Skip to content

Next up at the Gallery@Cove Commons: 'New works, Sculpture and Printmaking'

The new exhibit will run from August 14 to September 16
Photo
Vanessa Hall-Patch is particularly interested in the Davies Orchard cottages.

Russell Hackney, Vanessa Hall-Patch, Marty Levenson and Julie York are four Bowen Island artists who pursue professional art careers both on Bowen Island and in Vancouver. As long-time practitioners, they were enthused by the prospect of a joint show that would challenge each of them to create new work to inspire residents and visitors to the island.

Russell Hackney is a maker in porcelain. Russell’s new work is a welcome pause from his functional work. It allowed him to take a creative journey inspired by Bowen’s quality of forested silence. Through an exploration of the practice of Quietism Russell was led to create a collection which reflects the quiet in nature, a quiet that allows for the kind of deep reflection and creative thinking that brings joy to him and many on the island. 

Vanessa Hall-Patch intersects traditional and digital processes to create works on paper by layering multiple photo-based printmaking techniques, such as etching, screen printing, relief, and embossing. 

Focusing on themes of collecting, recording and preservation, Vanessa documents vernacular structures within her rural surroundings on Bowen Island. For years, she has observed and archived the slow decay and deconstruction of the cluster of cottages within Davies Orchard on the island. Although central to the booming resort era of the early-to-mid 1900s, with no maintenance, the structures have deteriorated over time, creating a curious abandoned presence in the hub of our small island community.

Marty Levenson is a printmaker and registered art therapist. He has shown his monoprints internationally since 1986. For his latest additions to the “Jacquie’s Garden” series, Marty hopes that the ink’s sensuality encourages a reverie letting the viewers’ thoughts evolve into fluid narratives and associations. His deep familiarity with how ink behaves under pressure sets the parameters for unplanned, natural occurrences after which he responds with more layering of ink or small deliberate charcoal and pastel marks. This practice is not intended as self-expression but rather as an exploration of Marty’s place in this life.

Julie York is an artist who works in traditional craft materials using non-traditional approaches, redefining the use of clay in sculptural work. Her work has been included in shows nationally and internationally. York is an associate professor of art at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. 

Julie’s philosophy is rooted in a studio practice that grows out of inquiry and investigation, creating work that is both visual and contemplative. 

Julie is intrigued by the connection between objects and their images (both physical and mental) and the ways in which people perceive and understand them. The work presents itself in a way that challenges the understanding of how and what one sees.

“New works, Sculpture and Printmaking” by Russell Hackney, Vanessa Hall-Patch, Marty Levenson, Julie York will be shown at the Gallery @ Cove Commons, Bowen Island, from August 14 to September 16, with an opening reception held Saturday, August 17 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.