Summer Vancouver Open Art Calls

Although it may not seem like it now, in a couple of months summer will arrive at full blast, bursting with fresh air, clear skies, and festivals galore. Which means...open calls for art shows, festivals and fairs are going on right now. Here's a few with deadlines coming up that we don't want you to miss:

 Saanich Public Art for Canada's 150

From the District of Saanich, Vancouver Island. Deadline: May 7th, 2018.

Saanich is seeking submissions from artists for a work of outdoor public art to commemorate Canada's 150th Anniversary. Location for the work of art will be at Cedar Hill Park near the Cedar Hill Arts Centre.

Information and applications are available at saanich.ca/publicart. Please send applications to Saanich Municipal Hall, 770 Vernon Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8X 2W7 or planning@saanich.ca. Questions please call 250-475-5471.

Hycroft Manor Open Call to Artists

From the UniversityWomen's Club of Vancouver. Deadline: May 17th, 2018.

The University Women’s Club of Vancouver’s VisArts Committee is having an Open Call for BC Artists to showcase their work at our Victorian Heritage Club House in Shaughnessy, Vancouver. Interested artists are encouraged to fill out our Open Call Application – the deadline is Thursday May 17, 2018 at 12 pm.

https://www.uwcvancouver.ca/programs-events/visual-arts-at-hycroft/

Painting on the Edge - International Exhibition

From the Federation of Canadian Artists. Deadline: May 30th, 2018.

Painting on the Edge is an annual international competition and juried exhibition, open to inventive artists worldwide.

Each year this exhibition encourages artists to challenge themselves in their current practice and get out of their artistic comfort zones. Successful artwork will articulate bold experimentation and innovation in your arts practice.  

Push your limits and push your audience. Exhibit in the sixteenth year of Painting on the Edge. If juried into the exhibition your work will display in Vancouver, Canada, and be published in our catalogue.  

Submit here: https://artists.ca/submissions/view/id/804

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Need prints or art supplies for your exhibition or show? We can help you with that.

VancouverOnCanvas is an online fine art printing and framing company, specializing in canvas, archival and photographic prints and reproductions. We service artists for nearly any project, from giclee canvas prints, framing, or resining, call us today for all your art decor and framing needs!

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-888-533-6278 (KeenART)
www.VancouverOnCanvas.com 
Working Hours: Pacific Standard Time
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday

Artist Feature: Tamara Phillips

Hello all!

Though it's hard to believe, summer is finally winding down. Before the sun begins to set to fall, we wanted to feature another artist who reminds us of summer. Tamara Phillips of Vancouver Island paints lustrous wildlife illustrations with hues of blues and aquas. Her love of nature and wildlife is evident in every slender stroke and meticulously drawn circle. Mixed with wood textures, her final pieces become entrancing - trailing from the shape of a jellyfish or an otter, soon you lose yourself in the myriad of mandala-like details that make up each hair, face, or feather.

Moonlit Owl, Tamara Phillips

" I am completely inspired by the natural world. Beauty is everywhere.

It is in the growth of the forest, the depth of the sea, and the curve of the bone.

It is skin, scales, bark, and tide pool ripples. It is texture, and it is raw.

I am a translator of life, and I am compelled to narrate it."

- Tamara Phillips, from her bio-page.

When looking at her pieces, one almost feels as if the subjects themselves are fluid, ever-moving and perhaps not entirely real. They move as if manifested out of water itself, floating, condensing, evaporating. It is this sense of permeability and (yet) impermanence that makes Phillip's work truly a blend of "myth, dream, intuition, and reality".

Orca, 7x10, Tamara Phillips

Sea Otter, 14x11

To view more of Tamara Phillips' work, visit her website. You can also check out her Etsy shop for prints and more.

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KeenArt Media is a family-owned printing company specializing in fine art prints and reproduction services, such as scanning, dry mounting, and dye sublimation (onto metal or wood!). Whether it's for the home or for the gallery, we have you covered.  Inquire today!

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-88-533-6278
www.VancouverOnCanvas.com
Working Hours:
8:30 AM to 5:00PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00PM Friday

Artist Spotlight: Leah Pipe

Art as true therapy...

Here at VancouverOnCanvas, we're huge fans of any art depicting the West Coast. The works of Leah Pipe are among our top favorites especially. With her delicate  strokes and fine lines, she
renders amazing wildlife portraits that are stunningly soft and clear.

Heart of the Headwaters, by Leah Pipe

Warrior Wolf, by Leah Pipe

The Echo Across the Lake, by Leah Pipe. 

A BC artist, Leah Pipe resides in the coastal mountain ranges of Northern BC, right in the heart of Gitxsan territory around the Skeena River. She is a professional artist, graphic designer, and Communications Designer for Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition. Her love for the wilderness and wildlife of British Columbia is clearly evident in her micro-amazing details, which she encourages us to examine along with her. 

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Fine Art Printing Inspired? At VancouverOnCanvas we offer fine art printing and framing in a wide selection of paper styles and frames. We also scan originals so that you can enjoy the beauty of their colors on each individual paper texture for years to come. Printed with archival inks, their brilliance is built to remain. To evoke that beautiful subtle watercolor texture, we recommend the Hahnemuhle German Etching. Simply sensuous!

Would you like to be featured on our blog, or know an artist you'd like us to share? We'd love to get to know you and your thoughts! Leave your suggestions in the comments below!

KeenArt Media Ltd. 604-421-8000 (KeenART)
www.VancouverOnCanvas.com
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday

Upcoming Summer Art Festivals!

Here's to hoping all this good weather is finally here to stay! To celebrate, we have a list of some art festivals that are coming on the horizon. Mark your calendars for:


South Granville Art Walk: JUNE 17

Happening tomorrow! Don't miss the South Granville Art Walk, where visitors are encouraged to meander down 12 different art exhibitions along the row of Granville Street. 

Artwork by Liz Toohey-Wiese, exhibited by Elissa Cristall Gallery,
who are participating in this year's South Granville Art Walk.

Queer Arts Festival: JUNE 17-28

Deer Lake Summer Arts Festival: July 8

Arts Wells: AUG 4 -7 , 2017

Harmony Arts Festival: AUG 4 - 13, 2017

More details to come!

If there are any we have missed, let us know! We love being part of the art scene, whether it's admiring your works, or assisting with the behind the table stuff! Which ones will you guys be hitting up? For those of you who have been before, which would you recommend our artists to participate in, or our patrons to visit as their first event? 

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Planning to attend as an artist? We can help! Check out our website for an assortment of canvas and giclee fine art printing services, as well as other products such as wood panels and display racks.

KeenArt Media Ltd. 604-421-8000 (KeenART)

www.VancouverOnCanvas.com

8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday

8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday  

Parker Art Salon Recap + Artist Feature and Case Study!

Hello everyone!

Hope everyone is enjoying these little breaks of summer we keep getting. We can't wait for summer to finally stick around!

Our apologies for the delay in blogging - May was a pretty hectic month for us! But we should be returning to our regularly scheduled programming soon.

To catch up, how many of you went to the Parker Art Salon back in the beginning of May? I went, and loved it! So many fantastic pieces - walking around all three floors made me buzz with so much excitement.

I also went to grab a shot of this wonderful work! Earlier this year, artist Sarah Knoebber came in to inquire about our dry mounting services. For her light-inspired piece, she wanted to be able to mount her semi-transparent collage on acrylic in order to truly capture the dynamic of light in her pieces. After much consideration and thought, we mounted the piece onto plexi, and in order to have light shimmer through, we also built an additional clear plexi frame at the back. This way the piece ("Woman Listening") could be viewed both front and back, allowing the audience to interact with it as they wish!

We also assisted with the resining of her other piece below:

While the resin was able to capture and deepen the vibrancy of the colors in her collage ("Other Worlds"), it also sealed it completely, protecting it from being interactive in a tactile manner. The transparency and exposure of  "Woman Listening" invited viewers to draw in, explore, touch. Both stunning and gorgeous pieces, with their own personalities and flavor.

Thank you for using us, Sarah! We're delighted to have been part of your art-making process!

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Thinking of dry-mounting or resining? Visit us at VancouverOnCanvas.com!

VancouverOnCanvas is a local printing, framing, fine arts and reproduction company. We also supply artist materials such as custom canvases, primed and unprimed, as well as stretcher bars, wood panels, etc. Check out our supply section today!

KeenArt Media Ltd. 604-421-8000 (KeenART)

www.VancouverOnCanvas.com

8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday

8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday 

Artist Spotlight: Michael Halbert with his Craft Brewery Artwork

Happy Friday everyone!

Before you head off for some weekend cheers and drinks, we were wondering...do any of these images look familiar to you?

If they do, it's probably because you have seen them at some point while you wander Vancouver - perhaps at a restaurant, or passing by Gastown...

Ta-dah!! For today's feature, we'd like to cast the spot on scratchboard artist Michael Halbert, who gives this local favourite its recognizable charm!

Michael Halbert is by far one of my art idols. His specialty is in scratchboard illustration, a process in which the image comes alive through the artist scratching the lines off, revealing the negative space. The amount of detail and precision that is in his work is absolutely mindblowing, and I just had to share and spread the love.

If you are unfamiliar with his work, you can find some of his most iconic pieces on the branding of Vancouver-based craft brewery "Steamworks". Check out his magic below:

Totally amazing!!

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KeenArt Media is a family-owned printing company specializing in fine art prints and reproduction services, such as scanning, dry mounting, and dye sublimation. Whether it's for the home or for the gallery, we have you covered.  Inquire today!

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-88-533-6278
www.VancouverOnCanvas.com
Working Hours:
8:30 AM to 5:00PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00PM Friday

The new Vancouver Art Gallery

The Vancouver Art Gallery now stands at the threshold of one of the most exciting moments in history. After more than a decade of research and planning for a new Gallery, they are moving forward with their vision to create an innovative and inspiring visual art museum that enriches lives and plays a pivotal role in enhancing Vancouver and British Columbia's reputation as a vibrant, creative, and desirable place to live, work and visit.

The new Vancouver Art Gallery will be a purpose-built art museum that creates and strengthens links between artists, contemporary and historical art, and diverse communities throughout the city, province and around the world. The Gallery will tie the past to the present, make visible. Vancouver's connections to other places in the world, and enhance Vancouver's reputation as one of the most important international centres for contemporary art production.

read more here