CURATOR’S CORNER
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.
Last year, around this time, I attended a felting class in Bobcaygeon with Felt Crafty (she’s great). We were walked through the process of how to make a really adorable reindeer (photo left). Everyone else did amazingly. The jury is out on mine.
When I dug through the bin of coloured felts (mostly brown, red and green, of course)…a bright yellow caught my eye. Right at the bottom. Nice. And then, an orange. Okay. Now we’re getting somewhere, I realized. My reindeer will be different. I sat down. I focused. I started poking. Sometimes, my thumb.
I don’t think I have to tell the rest of the story, as the photo probably already did, but pretty soon my Different Reindeer turned into Big Bird (photo right). He has no arms. Which wasn’t a conscious choice, but rather a constraint imposed by the amount of yellow felt that was brought to a reindeer-making class. I used all of it. Sorry to anyone there who had a vision they couldn’t pull together because of my own.
Anyway. Big bird is now my Christmas decoration. I mean, I bled for this decoration (from my thumb). I will, of course, display him proudly.
All this to say, I hope you’re all celebrating in whatever way you want to be! You can be a reindeer in a room full of reindeer. That’s really comfy. You can also be a Big Bird. There’s no right answer. Thank goodness for that.
I might have learned all of this on Sesame Street.
The gallery is closed for a break until Jan 6th. After that, Big Bird exhibition?
Big love.
David Partridge
Curator
Corner Gallery, Haliburton
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INSIDE THIS MONTH
- unPROMPTed
- Artist of the Month
- Get Interested
- Work of the Month
- Go Ahead, Inspire Me
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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. Respond to this email to submit! Anyone can do it. Yes, even you! Come on, now.
This month, your word is Imperfect. What does it imply? Who knows? You tell me.
Check out the entries from last month below for the word Convention. They’re unconventional.
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Deborah Reed
The Earring
It’s a radical act to consciously tweak convention. Timeworn rules for the sake of uniformity inevitably beg for periodic reevaluation. Change can feel right and good. And a single brave young voice can nudge freedom to feel just a bit better for everyone.
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Janet Trull
As for Convention
Writers and artists sometimes make the mistake that they can break from convention, without a deep understanding of the standards.
No.
Study the conventions and understand the rules. The Oxford comma. The Elements of Art. The Principles of Design. Then go for it. Break the hell out of the conventions.
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Alex Isbister
Convention. CONVENTION.
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A gathering of people with some alignment of interest or purpose. The alignment itself. A common practice or habit of some group of people or organizations.
What do you suppose is a “vention”?, against which or in accordance with which “convention” might set itself.
Might a “vention” be the random blowing of a wind or breeze and whatever it might carry? There’s Bob Dylan blowin’ in the wind again, an uncertain answer, vector, discernible only by by the privileged few (Oh God, please include me) and only by paying sensitive attention. And in answer to the need, upon a breeze, to ride the uncertainty of a fragile next moment, to discipline my self to stay in this evolving moment, comes a desire to lock it down, to make it predictable, manageable, to create a convention. My impulse is that it makes me safer, looks after these uncertainties …. But look out, because others will emerge….
We’re living right now with the explosion of geopolitical convention, right in our own back yard, our own front yard – whoops – right inside our own homes, oh sh*t! Inside my own mind! And immediately, immediately, there’s the exciting reassurance of creating new conventions to replace the treachery of the old. We have new conventions with Sweden and Germany, with China, Indonesia, India and more. New conventions with the USA.
Thankfully, I sigh, here comes the safety of more reliable conventions.
And look. I’m all in favour. Warplanes that work are better, IMHO, than warplanes we can’t count on. And being an energy superpower? I’m in! Homegrown veggies from vertical farms with better microclimate control? At last!
But life is fragile. I know that better now in the evening of my own life. Convention saves us LOT of trouble – but won’t ever be the last word.
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Mike Efford
Convention can be something of a monolith; a hardened, compacted mass of durable material, whose origin becomes more inscrutable with time.
At its worst it can be heavy, cumbersome to carry forward any distance, and resistant to movement. But embraced simply as a core principle, convention can be strong enough yet flexible enough to form an anchor for exploration, to support elaboration of concept and form, and to underpin fleeting surface level variation.
My own 3 dimensional sculptural expression aims to be more fluid than monolithic. Mixed media sculpture is multi-faceted and in tune with the vast complexity of landscape as well as our contemporary perceptions of it. This work, Terrain Aeriality #2, references landscape through form, material, colour and viewpoint, collaging everything around the loose but eternal convention of landscape.
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ARTIST OF THE MONTH: ZOEY ZORIC
This is a tad unconventional…so it’s perfect!
We don’t currently have any of Zoey’s work in the gallery. But, she’s still our Artist of the Month. Why? Because she’s incredible, and we do what we want, okay?!
She participated in our second Reveal event and has stunned us at Coffee + Canvas several times when she has brought in some work for us to ogle.
As great a human as she is a painter, and a new addition to Haliburton county…I, for one, couldn’t be happier to have her around.
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GET INTERESTED
No offence to anyone involved, but many things about this video are very silly. Sponsored by Coors? Creating ‘instant savant’ pills after studying this man (oh, no thank you)? The re-enactments?! (…like, man, how many showers do you need to take in a 6 minute video?!) But, the story is entirely unbelievable. Imagine bashing your head and then being incredible at something you’d never even tried before*. Derek Amato dove into a pool, hit his head and could suddenly play piano like he’d been playing his whole life… Watch Derek take showers, sponsored by Coors, here.
*Maybe don’t try it, though.
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LOVE THE ART, BUT AREN’T ENTIRE SURE? RENT IT.
Did you know you can rent artwork from us?
Why would you want to do that? Well, sometimes you’re not sure if you have the right space for it. Or, you’re not sure the work will feel right where you’re picturing it. Or, you’re having discerning friends up and you’re looking to impress. Or, you’re staging the place. I could go on and on. There are an infinite number of reasons to rent art, and we’re the place for it. For only 5% of the cost of the work per week, you can make sure it’s just right. We can help.
Respond to this email and let’s look at options!
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WORK OF THE MONTH:
Memories of Redstone by Rod Prouse
We were fortunate enough to have Rod drop by right when last week’s Coffee + Canvas was starting. Nothing is ever planned with Rod. It just works out.
We got to listen to stories, learn some tips, explore concepts and most importantly, laugh. The guy is hilarious, and you risk missing it, because he won’t break character. So, keep up with him! He’s only 80, for goodness sake!
Here’s Memories of Redstone. “It doesn’t look like that anymore!” he says. It did at one point?! I sure wish it did now!
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GO AHEAD, INSPIRE ME
Are we in the depth of winter? Darkness, certainly. Let’s all find our invincible summer.
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123 Maple Ave, Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
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