Rebecca Payne’s Artist Guideline on the Use of the Colour Black and Various Shades of Black.
4th year Studio Art Major, made for Extended Practices II
“In this guideline, a set of rules has been distinctly laid out for the most optimized use of the colour Black, in or outside the artists’ practice. Due to the overwhelmingly large number of artists and art communities using Black and the various shades of Black incorrectly, a manual such as this has been written and must be thoroughly considered. Before attempting to use the colour Black in any future artworks, please read further and rediscover the important subtleties, applications, and the scope of Black.”
Two young art lovers admiring Marina Williams’ wonderful piece, “I Googled Myself” which won her fourth place in our annual Juried Art Show! Pictured here is one of nineteen computers that were a part of an installation, displayed at the Boarding House Gallery for our Juried Art Show Top 10 Exhibition.
We stole artists Stephanie Ionita and Rebecca Payne away from their opening reception for a bit to chat about their art which hung in the Zavitz Gallery. The opening was a huge success, and we are honoured that we were able to talk to the artists about their thought processes and decisions behind the show.
Stephanie Ionita is a Studio Art student in her last semester who focuses on painting and sculpture. Her early paintings, often described as ‘romantic’, consisted of white atmospheric gestural abstractions, describing content speaking both to abstraction and representational painting. Her current work continues to explore the idea of gesture, focusing on her response to organic structures through the act of painting and sculpture. With explorations with 3D materials, she challenges the idea of stillness vs. fluidity.
Rebecca Payne is a Studio Art student in third year creating paintings dealing with the body and lack of identity. Drawing from the rich history of painting, including the male gaze and women’s bodies for viewing pleasure, Rebecca paints, or rather unpaints, images of women; a method of painting that is both representational and abstract. She selects images of women from the internet, on popular pages that have not been tagged or identified, creating an abstraction that may at first appear romanticized, but which works as a critique on the use of painting to romanticize the lack of care for an identity in women used for viewing pleasure.
Read more to find out what these artists had to say about their seemingly similar but very different styles, and their advice on filling the Zavitz Gallery!
R: In this show with the talented Stephanie Ionita, it was exciting to combine our work, because while our work both comments on ideas of identity, together it became a critique on the identity of painting. Stephanie’s white paintings are atmospheric and romantic representations of various realities that really explore the romance and authenticity of gesture and mark making, while my black paintings counteract with a more cynical approach, representing realities of the body, drawing from the history of painting, and exploring lack of identity in women’s bodies in the present day.
Were did you come up with the idea of calling this show ‘Realities’?
R: It had a lot to do with ways that it played with both of our works. We focus on working between referencing something real and then abstracting it ourselves.
S: The thing that we are painting works as both representational and abstract, but then on a canvas, it looks abstract. So, it’s a realistic interpretation and then from there, we created a little play on words.
R: With our work too, it’s cool because it works from both ways. Steph kind of has a romantic approach to that and mine’s more ironic.
To touch on that, you both work with the absence of colour but in two completely opposite ways. It almost looks like one artist but once you get up close to the paintings, it’s clear that it is two different artists. Would you like to comment on that?
R: I think that [the title] Realities plays well with that too because the way that we paint looks really similar. Then in addition to that, we have two different approaches using very similar content but with different interpretations.
Do you think in the future, you two would ever do a collaboration?
S: That would be interesting! Our styles work really well together, I think that would be something we would look into.
R: For sure! I would be open to that. It’d be interesting to keep pursuing, especially based on how this went.
Would you two recommend anything for future students that are going to have a show in here? Little hints or advice that you’d like to give them?
R: If you’re going to work with someone else, talk with the other artist and make sure that the pieces go well together. They don’t necessarily have to match to the same level that ours match but just talking and making sure they go together well. I think it worked out well because ours play off of each other and have a little bit of word play which is nice.
S: I would definitely say think about if you’re trying to say a story in the way it’s set up or not, because that’s something we got asked. Everyone has their own interpretation of how a gallery is set up, so you go in, and think, ‘Am I supposed to be seeing a story here? Or is it a narrative that’s supposed to jump from one to another, or is it supposed to stand alone?’ We never really thought about that, and maybe that would have helped how we set it up and push it further, to get the idea across even more.
R: Baseline: put in what you like; what you want to show other people.
S: Yeah, it’s your show! This is a learning experience too, and a good one.
If you would like to keep up with what these talented artists are doing, check out their art pages! You can find them both on Instagram; @rebeccapayneart and @sionita_art_page
This is a photo from last semester’s print sale, in which we hit a record of most amount of sales in one print sale ever at the University of Guelph! Come out to this semester’s print sale, March 17, 18, 19 and support all the artists who have submitted! There is going to be some phenomenal work that students have been working on all semester.
An Interview with the Founders of The Gathered Gallery
Newfoundland and Labrador artist, Emily Pittman graduated from the University of Guelph Studio Art program last school year, with a focus on painting and drawing while here. Now living in St. John’s, Newfoundland, she is working at Anna Templeton Craft, Art and Design, a not-for-profit art centre. “I am dog obsessed, my favourite colour is purple, and the ukulele is my instrument of choice”.
Originally from Belleville, Ontario, Natalie Field is also a University of Guelph Studio Art Alumni. She focused on painting, drawing and printmaking while attending school, and is currently living in Toronto where she can enjoy the vibrant art scene. “I love spending time in greenhouses, drinking a cup of tea and finding the best cinnamon buns in town:.
The power team created The Gathered Gallery, a passion project that acts as an online catalogue for the contemporary art scene. Their partnership is a long-standing collaboration, as they have been seen collaborating before on their show in Zavitz Gallery, Drawn Up (2015). Their first ever collaboration was for a stop-motion animation in 2013, and ever since, they knew they wanted to work together.
Read on to find out what Natalie and Emily have to say about their collaboration, the artist residency they recently did, how they got started, and their advice for you!
Can you describe the moment you both decided to create The Gathered Gallery? What inspired the conception of this passion project and how did you get started?
It was January 2016 and we had just returned back to Guelph from Christmas Break. It really hit home for both of us that it was our last semester of school and we needed something to keep us engaged with the art community when we graduated. We were both interested in writing and wanted an outlet for that, as well. We treated the creation of the blog like an extra class and worked on it for three months before launching it in March 2016. We knew that we would be separated when we graduated because of our individual plans, so we needed a project that was feasible and that could still be successful with distance.
You’re both working in separate cities now that you have graduated. Is there any advice you have for anyone who might want to collaborate with someone else through long-distance?
We are both very passionate about this project and understand that it takes a lot of work and planning of schedules to allow for it to keep moving forward. Its definitely a commitment and takes many hours of Skyping each week. Also, we are getting better at taking on tasks individually while keeping in communication with the other. One piece of advice would be to make sure you are working with someone you genuinely like. Everything is harder over distance and genuinely wanting to spend lots of time talking with that person is important. It's a bonus that we get to be a part of each others lives from so far away!
Tell us about the residency you just did! What do you plan on doing while you’re together?
We were at Spark Box Studio in Picton Ontario, for a week-long Emerging Artist Residency! The studio is run by Chrissy Poitras and Kyle Topping, and for us it was a week full of interviews and studio visits with local artists, updates and new additions to our website, as well as a small publication with a hand-printed cover made in their print studio! It was a great opportunity for us to work together again, something we realize is important for the growth of this project.
As two very successful Guelph studio art alumni, do you have any advice for other students in the studio art program?
It has been very important for us to stay connected with the art community after graduating. We do that through the blog! It keeps us looking at art, thinking about art, and communicating with artists, all things that disappear quickly when you leave school. Having a project started before you graduate that you can carry into the real world can make the transition less scary - at least it did for us! Also, find at least one person you love to work with because it is the community of artists you will miss the most. One more thing! Ask your professors a million questions while you still can, every question you can think of! You'll miss their knowledge and guidance a lot.
If you would like to keep up with The Gathered Gallery and the incredible things they do, check out their website, www.thegatheredgallery.com where you can sign up for their monthly newsletter which summarizes the artists they covered that month on their website. Take a peek at their Instagram and Facebook pages as well! If you follow The Gathered Gallery Instagram, there is a chance to get your work “regrammed” with the #gatheredgrams project.
If you would like to keep up with their personal artwork and things they’re up to, you can follow Emily, @emilypittman and Natalie, @nat_field on Instagram.
Thank you so much to Emily and Natalie who took time out of their artist residency to answer our questions, it was a pleasure learning more about your work together!
Today’s the day!!! Come to this lecture, you won’t regret it! And while you’re out and about on campus, take a moment to walk around the Specialized Studios and MFA studios - open to the public before and after the lecture - to see what they have been up to all year!
We got the incredible chance to speak with artists Katherine (Katie) Owen and Larissa Abrams-Ogg, about their amazing show in Zavitz Gallery last semester, Overlooked, Undertouched. Read more to find out what inspired their show, how they approach their art-making process, and what advice they have for you!
Katie Owen uses recycled and found objects in her art and says that it is a large contributor to her love of art. She said, “I always feel a very personal connection to my work when I can look at it and not only see my idea but also see my memories”. Owen graduated from the University of Guelph Studio Art Program last semester and is currently working on opening a gallery and drop-in studio, with the aim to continue creating memories within the community.
Larissa Abrams-Ogg is in her final semester in the University of Guelph Studio Art Major. Larissa is an interdisciplinary artist who explores systems of personal and societal valuation, and their impact on everyday experiences. In addition to her studio practice, she is a body painter and a choral singer, and is interested in the making and dissemination of art as tools for social engagement. She plans to continue working independently upon graduation.
Tell us a bit about the exhibition and how it was inspired.
K: Larissa and I were originally interested in doing a group show with many more artists; last minute the show fell apart. But both Larissa and I were still interested in putting an exhibit together.
L: We didn’t have a plan at first. We’d never collaborated with each other before and pretty much never been in the same classes, so we weren’t familiar with each others’ work at all.
K: As we talked about our work, we were pleasantly surprised with how much we had in common and how our art would function together. We both seemed to be inspired by everyday things.
L: Or in trying to expose a hidden side of the mundane. So that became the purpose of the show.
How do you want people to read your exhibit/artworks?
K: I hope viewers come in, keep an open mind and just have fun! I hope that people take the opportunity to create personal interpretations of their own. If they happen to think about their relationships with everyday objects and concepts...well then that’s a bonus. !
L: Many of the works were about taking the time to observe things beyond an initial, superfluous reading. So I found myself thinking of the exhibition as an opportunity to “practice looking”, or to gain strategies for examining things that are otherwise considered uninteresting. Something viewers could take away and apply to their own surroundings beyond the show.
Did you work on any pieces together or was it mainly collaborating on the same idea? How do you think collaborating helped you in your personal artistic process, if at all?
K: Larissa and I made our pieces individually, all of my pieces were made prior to the exhibit.
L: And I made some new pieces specifically for the exhibition. There was, however, a lot of collaboration in how we divided the space. We thought it would be interesting to set up the room like a subtle mirror image, with works of similar size or shape echoing one another. If noticed, it might prompt a comparison, or a consideration of the works’ relationships across the room. We didn’t plan this initially- we noticed it happening when we started moving our work in, talked about it and realized that it could add another layer to the show.
K: Though we worked separately it was absolutely wonderful organizing an exhibit with another artist. I feel like I learned so much just in our conversations about how our pieces would create dialogue between one another. It felt very rewarding to have art come together and make sense, like we were apart of something larger than ourselves.
L: I always find working with another person such a great way to learn- you act like a fresh set of eyes on each other’s work. Katie had so many interesting ways of approaching the same problems as me that I wouldn’t have thought of- it gave me a lot to think about.
The exhibit was about everyday aspects of life that generally go unnoticed - was there anything particularly interesting or captivating that you discovered while working on the pieces for this show? Do you have a favourite piece because of it?
K: I don’t think I can say that I have just one favourite piece, but I was amazed when I took a step back and looked at our works. There are so many realms in which the ‘everyday’ goes unnoticed. The sky, the clothes we wear, branding, community action, body movements and nature, the list goes on and on. Our world is such a complex place with so much to see and experience. We are very lucky to live on such an amazing planet!
How do you usually approach a new piece of work?
L: I’m a major planner. I’ll start brainstorming ways to impart [a very specific] message with an experience, usually by trying to elicit an emotional response in people towards something, which in turn questions the nature of the thing and its relationship to the viewer. Once I come up with some possible ways to create the experience I have in mind, I just start experimenting which usually involves asking for peoples’ feedback, since I need to know how they’re experiencing the work. When I’m not sure what it is exactly I want to say, I let myself just work intuitively and see what comes out. Improvisation is a way for me to identify what it is I’m really after in work that I don’t plan.
K: When I make a work of art, it is usually a surprise to me. I sit down to do something I enjoy and sometimes something really worth while comes out of it. Other times I fall in love with an idea and feel great determination to get it out of my mind and into a piece! Being that I am on a student budget, a lot of my sculptures and installations are guided by materials I already own or can access easily. I think that has a big impact on what kind of work I make. It also allows me to feel a very personal connection to the finished product when it might be made out of a bit of wire that’s been kicking around my apartment for the last six years.
As un undergraduate student in their last semester and a graduate student from the Guelph Studio Art Program, what advice would you give anyone looking to either fill the Zavitz Gallery, or just general advice to anyone in the program?
K: My advice in terms of filling the Zavitz Gallery would be to plan ahead and have direct ideas. It can be competitive to get an exhibition so make sure you apply on time. Also this is your moment to shine, so make sure you make deliberate decisions. My general advice would be that no matter what your professors think is cool, always stay true to your interests. It’s much more fulfilling when someone likes your work when it’s the work you wanted to make.
L: I’d say it depends on your approach to planning a show. If you were to do what Katie and I did (pull a common theme out of your existing work) then I’d say just make work. Make lots and lots of work. Explore your ideas, get the things that don’t work out of your system, and start feeling your way towards what you’re truly interested in. In terms of general advice, I’d say it’s good to talk to people, observe how they respond to your work and ask for their opinion. The more perspectives the better, because what you think you’re saying in a piece isn’t always what people interpret, and because there’s such a wealth of brilliant ideas to be learned from those around you.
Art in the Bullring 2016 was a success! Thanks to everyone who submitted, and those who came out to support all the wonderful talent we have at our school!
An incredible show rocked the Zavitz Gallery a few weeks ago! Shipping & Handling by Rebecca Casalino, Caroline Popiel, and Claudia Rick - members of the Art Police Collective.
The University of Guelph offers many printmaking classes including courses on lithography, silkscreening, intaglio, photo printmaking, and experimental printmaking. Our print presses are to die for! Pictured here are some lovely Intaglio students, working hard and having fun.
Scroll(ing), an amazing past Zavitz exhibition playing with the Terms and Conditions of Use of various companies. Caroline Popiel, Christine De Vuono, and Taylor Kidd.
We have some phenomenal speakers coming to speak to University of Guelph Students, check it out! Be sure not to miss tomorrow’s speaker as Xenia Benivolski kicks off Guelph’s 2016-2017 speaker series.
Welcome home, Guelph creators! The year has only just begun and Zavitz studios have already come alive with energetic workers... this is going to be an amazing year!
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