Stop by The Foyer Gallery to see two spring exhibits, 鈥淭he Time Time Stood Still鈥� and 鈥淢irror, Mirror 鈥� Snow White鈥� until June 5.聽
鈥淭he Time Time Stood Still鈥� is an assembly of light-hearted pop art, exaggerated forest scenes and modern ocean perspectives with the common theme of human connection in clear, bold and often fluorescent colours. Contemporary visual artist Andrea Mueller presents a manifestation of human connection, growth and the passing of time in this retrospective of her work over the past five years.
Mueller, who has been creating art since her youth, was initially inspired by her self-taught Opa, and went on to graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design. Working in a variety of themes, Mueller admits that she has many inspirations.聽
鈥淢y work is characterized by bold colors, messy, loose brush strokes and darkly playful imagery. It examines the relationship and connection between all things, including humans, animals, memory, language, belief systems, the environment and the impact these have on one another. My work also often references the idiosyncrasies of romantic relationships.鈥�
Although art is her main passion, she loves to be outdoors in any capacity, especially exploring forests and the ocean.聽
鈥淢y creative process varies depending on the work. Sometimes I sketch out my ideas and then use those as inspiration to create a final piece. Other times the work shows itself to me already completed in my mind鈥檚 eye and I do not need to create a sketch. Colours appear to me before I even begin a painting and I can plot out exactly what the final work will look like straight from my mind,鈥� says Mueller, who has future goals of expanding her development by incorporating more found objects and sculptural elements into her work.
Eco-friendly art
Eco-textile and mosaic artist Karen Yaremkewich is creatively obsessed with two things: recycling and fairy tales. She creates contemporary one-of-a-kind, handmade wearable art and eco-friendly home d茅cor, breathing new life into locally sourced reclaimed fabric waste and thrift-shop finds. Particularly inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Snow White and the movie adaptation Mirror Mirror, she has created five characters from the story for this show, all made entirely from reclaimed materials.
Born and raised in Squamish, Yaremkewich comes from multi-generations of makers who were upcycling in Europe during the 鈥�30s, long before the term was even coined. Old things were taken apart and sewn into something new again.
聽鈥淚 started Endure Upcycled Designs in September 2010 with my first big cosplay piece Mad Hatter Jacket to be worn at the Tim Burton Ball in Vancouver. My inspiration is drawn from all the fairy tales I grew up listening to at bedtime and the fictional steampunk time period that is loosely based on Victorian era design set in the future,鈥� says Yaremkewich.聽
Soon after she opened her online store, etsy.com/ca/shop/enduredesigns, with a 鈥淧eacock Skirt鈥� as one of her first big sales shipped to a client in New York.聽
Then came The Green Bride, her upcycled wedding dress mash-up sent to a vegan farm bride in Ohio and later published in Veg News Magazine.
Yaremkewich鈥檚 mosaic mirrors feature inspirational words spelled out using computer keyboard keys and recycled china teacups, tile and broken plates, as well as pottery shards and fused glass pieces reclaimed from other local artists. The remainder of the supplies were found at 麻豆社国产Rebuild, including the wood for the base of the frames, the grout and the sealer.
If you want more proof that Yaremkewich is a busy lady, she reveals, 鈥淩ecently, I completed all the costumes for a Peter Pan theatre production in San Antonio, Texas. Last week, I shipped a wedding dress to Japan. It was a restoration project of a 1970s dress that I had dyed in a plum dye bath and hand-stitched lace appliques entirely.鈥� Yaremkewich also volunteers her skills creating costumes for local theatre productions, currently 麻豆社国产Academy of Music鈥檚 production of Alice in Wonderland playing at the Eagle Eye Theatre May 13.聽
Meet passionate environmental artist Yaremkewich at her Farmers Market booth and come to her opening reception on Monday, May 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the 麻豆社国产Public Library.
- Toby Jaxon is the curator of The Foyer Gallery in the entrance to the 麻豆社国产Public Library.聽
Karen Yaremkewich's clothing is made from up-cycled material.聽
