Sumi-e Artists of Canada 2010 Show - November 13th and 14th, 2010
Our Dancing Brushes exhibition encouraged painters to create expressive works with their brushes and paper. Art lovers who came to the show found something to study and discuss for a long time.
Vibrant works caught the eyes of some.
Others were intrigued by the different motifs such as this image of the Far East.
The subject matter ranged from realistic representations to abstractions.
Some viewers were left in a thoughtful state by the variety of paintings.
Mary Ikeda's Early Snow received the Ruth Yamada award given for best painting in the show as selected by our judge, Dick Chen. He wrote: "A very poetic piece of art work. Beautiful rendering of space on the paper. The branches lead the viewer back to the center of interest - the two little birds. The birds are so lively painted that they seem like they are talking to each other about winter coming. The snow flakes add rhythm to the work. Great work, Mary!"
Arctic Caribou by Natalie Griller received an Honourable Mention. Dick Chen wrote: "A very small painting yet conveys a vast space to the viewer. The broad line from the right of the page narrowing down towards the left gives the viewer a sense of infinity in space. A very pleasing piece of work."
Dick Chen also awarded an Honourable Mention to Peter Ito's North Country III. He wrote: "Bold, yet has a sense of serenity. The way the ink flows on the page makes it very pleasing to the eye. The different shades of grey and the way how one layer of ink is fused into the next with watermarks suggests the depth of the mountain range. The suggestion of trees on the mountain and accents of colour add detail to the abstract art work. Wonderful work, Peter."
Moira Mudie's Sunrise at Peggy's Cove was given an Honourable Mention by Dick Chen too. Dick wrote: "The painting shows lots of contrast. The stillness of the massive rock formation, the lighthouse, the waves from the ocean and also from the little birds in the sky. The colour from the sky also adds a very poetic feeling towards the art work. Well done!"
Mountain Grape Vine and Birds by Hiroshi Yamamoto received an Honourable Mention from Dick Chen also. He wrote: "Interesting combination with the grape vine from the top of the painting lets the viewer travel to the lower part of the painting. The two little birds seem to enjoy their companionship without ever opening their beaks. Nice work."
Dick Chen gave an Honourable Mention to Baoxing Zhang for his work Sunset on the Beach. Dick Chen wrote: "A few brush strokes and yet the representation of a lonely lady walking along the beach is vividly shown on the page. Imagination is one of the main elements of art. Free, simple, yet logical. Well done, Baoxing."
These award-winning paintings as well as all the rest made for a show that attracted many people.
Over 100 paintings were exhibited.
No matter where you looked, there were vivid, creative works in keeping with this year's theme, Dancing Brushes.
Some people also stopped by to thank our painters. Our Ruth Yamada award winner, Mary Ikeda, on the left was congratulated by Kathy Matsushita.
The show also featured calligraphy.
Scrolls were also used to display paintings.
A retrospective of a longtime member, Joyce Irons, interested many visitors.
The paintings were carefully hung so that collections of related images were seen together.
This interesting pair of paintings showed a dog waiting on shore for a fisherman in one painting followed by the arrival of the fisherman on shore in the second painting.
This year's set of paintings seemed to engage everyone.
Shows are made possible by volunteers. Keith Caskey penned all the labels for the art work.
Demonstrations like these given by Moira Mudie and Roslyn Levin fascinated the visitors.
Hiroshi Yamamoto also demonstrated the art of sumi-e.
Everyone wanted to see how Moira Mudie created her roses.
Our tea room remained a popular place with help from many volunteers including Barb Laplante, George Nakamura, Linda Nakatsu and Dianne Kitazaki.
Salesperson Marie Ikeda helped more than one visitor.
Connie Bist appeared in several roles including cashier.
Three gentlemen congratulated Mary Ikeda on her Ruth Yamada award. From left-to-right: Tetsuo Yamashita, Consul-General of Japan, Gary Bist, President of the Sumi-e Artists of Canada, Mary Ikeda, and James Heron, Executive Director of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.
There were many subjects and styles this year to suit all tastes. Pure Canadiana could be found side-by-side with traditional pieces.
The mix of paintings led to passionate discussions.
The same works also led to moments of contemplation.
Inspired, we left to start painting new works for next year.