Attended the exhibit of French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria several weeks back. This was a very comprehensive exhibition of over 60 works in bronze including studies for monumental works such as "The Gates of Hell,"

I have some short video works shown with the rest of the Tempoth

I went to check out the space that Blim has on Main Street today and at the same time to look at some arts and crafts for Blim/Terminus 1525 Canada Day Art Market. Nestled in the small gallery and spilling out onto the sidewalk were artists of all kinds plying their wares of small artworks to jewelry to clothing. Homecrafted jewelry, some made from rather creative materials and recycled goods predominated the market as did a host of small illustrations, many applied to stickers.

Both stickers and 1" buttons have become popular in the past couple of years, sometimes spawning mini art shows with very good attendance. I'm thinking here of the Hot 1" Action Shows which have been a yearly event here in Vancouver for the past four years.

Illustration has crossed the boundary of the advertising world to infiltrate the art world, I think due in part to the skateboard culture and graffiti artists. Now these stylized, miniature artworks can be applied to fridge magnets, jewelry, t-shirts, etc. and anyone can own a unique item.

I find these events fun to attend to see what is emerging with the younger artists in the community and to see some raw talent. Next time you hear of an artist market, do yourself a favor and buy a unique pair of earrings or a t-shirt and support a local young artist.

Summer is in the air and it's time once again to make the rounds of the local galleries to see some new work. Took in an afternoon opening at the Jacana Gallery of their latest show "Sweet Raw," featuring the new works of Siobhan Humston and Leah Rosenberg.

Using a mix of graphite and acrylic on panel Siobahn Humston explores nature in a playful and minimalist manner with daisy-like flowers floating on panels with paint drips and workings in graphite. While many of the pieces seem a little redunant in nature, the works still evoke a sense of joy and positiveness.

Leah Rosenberg, a Emily Carr Institute grad of 2003, continues her exploration of texture and decoration with a variety of works exploring the the darker side of what is deemed 'pretty.' Confidently pushing the boundaries of her mixed media, which includes unorthodox materials such as glitter, sequins and letraset, Rosenbereg creates a sense of time and nostalgia with the depth built into her pieces. On closer inspection, many pieces had a quality not unlike printmaking etches, with scoring and sanded areas. She decribes her work in the gallery press release as, "increasingly about the spontaneous over-the-top beauty of a child's imagination and the devastation of its failure." I feel these are her best pieces to date for their haunting quality.

Highlights in the exhibition include Humston's "Twilight Wrapped" and Rosenberg's "Snow White Tension." The show runs from June 1 - 25 at the Jacana Gallery on South Granville gallery row.

Recently attended the theatre screening of Terry Zwigoff's "Art School Confidential." The director's fourth effort, unlike the successful 1994 "Crumb" and 2001 "Ghost World," was a disappointment.

After an ambitious effort with a documentary of renown illustrator, Robert Crumb - a difficult, yet eccentric personality, Zwigoff tackled the subject of 'everywhere America' with the interpretation of the comic Ghost World. While "Crumb" explored the creative impulse with outsider attitudes, it settled on the interpretation of everyday life and individuals, which fuel Crumb's illustrations. As a contrast, the film delves into the ill-functioning of Crumb's own family with many poignant scenes. Spring-boarding to "Ghost World," screenplay and comic written by Daniel Clowes, Zwigoff further examines the phenomena of finding ones place in the world for a recently graduated high school student. The choices we make in light of the mediocrity of contemporary living are displayed in pure and cutting satire with wonderful performances by Thora Birch and, then unknown, Scarlett Johanssen. The fourth effort of "Bad Santa" 2003 by Zwigoff is barely worth mentioning as it totally misses the mark.

Being an artist and enjoying Zwigoff's first two efforts as a director, I was really looking forward to the potential lampooning of the art school experience. While "Art School Confidential" makes a pedestrian effort in poking fun at art school students, teachers and art star wannabees, I feel it dragged with mundane scenes and a simplistic subplot of a campus murder. It's not that there isn't enough comedic material for a movie, it just wasn't explored by the writer and director. The stereotype of students who go to art schools, the critique of work, trying to get into shows, temperamental gallery owners, washed up instructors and art star burn outs all make the art world a bit of a parody of itself. I felt this could have really been played up with a greater question in the background of what constitues contemporary art today! I ultimately left the theatre at the end thinking this movie could have been a scream with a very valid question posed underneath.