An art show that aims to uncover aspects of the inner self will show in a new downtown gallery next month.
‘I love you … but I love myself more,’ is a collaborative exhibit created by artists Valerie Veilleux and Marcus Hastings that will showcase a collection of their individual and joint projects as illustrations, prints and paintings. The opening reception will be held Friday, Sept. 1, from 6-9 p.m. at the Good Gawd Gallery above the Vault Café.
The Good Gawd Gallery first opened at the beginning of August and is part of the ‘Upstairs Bazaar’ at 499 Wallace St. and will highlight the work of a different artist every month.
Hastings said he considers ‘I love you … but I love myself more’ to be a snapshot of his and Veilleux’s accumulated work from their years together.
“It’s a collective combination of our art and who we are… we don’t do and aren’t just one thing,” Veilleux said.
Hastings’s pieces are depictions often based on incidents he’s witnessed or on “grandiose ideas that pop into his head” as he attempts to capture them on canvas or paper.
“Whether I succeed or not, it comes out how it comes out,” he said.
While Veilleux enjoys and appreciates digital art, she said her core expression relies on intuitive painting for its fluid and versatile nature. Intuitive painting, as she described it, allows the artist to connect with a part of themselves that’s not governed by the mind but by emotions. It’s a practice, she said, that has allowed for self-discovery, as well as the ability to overcome obstacles during challenging times.
“When I do my intuitive paintings, I always like to say ‘nothing is permanent, you can change anything with the swish of a paintbrush’… and moving through emotions … evoking beautiful colours and creating new worlds that sometimes our eyes might not be able to perceive but our essence can,” she said.
As part of the month-long show, both artists will hold workshops in the gallery several days a week; Saturdays will see Hastings host ‘Come Colour with Marcus’ sessions; Veilleux will host sound workshops with crystal bowls and guided meditations on Sundays; and Wednesdays will see intuitive painting sessions, also hosted by Veilleux. Admittance for workshops will be by donation.
Further information on the sessions can be found on the artists’ Instagram pages @iamvalerieveilleux and @marcus.a.m.hastings, as well as on the gallery’s page @goodgawdgallery.
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mandy.moraes@nanaimobulletin.com
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