Ross Penhall: Accidentally on Purpose Closing Party Miniature Sale, Saturday, May 2, 7:30-10 p.m., at the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art. Tickets: $35, phone 604-998-8563 or visit gordonsmithgallery.ca.
A show wrapping tomorrow at the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art is seeking to offer insight into the steps undertaken by artists leading up to their completion of a work.
"A lot of people see that final canvas, but they don't have a chance to see everything that led up to it. And that's what we want to do is showcase all the work, and the thought, and the energy, and the exciting artistic process that goes behind those larger canvases," says Astrid Heyerdahl, executive director of The Gordon and Marion Smith Foundation for Young Artists and gallery curator. Accidentally on Purpose, an exhibition of works by West Vancouver artist Ross Penhall, has been on display at the Gordon Smith gallery since March 3. The show is wrapping Saturday, and the gallery is hosting a celebratory and fundraising Closing Party Miniature Sale that evening, getting underway at 7:30 p.m. Penhall has long been a supporter of the three-pronged organization -comprised of the foundation, gallery and Artists for Kids - donating prints in addition to teaching and leading workshops. "(It's so exciting) to work with local artists who are so highly respected and collected in our community and who are really excited about working with students and who want to support a gallery that is an educational gallery.. .. We wouldn't be here without artists like Ross Penhall," says Heyerdahl. Accidentally on Purpose features a selection of Penhall's recent works, mainly from 2012 onwards, showcasing what he's been doing lately, and his progression as an artist. "It's very exciting to be able to showcase those works for the first time to the public in some cases," says Heyerdahl.
The exhibition features a selection of newer landscapes, some looking at Palm Springs and other locations outside B.C. "Of course being the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art our focus is always on education so we're wanting to showcase not only his newest work as so many other galleries would do, but wanting to showcase the process by which he creates his work, the artistic impetus behind his pieces," says Heyerdahl. A space has been dedicated to this interest, seeing the exhibition of things like preparatory drawings and smaller studies, as well as an explanation of the underpainting process. "We're showing the public his sources of inspiration and how he's taken that step by step and to the final product," says Heyerdahl. The third component of Accidentally on Purpose is Penhall's installation, Accidental Fragments, featuring 315 six by six-inch pieces, which he crafted by carving larger canvases into smaller sections, all of which have been installed, covering an entire gallery wall in a vibrant mosaic.
"They're stunning as a grouping," says Heyerdahl.
"It's a really exciting process for him. It's intriguing. It's something that he's been doing for years and it's something that he has brought to a different level with this exhibition. What he'll do then is take some of these works and those smaller Accidental Fragments might inform a new work, might alter perhaps the way that he's looking at a newer painting from this little accidental composition that he's created," she adds.
At tomorrow night's Closing Party Miniature Sale, guests are invited to take one final look at Penhall's works on display, enjoy food and wine, as well as take in a performance by the Evan Gratham Quartet (evangratham.com). The ensemble is led by bassist Gratham, a Grade 11 student at Argyle secondary. He and fellow quartet member Noah Franche-Nolan, a Vancouver-based pianist, were recently chosen following Canadian-wide auditions as two of four young players to comprise the National Youth Jazz Combo. They'll travel to Toronto for a week this month, head back East for five weeks this summer, and again in September to perform at jazz festivals in Toronto, Halifax and Port Hope, as well as have an opportunity to do some recording and play with Juno and Grammy-award winning artists.
Event attendees can also take a Penhall work home with them. The artist has donated all 315 works comprising his Accidental Fragments series to the Smith foundation. Approximately 300 of the canvases, in dark wood frames, will be sold for $100 each. Clusters of three and five will be sold for $275 and $450, respectively. Choice order will be determined by random draw.
Funds raised will support gallery programs and arts education for children and youth through Artists for Kids.
The gallery's summer exhibition, Robert Davidson: Progression of Form, will open May 22 with a reception, from 7 to 9 p.m.
