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Summary of Rudy Sparkuhl’s Thesis
Concordia University, Montreal, 1977 Summary Compiled by Holly Granken Title: At the All-Nite Cafe: Some Personal Observations on Photo Realism and Related Matters by Rudy Sparkuhl, April 1977 Rudy Sparkuhl has been primarily a photo realist, creating paintings as seen through his own personal involvement and philosophical interpretation in a high realism style. Rudy asks us, does the non-interpretive nature of photo realism reveal the visual potential of common objects/scenes, therefore giving them value? Rudy is drawn to photography because the viewfinder helps him compose intuitively. Several years ago, Rudy participated in a talk at Westland Gallery and spoke on his use of the viewfinder to create compelling compositions and reminded artists to carefully consider the edges. To making a photo realistic painting, Sparkuhl first takes photographs with his Zenit 35mm camera. He then prints out 5x7s, crops the photo if necessary and acquires a suitable stretcher. He makes a line drawing of the photo on the canvas, then using the photo as a guide, finishes the work using acrylic and various brushes. Thesis synopsis Part I: Rudy describes his journey towards photorealism No great childhood event sparked Rudy’s desire to be an artist - he just was. He was driven in part to prove himself as an artist to others and is fascinated by the ability to create a world through painting. Rudy is influenced by the necessity to include details when creating a world in literature, applying this idea to painting. Part of the interest lies in comparing the details of the fictional world to those of real life. Because of this, Sparkuhl does not deal with painterly surfaces, as the physicality of paint can ruin the illusion, he states. Beginning in 1967, Rudy was influenced by comic books, illustrations, and book covers. Artists with strong literary ties like Bosch, David, and Dali were the ones he first admired. In his thesis, he destructs Formalism because it sees the subject of a work merely as a means to make a painting, and according to his experience, focuses on what is wrong with a painting. Rudy is attracted to mechanical items or things in various states of decay. He utilises a limited colour palette that features umbers and blues. In 1971, he did renaissance inspired fantasy landscapes. He wanted to create a beautiful and decorative strangeness. In 1972 he reached a dead end but found new inspiration through a book about Magritte and began to see how he could create strangeness using modern imagery. This is when he met fellow artist, Bob Montgomery, who shared his interest in Magritte and figurative art. In 1973 he produced both large drawings and paintings based on life studies in a style influenced by Magritte. While driving one day, Rudy spotted a group of oil refineries along the horizon. He went back later to photograph them, and they became the source of imagery for his first photo realistic painting. Sparkuhl says that meeting Bob Montgomery, travelling to New York City, and seeing a particular article in Art in America are largely responsible for the direction his work. The All Nite Café, the title of Rudy’s thesis, is a poem and a real place that Sparkuhl encountered on a trip to Boston in March 1975. Rudy enjoyed riding a bus through the night, because it was then that his thoughts heightened to a point where great truths were accessible. After a day touring museums on this Boston trip, looking at Madonna’s and Colonial portraits, he found the Morris Louis exhibition at the Boston Museum of Art. When he first encountered other photo realistic works, he felt they were “antithetical to the struggle for meaning in art.” It felt like cheating. But at this show he realised that paintings should be used for a variety of purposes, rather than just analysed to death. The value of a painting lies in the personal pleasure, enlightenment, or insight in can provide. All visual events can be a source of interest and subject matter. Part II: Why Photorealism? Sparkuhl doesn’t think that one should have to dedicate their whole life to art to have an opinion of it, or an appreciation for it. Part of his belief system as an artist is to question the validity of art criticism. In this portion of his thesis, Sparkuhl explains why he utilises photographs in his work. It’s a drawing aid, as he found drawing from photographs to be easier than from life. It eliminates a model that move and shifts during a session and freezes light, motion, and gesture. The subject never changes, providing unlimited time to work which appealed to Sparkuhl. The resulting image is more exact rather than referential. A photograph can reveal patterns and shapes that may otherwise be missed in the moment. A camera can replace a sketch book in terms of content accurately copied from a scene. The basic difference between Photo Realism and other realisms is that the Photo Realist sacrifices a large part of personal content in establishing a more direct and objective relationship with the subject. So why paint if the photo itself contains all the vital info you need for an image? Sparkuhl says that photographs are passive in the way they record ordinary situations. Everyone can take a photo (to differing levels of technical proficiency), but the paintings are active in that every mark made is a conscious decision of the artist. Even if it is a copy of a photo, a painting is a work of fiction, making us see something that is not actually there. Rudy had no problem with the somewhat garnish colours the paintings require due to the use of kodachrome film. The film’s colours were determined by market research, rather than accuracy, yet the colour of our clothes, houses, cars, and food are also determined by market research, therefore the film is quite faithful to its subject. Much of his subject matter is the common/shared experience. One doesn’t expect a painting to be a recording, lacking a personal relationship with its creator. It brings attention to things that are so familiar, we no longer even see them.
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 Rehabilitating into the Wild
A Letter from Christopher Cape Dear friends of Westland Gallery, Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Christopher Cape, and I am an artist. During the latter part of May I will be showing a new series of paintings at Westland Gallery in Wortley Village. I’ve wanted to explore/paint London proper for many years and thoughts have already begun to percolate. As a painter, who primarily paints out of doors (en plein air), spring is always a reintroduction back into the world. After a long winter hibernation painting outdoors becomes a planned sortie or attack. The changing of the season melts away many things besides snow and ice, my boundaries melt as well. After the recent years of restrictions and lock downs I feel more tentative than ever about loosening up my internal restrictions. Quickly spring approaches and the physical and emotional boundaries within me feel very much frozen in place. The thought that, this spring my rehabilitation back into the wild begins, keeps reoccurring. Whether the wild is the sand cliffs along the shores of Lake Erie, a busy downtown street at lunch, or my favourite restaurant. The world seems new and wild again. As I am a stranger in London, well not exactly a stranger, but I am definitely not a local, I need the inside scoop. I want to see London the way you see it. I need the breath of familiarity. The places that have gone from mundane to wild over the past two years. The places that make you feel something: A sunset bathed parking lot. A grouping of telephone poles. A street corner. An alleyway where the wind always howls. A church parking lot. A nature reserve. A park bench where you feel at peace. Or perhaps the old part of downtown that rarely sees people anymore. I want a crash course on the hidden wonder and wildness of your home I’m excited to explore your streets and to have you see the city, where you live, in my paintings this May. Thanks in advance and I look forward to meeting this spring at the gallery to discuss how our rehabilitation is going. Christopher Cape A letter from artist Erica Dornbusch
Hello everyone - Big News! Two years ago I married my favourite adventure partner at one of our favourite places on earth, Snow Canyon State Park, Utah. Since then, we've continued living apart while I completed my visa process. The visa journey is not one for the faint of heart, especially during a pandemic with closed international borders. We are beyond thrilled that this summer I will be finally be able to join him to begin the next chapter of our journey together! As a creative, I am a collector of all things; feathers, rocks, books, shells, stories and art supplies (my current rough count of sketchbooks stands at 37). I cannot take it all with me! I am so looking forward to setting up my new studio in our home near the lake and I would love to invite you to join me in an opportunity in nurturing new inspiration in that space. I'd like to invite you to view my collection of work, and to take advantage of the 25% discount that Westland Gallery and I are excited to offer. If you see a piece you love, please reach out to Al, Karen and Danielle. You will save me from moving it, and be a part of planting fresh seeds in my new studio! You might also consider a copy of my book, Paint & Prose, A Way Finder's Meander ($15 OFF), I'd love to sign a copy for you before I meander off on new trails. Prices will be in effect until June 18th 2021 and all work will be available through Westland Gallery. I look forward to begin sharing my new work as it springs to life in this new location. I am thrilled that Westland Gallery and I will continue to remain in touch, and I am sure that your and my paths will cross again. - Erica Click here to browse Erica's work with special pricing.  Sarah Hillock's latest work depicts some of the animal kingdom's city dwellers. On raccoons, Sarah says "I see them as a symbol of tenacity and cleverness. They manage to exist in a human made landscape and thrive among us. That's pretty cool. In some ways they reflect us. Some people have really cool stories about raising raccoons or befriending them. And don't forget Farley Mowet lived with raccoons as well as owls!" "Pigeons can hit a top speed of 140 km per hour being the eighth fastest bird in the world. And they're pretty!" Sarah mentions that the only reason many people don't like them is because there are so many of them and they can make a mess in our cities. "That's really our fault though for breeding so many of them, and bringing them everywhere we go. They aren't a native bird to North America we brought them from Europe."
What is your background and what drives you to paint? I completed a bachelor of arts, honours fine arts with a studio specialization at the University of Waterloo followed by a bachelor of education at Wilfrid Laurier University. I hold an MFA from Western University. I'm based in Waterloo and paint full time in my studio in downtown Kitchener. I'm drawn to painting because of its versatility in terms of colour and saturations and its flexibility in application. What are your inspirations/influences and what themes do you pursue in your work? There are a series of confluences that converge on my canvasses. The subject matter is largely the public crowd as a single entity. Some themes in the work are, for example, social influences, gender identities, age related issues, disability, fashion and are illustrated through colour theory and abstract and representational painting.  How has your practice developed over your career?
My practice has become more established as a daily practice of making. I prepare my surfaces by stretching canvas and other cloth over wooden stretchers and prime the surface with layers on layers until it feels right with a certain amount of smooth to tooth ratio before I can begin painting. I have developed a 'prep, paint, plan' method as part of my daily practice to keep my momentum. Prep - prepare my surfaces, Paint - paint something, some days, paint anything! Plan - take time to plan for new work, jot down ideas, reading, make study of a new idea, draw, see a show, art talk, podcast etc... As much of the imagery in your paintings often deals with public encounters and crowds, has the limited social gathering of this past year affected the way you create or think about your work in any way? The lack of source material this year, because I take my own photos for paintings, has resulted in a re examination of the photos I have. So, I'm reusing images from the past in new paintings. What ideas are involved in your current work for the upcoming show? I'm still committed to making work about our social interactions in public spaces. My attention has turned toward the relationship between representation and abstraction through figurative painting.
I spent my money on “How To” art books and dabbled in oil painting on cheap paper and the back of vinyl wallpaper samples. As a young adult I was intrigued by the watercolour practice of my aunt and began to explore this medium for a couple of decades. My love for drawing, painting and colour were intrinsically woven into my fabric as a person that I recognized that life and painting were not separate. What are the inspirations or influences that are involved in your work and are there any specific themes that you choose to focus on? I am a faith filled person. I believe in God. This belief has a profound effect on my life and my practice as an artist. My work is influenced by the struggles and imperfections of our lives and the pursuit of coming to a resolution or acceptance of our surroundings. The struggle between chaos and order, light and dark, is profoundly manifested when I encounter and contemplate a landscape. The layering of paint on my canvas is a slow meditative process that considers all the parts, ever changing but still offering a glimpse into what is hidden.
How has your practice developed over your career? As a self-taught artist, I have always challenged myself to study, learn, and practice art. I started with oil painting but when life became busy with raising a family, I switched to using watercolour because it suited my lifestyle. Although landscape was predominant in my work I dabbled in still life and figures. I painted small intimate watercolours for many years. I began to teach art and explored many mediums in the classroom while concentrating on painting at home. Gradually my small paintings grew in size and when my desire to paint larger than watercolour paper would allow, I switched to acrylic painting. My youngest daughter, while in university introduced me to building frames and stretching my own canvas. This opened up a world of possibility for me and set me on a journey of painting on large canvas which I continue to do to this day. The way you layer organic forms is so captivating, can you tell me more about your process? Do your compositions come about intuitively? My compositions are contemplatively planned. I strive to be purposeful and direct. The landscape provides me with visual prompts that engage my thoughts and struggles. I photograph what I see, I remember what I experience. When there is an experience, there is a story to tell. I record thoughts in a journal and work out details of my process and colour theory before I put a mark on canvas. I graph my canvas and meticulously begin to draw my shapes. I fill in the spaces with codes that only I understand, basically I create a visual map to keep me organized when I am ready to apply paint. I project my image on a screen for inspiration. I begin by laying my canvas flat and applying a watery layer of paint, often laying down various colours referring to my inspiration photo often. When dry, I place my canvas on an easel and make more marks and begin to paint very slowly with one colour or area at a time. Slowly shapes and patterns emerge as I intuitively move away from referring to my photo. Each layer provides new life but simultaneously reveals small glimpses of what lies underneath. What ideas or projects have you been currently working on for the upcoming show? Have the events of the past year affected your art in any way? The pandemic coincided with a purposeful plan I had for 2020 and onward. I realize for many that the pandemic altered life dramatically but for me it assisted my goals of spending more time in my studio and stepping back from my work as a volunteer and advocate in the community. I am accustomed to creating bodies of work while working on one theme with great intent on purpose. In the past year I have given myself permission to honour my mark-making and see value in every work that I create. I’m actually surprised when I look back at my present body of work as I perceive changes in the way I paint. I recognize that what I experience, my contentment along with distress has translated more onto canvas this year than ever before. It is very apparent in my body of work. One will note conspicuous differences between the work as I communicated very strongly through colour and mark-making.
Often working intuitively, Hollingdrake's work explores her individual and acquired painting ideas with a focus on how colour and texture interact with visual space. Her work is often influenced by nature and plant life. On her latest works Hollingdrake states, "moving from my usual gestural abstract and into including plants, I had a breakthrough moment by holding the plant stem in one hand and my paint brush in the other. This helped me capture just the essence of the plant shapes for my interpretation without the formality of a still life. My desire is to keep them loose and painterly and all about colour."
ABOUT THE SHOW
This series of paintings celebrate the seed of creativity. A seed remains intact and stagnant until there is someone to plant and nurture it. These paintings reflect this process, recognizing that nothing can be realized without forethought and action. Like this theoretical seed, an idea also needs energy to propel it forward. There will always be missteps and readjustments, frustration and joy; with time and experience, you learn to trust in the process. Eventually, with gentle nudges and a willingness to keep going, something will emerge. You can take a breath and give thanks to that tiniest of seed."
She uses the ancient technique of encaustic to create her paintings and uses heat as a primary element in her process to control beeswax, resin and pigment. On the subject matter of her work, she describes that "My rural surroundings find themselves in my paintings, whether it is a meadow, bird sitting in a tree or some of the farm animals."
ABOUT THE SHOW
This series of paintings celebrate the seed of creativity. A seed remains intact and stagnant until there is someone to plant and nurture it. These paintings reflect this process, recognizing that nothing can be realized without forethought and action. Like this theoretical seed, an idea also needs energy to propel it forward. There will always be missteps and readjustments, frustration and joy; with time and experience, you learn to trust in the process. Eventually, with gentle nudges and a willingness to keep going, something will emerge. You can take a breath and give thanks to that tiniest of seed.
About the Planting Seeds exhibition Sharon states, "the show is about seeds and that is quite a recurring theme in my work. The first mark is a seed, our thoughts, movements and actions are seeds. Then what comes next is a result of that first mark. I hope these paintings plant seeds in the viewers imagination too. Perhaps they will be seeds to help them recall an experience or a dream that touched them."  ABOUT THE SHOW
This series of paintings celebrate the seed of creativity. A seed remains intact and stagnant until there is someone to plant and nurture it. These paintings reflect this process, recognizing that nothing can be realized without forethought and action. Like this theoretical seed, an idea also needs energy to propel it forward. There will always be missteps and readjustments, frustration and joy; with time and experience, you learn to trust in the process. Eventually, with gentle nudges and a willingness to keep going, something will emerge. You can take a breath and give thanks to that tiniest of seed." |
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