The famous painting group, the Group of Seven, are still a major influence on the art world as shown in the Group of Seven Teenagers art showing at the Parkside Gallery.
“I’m a little nervous but at the same time I’m really excited because I get to show my art to a lot of different kinds of people,” said one of the artists, Annika Nielsen, a Grade 12 student at Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School (PSO).
Not all of the paintings are influenced by the Group of Seven, most of the teenagers used other inspirations for their pieces. Nielsen, for instance, is a fan of Vincent van Gogh who made his mark in the world of art during the late 1800s with his realism style using bold colours. Nielsen has copies of van Gogh’s work.
With this being her first art show, Nielsen described her work as mostly realism and portraits. She uses a lot of pencil work, like contour lines and shading. The Grade 12 student comes from a family of artists and has been drawing for as long as she can remember.
Another Grade 12 student, Violet Stock, focuses on painting and drawing and she said she is hoping to get 10 to 15 pieces on display at the gallery.
“A lot of them are self-expression for things I feel passionately about but they don’t always make sense,” she said of her work. “I like exploring loneliness, feelings and sexuality.”
Her biggest influence is her art teacher, Monique Corno. She is also hoping to become a tattoo artist through an apprenticeship.
It is not the first time Stock has had her art in the gallery but it is the first time it has been in the showing room.
“I’m really excited about this because I’ve wanted my art in the main gallery for a long time,” she said. “I like being in the main gallery because more people will be allowed to see it and because it is a small town, more people can see what I am trying to say.”
Jasper Pettman, also in Grade 12, is excited to be in the art show as well. He said he was in a class art show a couple years ago but was excited because this felt more official.
Pettman usually uses ink pens or acrylic paint. His favourite piece available for viewing in the showcase will be a screen print of a drawing he did of his favourite musician, Olly Alexander of the pop band Years & Years.
“It’s really good with the colours. I did it in my sketchbook originally and it was transferred to the print,” he said of the painting.
One of his favourite artists is Keith Haring, who uses bold colours and pop art and had a big impact on New York City street culture, often using societal and political themes before his death in 1990.
Also including Jacob Bryan, Kat Hansen, Lauren McLean and Si Douglas-Fish, the Group of Seven Teenager’s art will be on display from March 16 to April 21. Some of their art may also be for sale.