Art was in abundance last weekend at the Squamish Valley Music Festival (Aug. 7 to 10), and not just on the main stage. Tucked away in a small corner of the marketplace area of the festival were a plethora of visual artists all painting, or just hanging out.
All the artists were from the Ayden Gallery in Vancouver. The group showcased many different styles and mediums from Lani Imre鈥檚 sultry female portraits, to Sean Karemaker, the autobiographical comic illustrator, and the man who just draws a lot of skulls, this pocket of the festival certainly added to the already colourful atmosphere.
The visual artists said they liked hanging around, listening to great music, and talking to good people as they worked.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing,鈥� said Mike Eckel, who was contracted by Live Nation to create art installations for the fairgrounds. 鈥淓verybody鈥檚 really, really nice, you can鈥檛 beat the scenery. 鈥溌�
Eckel and a team of artists built the wooden structures at the entrances of the beer gardens, and painted large portraits of women wearing headphones that were scattered throughout the grounds.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want to get the contract for next year.鈥�
The creative process is different for every artist 鈥� plain to see just by walking through the small gallery at the marketplace 鈥� and each was open and willing to share.
Colin Moore, a designer who often draws skulls, said he is fascinated with human anatomy because structure is the beginning of anything and everything. Sketching is his favourite artistic pastime because, he said, a sketch is always the start of a greater work. A big fan of the practice, Moore uses reclaimed wood from construction sites to while away the hours, always improving his craft.
For Mark Illing, whose intricate, almost urban ink drawings offer something new every time you looked at them, the process didn鈥檛 start with a sketch, or a plan. Illing said he takes an 鈥渙rganic鈥� approach.聽
鈥淚 like to focus in on the details, and build it up from there,鈥� he explained. 鈥淢y thing has always been trying to create a sense of depth within a two dimensional piece of paper. Making things look 3D naturally lends itself to that architectural vibe.鈥�
