Hey! David here again. Thanks for subscribing, and welcome back to The Corner! Each month, we’ll bring you the latest updates on what’s happening at the gallery, along with highlights from the vibrant arts scene in Haliburton County and the big wide world. Whether it’s upcoming exhibitions, local events, or noteworthy trends in the artscape, we’ve got you cornered. I mean, covered.
It’s spooky season y’all! My favourite. Here’s a visual throwback to last October when I got to cosplay being a real artist with gallery representation for one whole month! (Of course, I get to choose the artists…so, I had to pull very few strings.) That’s Dracula hanging beside my ghostly apparition. You can tell it’s him by the one extra white pixel where his canine tooth is.
Have you done any spooky-season inspired art? I would love to see it. But really. I really would. Don’t be shy. Bring your freak. Come on by and make me feel weird, please. ‘Tis the season!
Big love, all.
David Partridge Curator Corner Gallery, Haliburton
INSIDE THIS MONTH
unPROMPTed
Artist of the Month
Get Interested
Work of the Month
Go Ahead, Inspire Me
unPROMPTed
I give you a word, you give me a work.
New work, old work, doesn’t matter. Tie it into the word and get included in the next newsletter.
This month, your word is Dusk. It feels like we’re entering perpetual dusk, so why not? What’s your take? Show me!
Check out the entries from last month below for the word Tried. You guys really put the coal in the engine on this one. Or, tried. Maybe the word was a subliminal guilt trip. Sorry about that! Thanks, though!
I Tried: Gaia Orion
Being an artist is about trying again and again. The paintings you see on a gallery wall, Don’t get fooled by the beautiful work, There are only a small percentage of those who made it through. Sweat, blood (well not really!), hair pulling, tears, and dog disasters, So many that you will never see All these days when I tried!
Catherine Graham: Cottonwoods by the Quarry
Tried: David Geene
I liked your prompt for this month: “TRIED”. As an anagram, it could be TIRED, or E-DIRT, or EDIT-R, or DRITE (a new word?). It’s also part of the saying “tried and true”. For me, this process of developing my artistic career has been a whole series of “tries”: trial, error, success, setback, and pushing myself and my practice into new realms. My submission for your prompt is the first painting with oils I have done since Grade 7 electives in elementary school (I’m 63 now). Many colleagues, friends, and family have encouraged me to “try” oils again. That I’ll love it. That I won’t go back to acrylics. And now I can say, I “tried”! And I may try again in the future, but for now, I am enjoying pushing acrylics and other media into some new areas of discovery.
Tried: Deborah Reed
I’ve also tried not to be a ‘staunch introvert’. I immediately admired Dave Rolfe’s art. I thought I could spot him inside of it. I didn’t know then he was introverted. I felt he had some good quiet stuff to say. I had no words back then to tell him so. He proves there are other important ways to express without fanfare.
To admit to introversion might not be risky. Not punishable by fear and loathing. We articulate best within safety. Within respect and trust. We hope that others might try to learn us. We’re always breathing aliveness, but not naturally sharing it. I happen to write – and sometimes paint – to try representing myself, to offer bridges, but with a vital reflex to pull away whenever enough’s enough. Trying is all I have for growing up or finding peace.
She Tried: Zoey Zoric
Tried: Alex Isbister
Ah, I see already that “here goes” announces an experiment, a trying, a trial. In a few minutes I will look back at these sentences and see that I have “tried” something out, “tried” to approach a meaning.
I’m reminded of the difference between trying to lift a coffee cup and lifting the coffee cup, between the trying and the doing.
And I see that speech is behaviour. “Trying” evokes a notion of behaviour. I sometimes need reminding that speech, words, writing, are behaviour too.
And here comes, “Sticks and stones …” The aphorism is quite wrong. The pain (or peace or joy or sadness or anger or horniness or …) that symbols, including words, can cause is a demonstration that they are behaviour.
Wait. Did I just say that if it can evoke emotion it must be behavioural? That can’t be right but it is what I thought as I wrote it.
Move away from that idea.
Another connection of “trial” is a search for justice, the concert that takes place in a courtroom. Another is an iteration of an experiment.
So what? The word seems to hit high-minded targets and low, from a search for justice to the uncertainty of a gesture.
So, how do words even work? Holy mackerel!
Catherine McRae: Tried Even with a broken hand! Now, that’s trying!
ARTIST OF THE MONTH: ROD PROUSE
Rod is an innovator. An absolute original. Point at a Prouse painting and you know it’s his, immediately. I don’t think that’s an easy thing to pull off anymore.
Now that I think about it, his work is easily recognizable but absolutely never a facsimile of another of his works. How in the world does this man do it?! When I ask him, he just laughs. His style points are through the darn roof!
If you’re fortunate enough to own one of his works, have me over for dinner, would ya? I want to see it.
Until it’s slashed up by art-extremists and repaired…and suddenly, the people who wrote it off as being without merit are seeing the repairs and thinking that something about the painting doesn’t sit right with them. The repair is visible and thus, offensive to their taste. So, maybe the work was perfect before, and that’s why you hadn’t noticed it? Now it’s ruined? Only now? I think this conversation is interesting and I like the take in this article. And yes, he brings up the banana taped to the wall. Will we ever escape it? Maybe not. And maybe it could be much worse. After all, I love bananas.
And here’s a giant clothespin.
That’s it, really. It was removed from a Belgian park in 2022 after 12 great years keeping things together. RIP giant clothespin. You live on in images that predate AI and for that reason alone, I believe in you.
OUR ART. YOUR HOME.
I know…it’s challenging to find the right piece for your home. What looks great in the gallery might not look so good at home. The colour, the size, the subject matter, the style; it all needs to be taken into account, and that can be a lot.
Well, that’s where I come in!
I’d be delighted to stop by with a selection of paintings for you to look at – as well as ideas about other artworks we have access to that might be perfect. We can discuss what works for you, and why. Think of it like your own personal art shopper.
There’s no obligation to buy anything – and people say I’m very relaxed and friendly. I just love the art that we have here in the gallery and want to share it.
Respond to this email and let’s chat!
WORK OF THE MONTH:
Success by Greg Gillespie
It’s no surprise at all that Greg’s sculpture was the cover of this year’s Arts Directory. It’s an unbelievable work, and it’s worth coming in to see.
Do you see the fish in the birds mouth and the splashing water? Yeah. Those are also wood. The whole thing is carved. Everything. Whoa, right?
The delicacy, the movement, the tiny drips on the bottom of the wings?! World class, just like Greg.
