Sunday Spotlight - Greg Hargarten

Winter Meadow, Anglin Lake

24 x 24"

© Greg Hargarten

I am absolutely thrilled that this Sunday Spotlight gives me the opportunity to introduce you to one of the most all-round creative guys I know, Greg Hargarten, a Saskatoon-based painter, musician and graphic artist. 

I was so happy that Greg sent the above painting to be included in the spotlight because it happens to be my absolute favorite Hargarten. "Winter Meadow, Anglin Lake" brings tears to my eyes I love it so much. Now I am not one to easily part with my cash, but I truly believe I would have bought it had it not already sold before I got to the opening. I am, however, a proud owner of a small study Greg painted at Fairy Island, Emma Lake.

I met Greg at the Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus in the summer of 2009 when we were enrolled in the same painting workshop, however I had actually heard about him and the group he paints with, "The Men Who Paint", the year before that. Greg and these guys are known to be prolific and have a reputation for squeezing every bit of painting time out of the day, including getting up in the wee hours of the morning to catch the sunrise (which can be as early as 4:30 in the summer). I was really excited to be in a class with him and to see him in action over that week. In that time he created several stunning pieces and I found him to be incredibly generous with feedback to others and quietly humble in his own work. A class act.

I mentioned that Greg is one of the most creative guys I know and that is not quite true- he is one of the most creative people I know. From my vantage point there is not much he takes on that does not contain a creative element and he is good at ALL of it: playing the drums and guitar, singing, songwriting, painting, film-making, graphic design to name a few. Please read on to see exactly what I mean and enjoy the photos he has generously shared of his art and adventures. Also, there are some great links that will take you to various locations on the world wide web where you will be entertained and enthralled by his work. Please check them out.
 

 

Autumn Gale, Lake of Two Rivers (sketch)

12 x 12"

© Greg Hargarten

At the age of fifteen, Greg started his first band, but it wasn’t until he gave up drumming and focused on songwriting that things started to happen. Playing with local bands on weekends and designing posters, T-shirts and album covers for fellow musicians during the week, he scraped together enough money to record. Under the pseudonym Ricasso he has since written, recorded and produced four full length CDs. Over the years, Greg’s songwriting has earned critical recognition by the industry and press, as well as air-play on commercial radio and campus stations across Canada. He is the two-time winner of ROCK102’s Radiostar National Songwriting Competition at Canada Music Week; he has had his songs covered by other artists and been included on numerous compilation albums. He has also produced several albums for other artists most notably Dancing with Angels, the award-winning debut album by Eileen Laverty. Greg's music is available (under Ricasso) at iTunes and at CDBaby.

Inspiration Point, Ivvavik, Yukon

© Greg Hargarten

A recent development in Greg's artistic career is his foray into film making which he began with the intention of producing videos for his music. His most notable music video, and my personal favorite, is “Dear Abbey Road” which he not only produced and directed, but also played all of the characters of a pseudo sixties band on a television show. This effort won him “Best Small Scale Production” at the Mann Gallery’s Reel Rave Short Film Festival. He has also produced a few short pieces focusing on his art. Please follow these links to enjoy Greg's music and film work:

Dear Abbey Road

Second Hand Love Song (the below painting "Coal Mine Ravine" can be seen in this video)

Fresh Snow on the River

 

Coal Mine Ravine

36 x 48"

© Greg Hargarten

In 2005, Greg rediscovered his love of painting after a stay the University of Saskatchewan Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus. Although he hadn’t painted since high school, he felt suddenly at home. Focusing almost exclusively on landscapes, he returned to the campus every year until its closure in November 2012.

Inspired by the work and adventurous spirit of the early Canadian painters, particularly the Group of Seven, Greg has always enjoyed painting outdoors “en Plein Air” as well as in his studio. When in 2007, he met Cam Forrester, Ken Van Rees, Paul Trottier and Roger Trottier, artists who not only shared his passion with the Group of Seven but also his affinity to paint outdoors, the Men Who Paint were born. In June of 2011 he and the group were chosen from artists across the country by Parks Canada to paint at Ivvavik National Park in the Yukon Territory. Accompanied by Parks Canada staff and a camp cook, the Men Who Paint were based at the Sheep Creek Warden station on the Firth River. There they spent 10 days in tents, visiting various locations on foot, or in some instances by helicopter, to document the National Park which borders Alaska and the Beaufort Sea.

 on the Firth River

Ivvavik, Yukon

© Greg Hargarten

Of the over 100 works the group painted in Ivvavik, 60 of the most engaging have been reproduced in a book "Halfway to Heaven". This compilation documents the Men Who Paint’s artistic journey though the remote Ivvavik National Park. It includes reproductions of the paintings done on site and photographs of the the National Park. The book is available at Chapters, Indigo and online at Greg’s website.

Algonquin

© Greg Hargarten

Algonquin

© Greg Hargarten

With Men Who Paint or on his own, Greg has painted at numerous Saskatchewan and Canadian locations including Lac LaRonge, Jasper National Park, Prince Albert National Park and Ontario’s Algonquin Park. Greg’s artwork is held in private, corporate and museum collections including The Mann Gallery in Prince Albert and the Parks Canada Permanent Collections.

October at La Ronge

12 x 12"

© Greg Hargarten

Evening Gold

24 x 24"

© Greg Hargarten

presenting his painting to Gene Simmons

© Greg Hargarten

Shekinah Pond

24 x 24"

© Greg Hargarten

Summer Breeze, Echo Lake

8 x 10"

© Greg Hargarten

Spring In Cypress Hills

24 x 24"

© Greg Hargarten

Artist Statement
"I have always needed to create things. Throughout my life, creative projects have been the one constant, whether through music, graphic design, video, drawing or painting, it has been essential to my well being. It’s my life line and keeps me exploring and learning about the world around me.
Painting is a way for me to connect with time and place in a very fundamental way. A way to strip away the limitations of the real world and explore of the essence of places and things. There is an elegance and splendor in our world that is often overlooked by all of us in our day to day life. I paint to help myself and others appreciate the beauty that surrounds us all.

Through painting I strive to capture the essence of things without describing them completely. I like working in a quick and energetic pace, using acrylics because of the immediacy they afford me. I’ve recently begun working with larger canvases and brushes, trying to deliver bold deliberate strokes. My goal is to be the medium for creativity, allowing the paint to be applied to the canvas directly from experience without stopping too long in conscience thought. It’s this freedom that I enjoy and has produced my best work."

Shekinah Birch
18 x 24"
© Greg Hargarten

Greg’s artwork can be found at Black Spruce Gallery in Northside, Modern Country Interiors in Saskatoon and at the following Men Who Paint pop-up shows across Saskatchewan:

October 25-26     Saskatoon - 212-308  4th Avenue North
January  10-28     La Ronge - Mistaseni Building
April  2014         Regina - Hague Gallery
July/August 2014     Rosthern - Station Arts Centre

Please note that the above October 25-26 date is next weekend! If you are in Saskatoon at this time, I encourage you to find time to attend this show. Full details on this event can be found at the Men Who Paint Facebook fan page. While you are there you may as well "like" their page.

Links
Art
www.GregHargarten.com
www.menwhopaint.com
www.facebook.com/Men.Who.Paint

Music
www.ricasso.ca
www.facebook.com/Ricasso.Official
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ricasso/id65108522

Video
www.youtube.com/user/ricasso64

Sunday Spotlight - Bridget Aitken

 Amy's Garden

© Bridget Aitken

I have been anxious to introduce you to my friend, studio mate and one of my all-time favorite people! Please tip your hat to this week's spotlight artist, Bridget Aitken. This spotlight is taking on a slightly different format than the others; after my brief introduction you will find many beautiful images of Bridget's work and then at the end you will find a delightful letter written from her to you.

I met Bridget several years ago, but have really had the pleasure and privilege of getting to know her when I got my own space in St. George Studio in December of 2009. Our work spaces are next to each other so friendly chit chat and banter naturally occur and it didn't take long before we became close friends. Bridget has a great analytical eye and provides excellent constructive criticism; she has been called over to my space to lend a hand many-a-time when I have been stuck on a painting. She doesn't need me nearly as much as I need her! As you go through her images you will quickly realize that she is a versatile and multi-talented artist. Her talents don't stop with painting and sculpture, Bridget is also a wonderful singer/songwriter, curator and decorator. She is the reason "Family Tree", the show I had with my dad in the Spring of 2012, came together so beautifully. I love her gestural, loose style and I find her paintings exciting and energetic. This past Spring she took a class on abstract painting where she really embraced the new processes and ideas that were presented, despite being pushed out of her comfort zone. I think moving to abstraction is a natural progression in her growth as an artist- her "representational" work has always had a loose and abstract approach anyway. I adore my Bridget Aitken abstracted landscape...

Bridget's sculptures always seem to find a way into my heart, especially her female figures. I LOVE Esme and Market Lady, they make me extremely happy. I was so proud of Bridget as I watched them develop at the studio. She had a strong vision for both pieces and she kept manipulating the clay until what she saw before her matched what she saw in her head.

Bridget is very active in the Saskatoon arts community. Among other things, she is a member of The Mix Artists' Collective, St. George Studio, Prairie Sculptors and she sat on the planning committee for Art Trek: Studio Discovery Tour.

Now, grab a coffee, relax and please enjoy the work of Bridget Aitken. 

Market Lady

© Bridget Aitken

 

Emerald

© Bridget Aitken

Blue Jar

© Bridget Aitken

 August

© Bridget Aitken

 Jars

© Bridget Aitken

 On The Way To Perdue

© Bridget Aitken

 Mustard Fields

© Bridget Aitken

 

 Prussian Blue Angus

© Bridget Aitken

   Esme in the studio

© Bridget Aitken

 Esme 1

© Bridget Aitken

Royal Conference

© Bridget Aitken

 Bridget's Flowers

© Bridget Aitken

 Three Holsteins

© Bridget Aitken

 Mauve Hills

© Bridget Aitken

 

 

 Equus

© Bridget Aitken

 

 Equus II

© Bridget Aitken

Blue

© Bridget Aitken

 Circus

© Bridget Aitken

 Snow Bales

© Bridget Aitken

 Sunday Morning Girl in the studio

© Bridget Aitken

 

Spring Field

 © Bridget Aitken

 Summertime

© Bridget Aitken 

 Windy
© Bridget Aitken

 Temptation

© Bridget Aitken

 Clouds 'n' Cattle
© Bridget Aitken

My current aesthetic interests lie in the countryside surrounding Saskatoon. I love horses so when I set off on my photographic jaunts I look for my equine muse. It turns out that there are a lot of lovely cows leading what look like pretty idyllic lives, albeit short lived. So I have produced a number of cow paintings in the last couple of years. I cannot rely on a lot of action from my subjects as I am sure the ranchers would not appreciate me stirring them up. I like energy in my paintings so I find it in the sky or the grass and fields. I represent the cows as I see them, stolid, pure of heart and observant.

When I was a girl I loved a little Black Angus calf that I called Gus. He would gently butt at my knee in play. He got bigger and bigger and I would sit on his back as he walked around; I so desperately wanted to ride.  I eventually traded him for a pony and I remember watching him through the slats of his pen being fattened up with grain by my riding instructor with whom the exchange was made. Poor Gussy, I gave him up for my beloved pony. I see him in one of my Black Angus - or painter’s prerogative - Prussian Blue Angus paintings.

I have ventured a little bit into landscape painting. Most of these works have originated from the subconscious, similarly the horse sculptures, Esme and Sunday Morning were born without model or photograph. Market Lady, however, was inspired by a photograph given to me by Jaqueline Fay Miller. 

I have also painted a number of abstracts in the last two years. With these I don’t usually know that I have anything until long after the fact. The painting, propped carelessly, maybe even disdainfully against a wall is suddenly viewed with new eyes and I think, “Well that’s not bad, I think I like it”. It also helps to have friends in the studio whom offer encouragement boosting one’s morale and confidence when needed. 

In a few days I am travelling to Ontario on an adventure with Nicki Ault and Jackie Miller. We will be painting en plein air in the Owen Sound area of Georgian Bay where I spent much of my time as a youth. I am so looking forward to painting with these two friends. There will be plenty of inspiration.

Bridget V. Aitken

September 19, 2013

Note: Bridget does not have a website, but is working on it. When it is ready I will provide a link.

Sunday Spotlight - Bonnie Conly

 

Dance, Dance

L29" x W12" x H17"

welded steel sculpture

© Bonnie Conly

Welcome back to Sunday Spotlight! I am excited to introduce you Bonnie Conly, an artist I met one year ago at none other than the Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus. 

I remember arriving on site where I came across a young woman and her mother wandering the path and looking a bit lost.I thought how nice it was that the mother had made the drive with her daughter to get her set up at the campus and that they must get along well. They stopped me to ask some questions and as it turned out my assumption was wrong; it was the mother that was attending campus and taking a sculpture class! I was immediately impressed by this notion and my admiration only grew as I saw the work that Bonnie began to produce that week. The above sculpture, "Dance, Dance" is my favorite!
 

Writing these spotlights has been a wonderful way for me to learn more about local artists I know and whose work I already admire. I always leave the process with a greater understanding of these people and a better appreciation for the uniqueness of everyone's journey, yet I always seem to find a common ground within these unique journeys to which I can personally relate. To help me get a better understanding of her work Bonnie sent me the proposal she wrote for a past exhibition and as a result I totally connected to her love of the grasslands. Of her work she writes,
 

"I hope you can sense the rolling repetition of the hills, feel the suspension of time, hear the wind blow, see the wind blow, and know the grass is dancing.  Look and wonder, take time to pause, and be mindful of the Grassland Guardians. "
 

  Journey

L72" x W48" x H48"

welded steel sculpture

© Bonnie Conly
 

When immersed in the "quiet" of the prairie grasslands Bonnie finds the hectic pace of daily life fall away and she becomes more grounded and centered; it is like a refuge to her. From here she draws energy and rejuvenates, sometimes alone and sometimes with friends and family. One of her favorite places of respite is Cranberry Flats Conservation Area just a short drive from Saskatoon. Bonnie created a series of canvases as a means of translating her connection to this place.

 In The Draw

36" x 20"

acrylic

© Bonnie Conly

 

Sand Flats
36" x 20"

acrylic

© Bonnie Conly
 

 

  Reach

36" x 20"

acrylic

© Bonnie Conly

Bonnie has been connected to art all of her life. I loved one of the early childhood memories she shared with me,

"I have always been one to draw.  I recall sitting in my desk, shaking in my shoes, because my grade two teacher had called my mother in to talk to her after school.  This meant I had to miss the bus and I knew that if my mom had to come to town from the farm to get me, I was really in trouble.  The teacher showed my mother a drawing I had done of the Nativity and impressed upon my parents to encourage my artistic abilities.  Thus, I always had books, paint and craft supplies close at hand. " 

She is not the first spotlight artist who has shared with me that they had been encouraged and supported early on in their love of art by a teacher or by parents... or both. What a life-long gift that encouragement can turn out to be. Bonnie became a teacher herself and began her career in a small Saskatchewan town called Elrose. It was at that time that she began working on an art degree at nearby Rosetown where University of Saskatchewan credit classes in Fine Arts were offered at a satellite location. This journey would have many stops and starts along the way, including moves to Saskatoon, Yellowknife and back to Saskatoon, not to mention the raising of four children, but finally after twenty-five years Bonnie would receive her Honours degree in Art Studio and Art History with high honours in 2011. Impressive. In 2010, Bonnie had the opportunity to study in Europe with the Dutch Art Institute and the University of Saskatchewan Studying Abroad where she spent two weeks in Florence, Italy and two weeks in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Curiosity

L7" x W3.5" x H5.5"

welded steel sculpture

© Bonnie Conly

I was very excited to hear that Bonnie was awarded a CARFAC mentor-ship with Alison Norlen as her mentor. They will commence working together this month focusing on sculpture and installation work.

Sustenance

L10" x W10" x H5"

aluminum casting and sculptured crochet bowl

© Bonnie Conly

In 2012 the above piece was juried into "Seeds", an exhibition for emergent artists held at the Affinity Gallery in Saskatoon. I got her know Bonnie last August 2012 at the Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus while she worked with instructor Les Potter. The work she created during that week were a response to a self-directed artist residency she did at Grassland's National Park earlier that summer. These sculptures and the work of two photographers will be part of an OSAC Arts On The Move two year touring exhibition featuring the relationship between metal and the prairie grasslands.

 

 Laura Lake

5" x 7"

acrylic

© Bonnie Conly
 

Bonnie sounds like a busy, inspired woman, doesn't she? Well to top it all off she teaches full time at George Vanier designated Fine Arts School in Saskatoon! Lucky kids! With her own children grown up, she is happy to be able to find a bit more time to dedicate to her art practice and I am curious to see what her CARFAC mentorship will produce in the coming year.
 

 South Bay

13" x 12"

acrylic

© Bonnie Conly

Artist Statement:

"My art translates my connections and observations as I move between rural and urban environments. Both natural and constructed elements that define these spaces influence my work.  I find that places of solace, quiet and engagement are becoming increasingly rare.  They have become sacred to me and I feel a need to celebrate them in my art.  I believe there is an affective bond between person and place that creates a history where location prompts emotion, experience, and memories.  The bond is so strong that the history remains even when the place physically changes.  Once the bond is established, that experience waits for you again."

To learn more about Bonnie please visit these links:

Bonnie Conly- artist profile, Saskatchewan Craft Council

"Hi, I'm Bonnie"- YouTube video 

Hi I’m Bonnie - I baked 300 cookies and travelled to Halifax in the hopes of meeting 300 new people.  I was not sure what would transpire.  The video documentation of the performance depicts honest down to earth Canadian Identity.  The walks took place over three consecutive days and covered the downtown, historical, waterfront areas of Halifax as well as bits of the North and South ends and across the Harbor to Dartmouth.   In a few cases the degrees of separation between new strangers and myself was shrinking to less than two.  I even met a few famous people!  The project resulted in a facebook page where participants continued their experience.

"Sparrow House"- YouTube video

House Sparrow – Sparrow House – I wanted to make a stop motion video in the traditional manner without sophisticated software not unlike Trey Stone and Matt Parker who created South Park on a tabletop in their dorm room.  There are layers of messages in the piece that speak about revitalization and gentrification while two sparrows go about their business of building a home which is the foundation of community.

NOTE: photographs of Bonnie's work are taken by photographers Grant Kernan, Ron Cooley and herself.