Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School is what happens when a simple question is asked: why can’t figure drawing be sexy? Part art class, part cabaret, join us for 3 hours of drawing and decadence! drsketchyvancouver.com for more info. Join the Dr Sketchy’s Facebook page to keep up to date and see pics >
Our annual dirty and immature nude art show Boobies + Wieners returns for a fourth year! “Four Play” features Serena Bon-Binky, Gwen D’arcy, Vince Hemingson, Erica Lapadat-Janzen, Gordana Ristic, Aleshia St Cyr, Pandora Young and Nikki Pecasso. Plus, submissions from Aimee Young, Alan Jacques, Alex Stewart, Amelia Smart, Anita Rudakov, Becca Williams, Ben Everyman, Brenna Mackinder, Bret Taylor, Bronwyn Schuster, Cayley Carlson, Chris Bentzen, Christina Wightman, Corinne Leroux, Daniel Audet, Daniel Duncan, Divya Nanray, ER Gott, Flavia, Jean-Paul Langlois, Jennifer Chernecki, Jesse Davidge, Jessica Blaquiere, Jillian Evin, Jim Hoehnle, Jon Gant , Katy Springer, Kay Slater, Kelly Baker, Kimberley Howie, Kirsten Hatfield, Lara Hjorthoy, Maddy Gill, Mandy Lau, Marina LeClair, Mark Konytowski, Meaghan Iverson, Nigel Elliot, Oliver Harley Munsie, Sara Molcan, Sara Wilson, Sean Moxley, Shampoo, Shary Contrary, Sherri Hodder, Sofia Hellstadius, Stéphanie Gagné, Susanna Leu, Tayt Modern, Tim Bauer, Violet Patrich & Siena Locher-Lo, and Zox Svetorovich.
Click here to view the photo album on Flickr >
In addition to the main show, we’re hosting mini-exhibit Art or Bust. Curated by artist Jenn Brisson, breast casts of nine breast cancer survivors are turned into works of art for a silent auction. 100% of funds raised go to Rethink Breast Cancer. Artists: Diego Pacheco, Jenn Brisson, Morgane Billault, Kinsey Deakin, Mia Dungeon, Evie Katevatis, J Lord-Purcell, Ivan Louey, and Bronwyn Schuster.
Flyer art by Nikki Pecasso
When your mind has gone deep space fishing, what creatures will it encounter? Cosmic Sea features new works from Jenn Brisson, Kristian Adam and Phresha. The nautical and metaphysical theme sets the stage for the many colourful new works by the three artists. Invisible sea creatures, extra-terrestrial ocean babes, jellypurrrs and octophants, magical coral reefs, an army of lollipop licking dolphins floating through the milky way. Oh, and don’t forget…. SPACECRABS! These are just some of the amazing things you soon may witness. Both plants and animals first evolved in the sea. Now they must evolve in space and the deep sea of our minds!
Click here to see the show on Flickr >
Jenn Brisson started her art career in Classical Animation working on kids’ TV Shows and films for many moons. All that time drawing cartoons mixed with an interest for the macabre has brought equal parts strange and saccharine to her art. Jenn loves to paint pictures that tell stories and showcase characters that rule in far away places; nature’s mysteries and curious beings that long to learn more about life and the viewer that gazes upon them. These mischievous creatures live upon textured backgrounds made with mixed materials, such as spray paint, stencils and ripped paper. They will draw you in with their hypnotic eyes, soft contours and calming colours, and hope to enchant you so you may dream of other places where magic still exists. Jenn’s work has shown in galleries across Canada and in the US and has also made an appearance in Vancouver’s local street scene. Her work has been published in comics, kids’ novels and various art books, was showcased on CBC’s TV Show “Crash Gallery” and has recently been exploring mural painting. Last year she completed an 8×54′ mural for Downtown Vancouver and has just finished a collaborative 600sf mural in New York City. Currently living in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant, Jenn continues to chase magic beings and is living life to the fullest.
Kristian Adam is a Canadian born artist. He exhibits regularly throughout Vancouver and in galleries around the world and has been featured in books and television. His paintings often combine themes of nature and invention from the humorous perspective of animals which he refers to as “NymNums.” Dr Seuss’s body of work and a book called the Codex Seraphinianusóbrilliant books filled with surrealistic and organic Rube Golberg-like contraptionsó have helped serve as inspiration to creating his more recent landscapes and devices. Born 1978 in Edmonton, Alberta, Kristian grew up on a small farm near Grande Prairie. Recurring themes of nature in his work are inspired from his childhood living in the country.
Phresha was born with a crayon in her hand. This mischievous child of colour that grew up in Toronto currently resides in Vancouver BC. Her work can be described as vibrant and playful organic flows with seductive female forms and whimsical undertones. Sultry, mysterious vixens are often found frolicking with feral kittens and other wild creatures. Currently, Phresha is focusing on gallery shows, commission work and sampling all the delicious sushi down the coast. “As a visual artist, I am fascinated by the female form, as the embodiment of Mother Nature and her many manifestations. She is the divine goddess, an ethereal warrior, the seductress and the mistress among her many incarnations. A creature of mysterious beauty and allure, she frolicks with whimsical creatures in the planes of my imagination.”
Featuring Flavia, Christel Chan, Jane Q Cheng, Minjoo Kim, Chelsea O’Byrne and Rachel Wada, Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down takes an inquisitive look at how nostalgia serves as a point of reference for both identity and art. The six local artists explore how memory provides an ongoing context for all of our thoughts and ideas, despite paradoxically being an unreliable source of information. Drawing from their own individual memories, they aim to find vestiges of the past hiding in the darkest corners of the present.
Click here to see photos from the show on Flickr >
Thanks to the Fox Cabaret for hosting our afterparty.
Ever since Flavia could hold a pen, she’s been drawing rainbows, hearts, and cats with spikes. Her kindergarten teacher suggested she attend Emily Carr University of Art & Design. And that’s just what she did. In 2015, Flavia graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design with a major in illustration. Her childhood included a large amount of time vegetating with a gazillion picture books (which were stored in an unplugged fridge) and her beloved television set. The TV and pictures from the pages of children’s book fueled her imagination and continue to inspire her today.
Jane Q Cheng is a Vancouver-based artist. Her interests focus on creating dialogue between illustration and contemporary art practices and finding spaces where the traditional and experimental overlap. Through various topics, she takes advantage of what she sees as illustration’s central yet peripheral standing in contemporary art discourse.
Christel Chan is an illustrator and designer with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts (Illustration concentration) from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver, Canada. She spent most of her life in Hong Kong but moved to Vancouver to pursue her interest in art and design. In her paintings, she enjoys creating fantastical worlds by mixing the ordinary and the magical.
Rachel Wada is an interdisciplinary illustrator currently based in Vancouver, BC. She is a recent graduate of Emily Carr University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program with a focus in illustration. Her artistic practice involves intricate illustrations executed in a variety of mediums from watercolor, ink, graphite and gouache. She also utilizes digital media and silkscreen printing to produce her 2D illustrations. Her inspirations include traditional Chinese painting, ukiyo-e painting, tattoos and editorial illustration. Rachel has participated in a handful of art exhibitions around Vancouver, and her piece has recently been accepted in the Society of Illustrators: Student Scholarship Competition, where her piece was displayed in the student exhibition in New York.
Minjoo Kim is an illustrator based both in Seoul and Vancouver. In her illustrations, she captures the moments and the feelings that pass us by unnoticed. She believes that the most mundane moments can be the happiest moments in life, once stopped and looked closely into. She wishes to create illustrations and stories that enable the viewers to enjoy that moment and to help them revisit and cherish their own stories that they have missed in their life.
The myth of the tattooed woman is of her wildness and unpredictable nature. The idea that “innocent” untattooed woman are the “better” choice for intimate partners… it’s bullshit of course. Relationships are built out of something deeper than what’s just below the skin. Perhaps you’ve missed out on someone amazing by not looking deeper. These are portraits of all the beautiful, tattooed women that “got away.” The One That Got Away features watercolour works of tattooed female subjects from Gwen D’arcy and Aaron White. This show also hosted a live flash tattoo event from Studio Nest on Saturday July 9.
Click here to see photos from the show on Flickr >
Gwen D’arcy is a self taught Canadian artist Who grew up in Scarborough, Ontario. Her past shows include the “31 and Under” artists showcase at Gallery 223 in Nanaimo, BC in 2012 and a limited showcase at Make Studios also in Nanaimo, BC (2013). After a long break from the gallery scene Gwen is making a strong come back with vibrant surrealistic images of tattooed women bound to make you fall in love. When she’s not drawing or painting Gwen is the Brand Cordinator for a fast scaling company, mother to two beautiful children and a proud dog owner. Gwen now lives in Vancouver.
Aaron White graduated from Sheridan’s Classical Animation Program in 2004. He spent a few years working on Saturday morning cartoons before moving on to the video game industry. Since 2007, he has been a concept artist and FX animator for Nexon, Acronym Games, and Roadhouse doing work for Disney, Fox, Activision, Tecmo and Capcom. Happily settled in Vancouver with two carts, a glowing bicycle and as much art as he can fit into the week. His personal work focuses on painted portraiture of alternative and burlesque.
A collection of work from past shows. Lots of hidden gems, a few new pieces and some lost treasures we’ve dug out of storage. Great prices on great work. Plus prints, cards and more for your gift giving pleasure.
To celebrate the 400th episode of local comedy podcast Stop Podcasting Yourself, we’re hosting an art show dedicated to Canadian comedians! Art inspired by Canadian comedians and art made by Canadian comedians in honour of Graham Clark and Dave Shumka’s beloved podcast. Artists include: MW Bowen, Andrea Hooge, Erin Gibbs, Exploding Haggis, Alicia Tobin, Emmett Hall, Jacob Samuel, Brent Constantine, Jesse Daniel, Nima Gholamipour, Heather Szilagyi, Cameron MacLeod, Adam Pateman, Aaron Read, with beard paintings from Graham Clark! Oh, and a guerrilla piece by Sean Devlin. See photos on Flickr >
Boobies & Wieners is back for a third year featuring immature and explicit nude art from almost 100 artists, including some great work from a few American guests. If there’s anything Vancouver loves, it’s dirty art! ADULTS ONLY! VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED!
Photos from the show on Flickr > (you may have to login to Flickr to view)
Featuring: Two Dimes, Sabrina Elliott, Tina Lugo, Shary Contrary, Megan Magdalena and Nomi Chi. Plus submissions from Aaron White, Adrian Syrja, Aleshia St. Cyr, Alex Stewart, Amelia Smart, Amy Tom, Andrea Mueller, Andrea Tucker, areml, Becky Nguyen, Ben Z Cooper, Bronwyn Schuster, Cameron MacLeod, Christina Kruger-Woodrow, Corey Hardeman, Dallas Cleghorn, Dezi Raider, Dox Thrasher, Erica Lapadat-Janzen, Erin Gibbs, Flavia C, Gabriella Anderson, Hailie Beaulieu, Jack Morris, Jackson, James Lloyd, Jane Q Cheng, Jessica Blaquiere, Jim Cummins aka I, Braineater, John Shigeta, Joseph Wu, Josh Swanson, Kait Middlemiss, Karlene Harvey, Kathleen McGiveron, Kathryn Lancashire, Katy Springer, Kay Slater, Kelly Baker, Ken Forster, Kiah Mortison, Kirsten Hatfield, Klaus Pinter, Lara Hjorthey, Lauren Thu, Mandy Lau, Marc Junker, Marina LeClair, Maritza Louis, Megan Majewski, Melissa Eden, Michael Wong, Nicole Steen, Payal Bansal, peenspussiesandpostits.tumblr.com, Peg-leg, Rachael Wada, Rhandi Sandford, Rianne Keel, Robin Bougie, Sara Wilson, Sarah Baker, Sarah Judge, Sasha, Sheri Alexander, Stephanie Arnot, Susan Knight, Terby Wonder, The Gypsy Mermaid, Vince Hemingson, and Zox.
In addition to the main show, we’re hosting mini-exhibit Art or Bust. Curated by artist Jenn Brisson, breast casts of nine breast cancer survivors are turned into works of art. The were sold in a silent auction and raised $490 with 100% of those funds given to Rethink Breast Cancer. Artists: Nicole Steen, Brianne Tweddle, Mark Illing, Jenn Brisson, Michael Markowsky, Candice Roach, Tajah Fatima Olson, Leilani the Artist, and Jeny Cassady.
A collection of drawings from our monthly Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School will also be up as part of the show. Host Shary Contrary brings in some of her favourite sketches from Aaron White, Ed Chee, Kim Parker and Vince Smith. Why can’t figure drawing be sexy? Part art class, part cabaret, join Dr Sketchy’s on the third Tuesday of the month at HAWC for 3 hours of drawing and decadence! drsketchyvancouver.com for tickets and info.
Official after party at Fox Cabaret
Thanks to What’s Up Hot Dog
Interview with Quebec artist Paul Beliveau
MUSIC: “Fragile, Do Not Drop” by Podington Bear
VIDEO & EDIT: Chris Bentzen
INTERVIEW: ALEX M F QUICHO for Winsor Gallery
TRANSLATION: SUNSHINE FRERE for Winsor Gallery
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A tribute art show to a Canadian icon as he celebrates his 79th birthday and enters his 80th year. This show features art celebrating the man, the myth, the legend, our environmental hero, David Suzuki! If anyone deserves a little celebrity treatment and fan-fare, it’s this tireless academic and activist. Artists include Adam Cramb, Alexandra Swistak, Amanda Haw, Amber Solberg, Amy Tom, Caroline Dahlmanns, Chris Bentzen, Ellen Scobie & Geemon Xin Meng, Eric Button, Erin Gibbs, Flavia C, Frances Cabahug, Fred Chevalier, Geemon Xin Meng, Helene Juzda, Holly Winters, Iris Yao, Joanne Go, Jody Jessop, Joe M.A.S.A.R.O. Gianoglio, John Shigeta, Joni Taylor, Joseph Wu, Kazimir Simpson, Kelly Baker, Lacey Williams, Mandy Lau, Marisa Pahl, Meaghan Kennedy, Melissa Eden, Melissa Thorpe, Natasha Vukovic, Pierre Castro, Riki Kuropatwa, Sheri Bakes, Sherri Rogers, Steve Rolston, Tamara Lauzon, Tayt Modern, Thalia Antonio, & Zargome. See photos from the show on Flickr >
Thanks to Greystone Books.
