The second annual Art House open studio tour, highlighting guest artists from the community and giving visitors a chance to chat, look around, and maybe even buy a new piece for their home, went swimmingly despite heavy Canada Day temperatures.
Everyone enjoyed themselves, and the small house at 720 2nd Avenue NW stayed busy with family and friends there to support and help out. Visitor's enjoyed lemonade from a stall out front, chatted with the artists, and bought prints, paintings, and merchandise. Duncan Blackman's cello provided beautiful background music.
Art House is the communal art studio project of local photographer and painter Jess Zoerb. Zoerb was one of eight artists featured for the open house, including:
- Erin Zimmerman
- Laura Blackman
- Lisa Dautremont
- Faith Morrell
- Sara Robichaud
- Brennan Daradich
- Christine Johnson
"I think it's great, it's going absolutely amazing," said Erin Zimmerman, a close friend and frequent collaborator with Zoerb. "Jess brought everyone together as usual, we've got a nice kind of community going here. There's tons of amazing art and tons of talent in our city.
"Art is such a process, and we all change, we've never the same year to year because of the things we go through or the ways we're creating. So, one of things I find really interesting at these sort of collaborations is how each of us has changed, and how everyone's art looks so different. But it's all great, I love it."
There were two new, young artists featured this year: Faith Morrell, 23, and Brennan Daradich, 18, who only just graduated from Central Collegiate.
Daradich illustrates in charcoal, and presented a portfolio of black-and-white, haunting, unsettling works at the exhibition.
"In grade 12 AP art, we had to pick a theme and try to stick with it, and create 12 pictures along that theme," Daradich said. "I chose fear, and I found that I really liked how I could convey a lot in what I was doing. None of my pictures are violent, but they make you uncomfortable. I just think that's cool, because I'm not drawing anything uncomfortable, so what is doing that?
"I think I want to stick with dull tones and the same kind of style, but I'm excited to try different mediums, add some colour. I'm not sure, we'll see."
Morrell is a teacher and a person with schizophrenia. Her illness doesn't affect her day to day life, she said, because it's very well managed with medication. However, it isn't a subject that gets enough attention and it isn't talked about enough, she believes, which is why she tries to express her experience through her art.
"Education is key, and we need to talk about these problems — which aren't always even problems, they're just facts of life. You're seen differently when people associate you with a physical or mental illnesses. Especially invisible ones. So, this piece was a big risk for me.
"I've always loved art, even before I knew I was using it as a therapeutic medium. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia shortly after my mother passed. And that was because I was having issues differentiating between dreams and reality. They were both so real, and I couldn't tell when I was awake or asleep. ... Am I floating? Am I falling? Am I rising, or am I stagnant? I couldn't tell, and this piece embodies that."
Photographer Christine Johnson began focusing on her art in 2017 and said she connected with the community through Facebook.
"I look for anything inspiring, really. Anything with a story to tell," Johnson said. She spent the afternoon greeting visitors at the door and said it was a good way to celebrate July 1. "I think it's going really good so far. It's absolutely an amazing way to spend Canada Day."
