Come Together; the power of art in Vancouver, BC

The best thing about the power of Art, whether it be a painting, a film or a concert, are the stories behind the work. The ability for the Art to elicit an emotional response, and forge a connection with the viewer, is something of magic. I find that people connect to my work more, when they learn some of the story behind the making of the work, or the inception of the idea that inspired the work. I never know how a painting I make, will affect viewers. When someone connects to a painting, it is fascinating, and sometimes surprising, to find out what that connection is for the viewer.

This past weekend we were fortunate enough to enjoy legendary rock star, Paul McCartney, in concert in Vancouver for his ‘Freshen Up’ world tour. As the performer is now 77 years old and has been performing for over 60 years, his music has forged deep connections with the fans, so deep it can be felt emanating from the crowd. Over three hours, and 36 songs spanning six decades, the energy emanating from the audience was more powerful than the megawatt sound-system blasting out the guitar riffs and melodies.

In the crowd there were many stories, people sharing and connecting, over their love of music. I connected with a woman sitting directly in front of us. She had been at the Beatles concert in Vancouver in 1964, when they broke in North America. She says the screaming of the girls was so loud, she could not hear the music. She was thrilled to be able to sit and enjoy hearing Paul, live, for the first time. Having just had hip replacement surgery, she was told not to travel or sit for long periods, but traveled anyway to see the concert. She flew in for the concert from Fort St. John, and later found she grew up in Edmonton, and was born in my home town of Victoria BC, at the same hospital where I peaked my head into the world.

beatles inspired painting

For many, McCartney and The Beatles inspired generations of artists to write, record, paint, draw and even create films. Their art influenced, and continues to influence generations of creatives. I know for myself, my days in the studio would be a lot less lively without music, and most days I am listening to Sirius satellite radio Beatles channel. As Jerry Seinfeld has noted, the channel is a ‘revelation’. The love was flowing and then McCartney gave a shout out to a young Indigenous singer from Cape Breton , who had recently recorded a Mi’kmaq version of The Beatles ‘Blackbird’. This version in the teen singers native language, was another example of art inspiring art, and art carrying on to the next generation, ready for it to me re-imagined in new ways.

The weekend prior to the concert I was in attendance at the opening of the recent Danny Boyle film, Yesterday, inspired by The Beatles. The story is about a struggling musician who realizes he’s the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles, after waking up in an alternate timeline where they never existed. I loved this take on The Beatles and their influence on popular music, it made me question the Earth without the existence of Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, or Picasso. It’s a great question and a timely one, what if great Art and artists never existed? What a world would it be? It would be a very grey, indeed.

Whether it’s visual or aural, Art has the power to connect us and inspire us on many levels. The sharing of these experiences, brings us closer. A world without the Arts, would be that much colder, indeed. Where will you get your next dose of Art?

Celebrating 12 Years Painting Canada.

July 1, 2019 marked my 12^th year as a full-time professional visual artist, painting Canada. This past week I received an email from an art dealer in the Silicon Valley, their first question to me, “how long have you been an artist?” This is always a very strange question to an artist, as artists’ we have all been making art since we were children, and as such we have always considered ourselves artists.

This means, I have been an artist for over 40 years. My professional career, where I began showing and selling my work, began about 30 years ago, while still in high school. Over the past two decades, I have spent a considerable amount of time setting myself up as an independent self-representing artist. For many years I worked a side job, while producing artwork, mostly drawing. I began painting, seriously, about 18 years ago.

The past 12 years have been all about painting, exhibiting, traveling, and selling my art. Over the past 8 years I have worked hard at immersing myself deeply into the Canadian art communities of Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Toronto. I have created two collaborative projects, written for numerous Canadian publications and artist websites and have contributed to the Canadian Arts community through advocacy groups and on public art committees. I’ve visited a few art fairs, won a few awards and been paid to show my work. I have been commissioned to make work for corporations and private clients, and have licensed my work to many unique brands in Canada and the USA. As I head into my 13^th year, I am reflecting on some works of the past.

Twelve paintings for 12 years. It was hard for me to pick twelve, as I have painted near 400 now. It was also more challenging to pick favourites as the years increased. I am finding I now have more favourites than I did in the beginning. Maybe it highlights consistency as an artist as my years of experience grow, or as my passion for painting deepens. You would think after 12 years of painting daily my interest would wain, but it is quite the opposite, the intensity and passion grow. Rather than focus on my accomplishments of the past twelve years, I want to focus on the personal side of my journey as an Artist, and how life and art are intertwined and have become one in the same.

Here are 12 paintings for 12 years;

2007

The TREES Period: in 2007 I was fresh out of the gate with full days to concentrate on painting, naturally I began with nature. My live/work studio at the time was a 6^th floor view of Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC – nothing but trees for miles. I guess I had trees on the brain, and still love finding the character in each tree I meet.

Arbutus Hug – 40×30, acrylic on canvas, 2007, Brandy Saturley

2008

The VEGAS Period: in 2006 I was married in Las Vegas, by Elvis of course! The sheer ‘overload’ and ‘overstimulation’ provided by this loud landscape was putting electric images in my head. The otherworldly shows of Montreal born, Cirque Du Soleil, helped push these ideas as my mind spun like a top.

Cirque Reflections – 48×24, acrylic on canvas, 2008, Brandy Saturley

2009

The BEATLES Period: this marks the year that I FULLY connected with the Beatles and their entire catalogue of music. I was born years after they broke-up, but once I fully embraced their music, they have played consistently in the background of my studio. The Beatles channel on Sirius satellite radio is a revelation, and the narratives of their music, as well as their album covers continue to inspire my brush. The Beatles Period has never really ended and continues to creep into my work.

Passion Gnu Solo (Glass Onion Soup) – 48×48, acrylic on canvas, 2009, Brandy Saturley

2010

The TRANSITIONAL Period: as I continued to move forward with mastering figurative techniques in my paintings, my romance with the landscapes of Canada remained. This year I moved my home and studio into a space more than double my previous. My view turns to lagoon, ocean and estuary, with birdsong and nature at the helm. The greenness of BC and the trees brought inspiration for my largest painting to date, at 48” wide by 60” wide, this piece is a showstopper of soothing green and abstract forms.

Aerial Landscape: Crossroads – 48×60, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2010

2011

The #ICONICCANUCK Period

2010 brought the Olympic games to Vancouver BC – Canadian stereotype and pride was at an all-time high on the west coast of Canada, a place where we usually escape the stereotypical mounties, beer, moose and hockey. It made me think. What does it mean to be a Canadian? I began with hockey; the rest is history.

Goalie’s Mask: red, white & Dryden – 36×48, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2010

2012

As I continue with my ‘Canadian’ comment I incorporate the Canadian flag for composition purposes, on the landscape. Travels through the Rocky Mountains imprint on my mind. Emboldening my comment on Canada.

Poppies For Louise – 48×36, acrylic on canvas, 2012, Brandy Saturley

2013

With a Goalie Mask on the Canadian flag, my initial representation of Canada, my focus turns to nature and a black bear skull on the iconic Hudson’s Bay Company stripes. A good representation of Canadian symbolism in art.

HBC Skull – 36×48, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2013

2014

The CANCER Period: the end of 2014 marked a bit of exhaustion and a diagnosis of cervical cancer, with a radical hysterectomy and lymph node removal, the remedy. In December, I had major surgery. It was another transitional time, and reminder that art does not happen without health. This year changed my outlook on life, and as an artist.

Dreaming in the Colours of Eh – 48×36, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2014

2015

The CANADIANISMS Period: the beginning of 2015 marked my comeback from surgery and aftereffects. It took me a while to get my core muscles back, as I began the year with some very small works. By the Summer I was back at it with this large format piece, at 48×48 inches. I was thinking beyond the stereotypes of Canada and turning back to the landscapes, nature and our connection to the land.

Canadian Subconscious – 48×48, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2015

2016

The REBIRTH Period: a new body, a new mindset and a renewed interest in the landscape, this time interjecting myself into the famous landscapes of Lawren Harris and the Group of Seven. My commentary as a female Canadian painter was deepening, as my fearlessness in art and life had grown to new heights. I felt fully prepared to take on the greats and claim my spot in Canadian art history.

Let Your Backbone Rise – 36×36, acrylic on canvas, Brandy Saturley, 2016

2017

The CANADA150 Period: with the past 5 years painting themes of Canadiana, the public galleries came calling for content. With a traveling solo retrospective, numbering more than 30 paintings, my year was filled with celebration, art talks, conversations, and stories that would fill my next bodies of work. As the past paintings connected with audiences in other parts of Canada, I continued to paint myself into the landscape. Marveling at it’s grandeur, examining it’s importance in Canadian art, honouring the land and holding it safely for future generations.

A Landscape to Go – acrylic on wood panel, 36×36, Brandy Saturley, 2017

2018

The LANDSCAPE AS PORTRAIT Period: with 2018 came another change in life, a move into a new home and studio, my largest studio to date. With this change a need to move my comment on Canada forward. I began looking more to my feelings, expressing these feelings through use of colour and form, while continuing to keep a figure in the landscape. My new, visionary paintings collage different, unexpected elements of Canadiana rendered in my characteristic pop aesthetic. These landscapes oscillate between a graphic realism used for Canada’s famous mountain peaks or views of forest lakes, and the abstractness of the colorful, even psychedelic backgrounds. These new paintings are otherworldly, transportive and playful.

Raised in The Sky – acrylic on canvas, 36×48, Brandy Saturley, 2018

Onto lucky number 13.

2019

The LONDON Year: taking my art, International.

As I head into year thirteen, I am preparing for a new adventure and opportunity to push the boundaries of my painting. For one month I will be making new work at the Royal College of Art in London as part of their Contemporary Art Summer program. It will be an intense three weeks of art making in the largest city in the European Union, and one of the world’s major art centres. As I work on preparing materials for my trip, I am looking forward to connecting with my Cornish heritage. Bringing my ‘Canadianisms’ to London – I am excited about this new opportunity to examine my work, through a British lens.

You can watch my progress in London on Instagram, my Facebook fan page or here on this blog.

Posts

THE POWER OF ART

Come Together; the power of art in Vancouver, BC

12 Years Painting Canada

Celebrating 12 Years Painting Canada.

Here are 12 paintings for 12 years;

Onto lucky number 13.

Tag Archive for: beatles

Posts

Come Together; the power of art in Vancouver, BC

Celebrating 12 Years Painting Canada.

Here are 12 paintings for 12 years;

Onto lucky number 13.