass up the chance to go down in history. I am convinced that these books will be famous one day.
If I’m wrong, however, they will still be the eleven (and counting) of my favourite things in the world.
by Skye Morrison
When I was first getting to know Meghan Hildebrand, I remember her quietly describing herself as “shy.”
I don’t believe that she is shy, and I’m sure that you would agree with me if you have ever seen her high-impact works of art. Her paintings howl and laugh, they snicker and roar. They are anything but demure.
Meghan’s premier Powell River Show was held May 28th at Bemused Bistro, 4623 Marine Ave.
Unfortunately, that evening is gone. Hopefully you were there. If not, hurry down there while the show is on display for June. Her work can also be viewed at Artique, 4722 Marine Ave, and Local Loco’s, 4692 Willingdon Ave.
And if, by chance, you should have the honour of meeting this young contemporary master, you can decide for yourself if she’s really shy.
Artisit Profile:
Who: Meghan Hildebrand
From: YellowKnife, NWT
Recently From: Nelson, BC
Inspiration: Independent media, friends, old industrial stuff, the coast, vino
Mediums: acrylics, collage, oils, scratchboard
Website: www.meghanhildebrand.com