The Cariboo Artists’ Guild’s featured artist for August is none other than the president, herself, Patsy Granberg.
Seven select pieces of hers are being featured in the Showcase gallery, in 100 Mile House.
The Free Press sat down with Granberg in the lobby of the South Cariboo Business Centre on Thursday, July 26, to learn more about her art and experience with the guild.
Question: How long have you been the president of the Cariboo Artists’ Guild?
“I believe it’s been three years now. For me, it’s my community beyond the home, so it’s quite meaningful. And these are people that share a very strong passion for the arts.”
Q: What made you want to get involved in this organization?
“When I moved here a dozen years ago I came with the interest of finding the arts organization … and I found my way to Parkside Art Gallery and the Cariboo Artists’ Guild and I’ve been a member ever since.”
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Q: Where did you relocate from?
“From the Okanagan.”
Q: Were you an artist before you moved?
“I’ve always been involved with life drawing, and when I came here and joined the guild my interest moved more toward painting and exploration of all the mediums of painting, although I continue to draw. It’s just a personal interest, adds to my life.”
Q: What inspired your transition from drawing to painting?
“It was definitely (the guild’s) influence that affected that. And I found that as a newcomer here, pursuing the painting and having themes and having reason to give it lots of thought has ended in me having a lot of paintings that help define, for me, my life here and it’s been a great part of my transition and settling in.”
Q: In what way do your paintings define your life?
“Well every painting comes with a good deal of thought and regarding what is important to me and what matters to me and by translating that into a painting it’s just a great way of processing and being more thoughtful about your life.”
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Q: What is it that you’re expressing through your painting?
“Often with portraits I’m looking for an emotion. Actually, with all my paintings I look for an emotion as well as a celebration of colour and as well as enjoying the natural world for sure.”
Q: What mediums do you use?
“I’ve been experimenting with everything. With drawing it’s more colour and more pastel and graphite pencil, actually, and I’ve explored acrylic, oil and watercolour paintings.”
Q: What pieces have you chosen for your Showcase display?
“There are seven in all. Every medium is demonstrated here. I thought they were cohesive with their broad use of colour and I wanted to continue to display some portraits because that is still my main interest. It’s the area I have the most experience in, I’ve been doing that for more than 30 years. Drawing a face is one of the most difficult things, so I’m still practicing. It’s a huge challenge. It never becomes less challenging.”
Q: What do you hope people see when they look at your art?
“I hope they find that they express a joy in what is, in the commonplace and in the novelty.”
Q: Do you have a favourite?
“I really had fun with this piece: the woodpeckers. It was done with a palet knife which leaves a good measure of the result out of my control and I do like my artwork to be not so contrived. I like to leave a little bit of chance and the unexpected to my art work. A palet knife offers a very loose and impressionistic kind of result.”
Q: What is your painting process?
“When I begin a painting I know what I’m trying to express, yes. I try to spend very little time actually painting and more time thinking about my strategy to finish it. My actual painting time is quite small. It’s the only way I can do it. I could never stand at an easel all day long. I try and do my work away from the easel.”
beth.audet@100milefreepress.net
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