Detached
January 2 to February 3, 2007

What you see isn’t always what you’ll get. Sometimes what you see is just an illusion or perhaps it’s your own perspective, clouded by expectations, biases and desires. But who says this is always a bad thing? The beauty of the abstract is that one painting can create hundreds of experiences, opinions and emotions from hundreds of people. You may see the natural silhouette of Eve while your friend sees a sports car driving into the sunset. You may see an embedded story while your friend sees a girl in a dress. You may see joy and love in the colours and textures and he may see pain and anguish in the shadows. 

Art Works Gallery presents Detached: An Exhibition of Abstracts, featuring work from over 20 of the gallery’s artists. Feature artist Riyadh Hashim says his work reveals a part of history – both of himself and of the relationship between himself and his work. For one particular piece, over a couple of months, he nurtured the relationship he had with his work – some days he would look at it, have lunch with it and other days he would just sit with it and work with it. He says if you look, there are many layers to the painting - with a new day came a new layer, a new moment and a new emotion, which he enjoyed expressing in this piece.

Hashim, born in Mesopotamia and raised in South Iraq, has been living and working as an artist in Vancouver since 1995. He says his work acts as a bridge to the cultural evolution within himself and allows his cultural influences and his daily life experiences reflect in his work. 

Twenty-one other abstract gallery artists also share their work in Art Works Gallery’s first show of 2007 – Detached: An Exhibition of Abstracts. Read on to learn more on the artists.

Alan Alldredge
Born to a well-known artist Joy Alldredge, Alan started his professional art career at the tender age of twelve. Among his early accomplishments, he received the Best Young Artist in Texas scholarship and received a major publishing contract out of high school. Alldredge developed a leafing process that can convert an already neutral palette into shimmering champagnes tones and exotic metallic shades. 

Craig Alan
Alan’s talents lay dormant until his sophomore year of college when he found a vehicle for expression through his first formal art class. From the beginning, Craig gained recognition for his work. He was honored by having his work included among forty-two finalists in a field of 1600 submissions for Mobile University’s most prestigious exhibition. 

Bill Bragg
Bill Bragg has been inspired by the works of Bacon, Goya and Durer. Bragg has the ability to intrigue the viewer with his strong sweeping strokes of the palette knife. His use of colour and texture creates an atmosphere of romance and spiritualism. He takes care of the visual while leaving the analysis up to the viewer. Bragg's work is found in collections throughout Canada and the United States.

Loretta Banderas
For more than fifteen years, she has lived and worked in Arizona, where she is influenced by the shape and colors of the land in the Southwest. She holds a BA and an MFA from Truman State University and Southern Illinois University, respectively. For her, the most successful abstract images come from a kernel of a landscape or structural form.

Charlotte Cornish
She has been painting and printmaking full time since 1992, when she completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Printmaking at The Slade School of Art. Cornish concentrates on two printing techniques, screen printing and etching. Each painting takes from six to eight weeks to complete. 

Deguy 
Deguy began his creative journey close to his fortieth birthday, but hardly a late bloomer. He had been working with colour and form for more than 25 years as a graphic designer and art director. Today, his works hang in collections in London, New York and San Francisco. 

Leslie Emile
After a brief hiatus from painting, Leslie Emile comes out of seclusion and paints the moment; interprets a feeling, captures an emotion, and reflects an environment larger than life. In Leslie's words "I catch the instant".

Graham Forsythe
For most of his childhood and adult life, Forsythe was considered legally blind. In 1991, after undergoing surgery and gaining sight, he has been actively painting ever since. From pulling herring nets in the Northeast Atlantic; herding sheep in the South Pacific; to timber cruising the Queen Charlotte Islands - and earning a degree in political science, all of his varied experiences contribute to his lively works of art.

Steve Fortier
Since 1996, Fortier has been painting full-time in his Gastown studio in Vancouver. Before then, he ran a design and advertising agency for twelve years, painting when he could. Today, his high realism and vibrant colours are suspended against solid background colours. He says, “I let the shapes and colours lead me.”

Allen Hayes
Born to a deaf mother, symbols and other non verbal linguistic tools became essential in his day to day life. He quickly developed an interest in Egyptology, a field where symbolism is an integral part of communication. This interest eventually led to painting and printmaking and he soon won a scholarship to Northern Illinois University. Chosen as one of five graduate positions out of 3500 positions, he studied at the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago. Since then, he has produced globally renowned works.

Marie-Danielle Leblanc
Everybody wants a piece from this native of Montreal with a BFA from the University of Quebec. Leblanc’s work is always in high demand, with the raw pigments, tar, varnish and resins as her primary source of inspiration. This artist holds the secret to capturing the essence of these materials and creating not just a piece of artwork but a beautiful story. 

James Leonard
A Nashville native, Leonard worked full time as an artist in the early 90s where he discovered a passion for communicating visually. He now resides in the San Francisco Bay area where he creates lush and vibrant abstracts and figuratives in his studio. His work is collected throughout the US.

Marc-Robert North
A lifelong West coaster, North uses vivid and clean colour to illicit strong emotional responses from the viewer. North is known for his crisp, clean lines – capturing the purest of form.

Leslie Poole
One of Canada’s most extensively exhibited artists, Poole has had over 100 solo gallery exhibitions. He received his MFA from Yale University in 1970 and ever since, his work has been found in major public, private and corporate collections nationally.

Martin Quen 
Born in Atlanta, Quen was exposed to the art world at an early age with a mother as a well-respected designer and art consultant, so discussions on art and design were commonplace in the Quen home. He entered graffiti competitions and quickly became world renowned. His work softened and evolved into more sophisticated compositions. Today his work can be found in both national and international collections.

Sharon Quirke 
Quirke began her career teaching in the Okanagan Valley. She then received her MFA at Concordia University and began her painting career in Vancouver. She has exhibited her work in group and solo shows since 1987 and has illustrated a children’s book. She is the founder and an instructor at the Pissarro School of Art in West Vancouver. 

Ann Thinghuus
Born in Denmark, educated in Europe and North America, Ann Thinghuus’ artistic style represents several cultural and cosmopolitan influences which manifests in her work. Thinghuus’ versatility and range uncommon among young artists of her generation, reflect in her talent as an educator of young artists in bloom at a Canadian public school. 

Niro Vasali
Studying at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and later at the Atlanta College of Art, he uses his education and Italian roots to create a work that is reminiscent of the landscapes of southern Italy. 

Corrinne Wolcoski
Born in Victoria, raised in the Okanagan and educated at Emily Carr Institute of Art (graduating with honours) and Design, her work depicts the local landscapes she recalls from her childhood. This desire for simplicity and minimalist images are a direct result from sensory overload; the visual over-stimulation of the everyday. Her work is about the process of painting and the end result is to capture and interpret beauty.

Art Works Gallery is located at 225 Smithe St (corner of Cambie). Gallery hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 to 6. Call 604.688.3301, email info@artworksbc.com or visit www.artworksbc.com for more info.