The Look of Love: Art as a Love Language
Welcome to Metchosin ArtPod's online gallery for the juried show The Look of Love: Art as a Love Language. Our guest jurors for this show was Wilma Millette.
For this show artists were tasked with making love visible. This was what we wrote to inspire them:
Love is everywhere. Sometimes it is grandiose, obvious, visible; other times, love is tiny, nearly invisible, implied, elusive, or unrequited. Sometimes it seems altogether lost. So what does it look like?
It is said that love starts with the self and only then can move outwards, so love reveals inner values and softness, hurts and connections. Love shares what is important. Ask yourself: Is Art truly a “love language”? If so, then in what ways is this language expressed? How would you represent or portray love? If you were writing a letter about the things that move you the most, but did not have words, what would that look like?
Think beyond the obvious of pink hearts and red lace. Think of the skip of a heartbeat when hearing a favourite piece of music… the held breath at the sight of the curve of a loved one’s cheek… the whole-body tingle watching a vista unfold at daybreak. That feeling of connection and “zing!” In this show, we are interested in exploring all manifestations of love: for and between people, for places, for objects, for activities, for concepts monumental and microscopic... As our world dances along knife edges, share with us your zing! Let your art be your message of love to the world, It might be what saves us all.
The juror for this show is collage artist Wilma Millette . Check out her lovely work: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crea...
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. -Rumi
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
For this show we added an audio component and created a playlist of songs that are linked to the pieces on display. Were you to attend this show in person, you might hear the love-related music that inspired the art! We hope to make the playlist available through regular music-streaming platforms.
The online gallery is where you can vote for your favourite piece in the show. At the end of the show's run, votes are tallied and a People's Choice Award is presented to the deserving winner!
This show also exists in real life in Metchosin, BC, Canada, at Metchosin ArtPod. We highly encourage you to come see it in person during its run from 2 February- 31 March 2024. People are always happy to have seen the show in person-- it is quite a different experience from seeing it on line. **Note that ArtPod is open from 11am-4pm from Fri-Sun.**
We welcome everyone to our Opening Celebration on 3 February between 2-4. Meet our juror, Wilman Millette, and hear how she chose the works in this show, listen to accepted artists in attendance speak about their works and process, and celebrate the 3 Juror's Choice Winners!
More information about workshops and evens associated with this show, and upcoming shows, on our website: MetchosinArtPod.ca.
Enjoy the show!
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Mombrain
Dimensions: 28 x 15 x 15
Artist statement: With this piece “Mombrain”, Shannon gathered her to-do lists from an entire year and secured them to this hand built hollow porcelain self portrait sculpture to give a tactile impression of what a overwhelmed mother may be holding in her mind. This piece is about self love as Shannon is recognizing and validating the struggle by showing this so honestly. On closer inspection of this piece you can see all the jagged scars on Mombrains face and body while at the same time she has her lipstick and eyelashes in tact and ties it all up with a bow on top. Something she has been guilty of and believes by showing her truth here with ernest curiousity she is aiming to shed light and allow her self to heal. Shannon likes to talk about harder conversations in a beautiful way and believes “Mombrain” is a piece about bravery and love and is hoping to begin to mend and make steps on improving her own life as she balances being a stay at home mom and artist.
Heart of a Basket
Dimensions: 3.5 x 6.5 x 3
Artist statement: Inspired by nature and the love of finding repurpose items that can be created into a work of art. I have spent many years finding new ways of taking the outdoors and crafting treasures into a one of a kind baskets. Each piece is an original starting from a few pine needles and coiling them into a work of art that can be cherished for a life time They have the fresh smell of pine. Art made by Nature.
Love of Pine
Dimensions: 3 x 4.25 x 5.5
Artist statement: Inspired by nature and the love of finding repurpose items that can be created into a work of art. I have spent many years finding new ways of taking the outdoors and crafting treasures into a one of a kind baskets. Each piece is an original starting from a few pine needles and coiling them into a work of art that can be cherished for a life time. They have the fresh smell of pine. Art made by Nature.
Leather and Lace
Dimensions: 3 x 5.5 x 4
Artist statement: Inspired by nature and the love of finding repurpose items that can be created into a work of art. I have spent many years finding new ways of taking the outdoors and crafting treasures into a one of a kind baskets. Each piece is an original starting from a few pine needles and coiling them into a work of art that can be cherished for a life time. They have the fresh smell of pine. Art made by Nature.
The Look of Love: The Working Dancer 5
Dimensions: 29 x 0
Artist statement: Dance is a language of love, and it allows us to bond with others in a way that is beyond words. It is a language that speaks to the soul, and it reminds us of the beauty of human connection. Through dance, we can express our deepest emotions and tell stories that transcend time, space, and physical presence. Dancers leave an indelible mark on our souls that inspires us to laugh, cry, love, dream, and do so much more. The transformative power of dance lies in the emotional connection that is created between the performer and the viewer. As dancers lose themselves in movement, they enter a state of flow that is both captivating and awe-inspiring. The moment when the dancer and the dance become one is magic, evoking an emotional connection that transcends the boundaries of performance and audience. This connection is the look of love, and it is the essence of what makes dance such a powerful and transformative art form.
The Look of Love: The Working Dancer 8
Dimensions: 28 x 22
Artist statement: Dance is a language of love, and it allows us to bond with others in a way that is beyond words. It is a language that speaks to the soul, and it reminds us of the beauty of human connection. Through dance, we can express our deepest emotions and tell stories that transcend time, space, and physical presence. Dancers leave an indelible mark on our souls that inspires us to laugh, cry, love, dream, and do so much more. The transformative power of dance lies in the emotional connection that is created between the performer and the viewer. As dancers lose themselves in movement, they enter a state of flow that is both captivating and awe-inspiring. The moment when the dancer and the dance become one is magic, evoking an emotional connection that transcends the boundaries of performance and audience. This connection is the look of love, and it is the essence of what makes dance such a powerful and transformative art form.
The Look of Love: The Working Dancer 17
Dimensions: 22 x 28
Artist statement: Dance is a language of love, and it allows us to bond with others in a way that is beyond words. It is a language that speaks to the soul, and it reminds us of the beauty of human connection. Through dance, we can express our deepest emotions and tell stories that transcend time, space, and physical presence. Dancers leave an indelible mark on our souls that inspires us to laugh, cry, love, dream, and do so much more. The transformative power of dance lies in the emotional connection that is created between the performer and the viewer. As dancers lose themselves in movement, they enter a state of flow that is both captivating and awe-inspiring. The moment when the dancer and the dance become one is magic, evoking an emotional connection that transcends the boundaries of performance and audience. This connection is the look of love, and it is the essence of what makes dance such a powerful and transformative art form.
Almost Heaven
Dimensions: 28 x 36 x 2
Artist statement: "Almost Heaven" is a 1/1 mono print photograph of an interior view of Saint Thibeault chapel, in Burgundy, France. France is one of my favourite countries (I was born there) and I fell in love with this rather 'bland' chapel from the moment I walked into its space. It was so different from all other churches I had visited in that country, and others, because it was plain. Without a 'mask' of decoration (no paintings, no stained glass, one sculpture) it seemed to reveal its true self to me. The strong light from the clear glass windows illuminated its interior structure and allowed me to really get to know it as a work of architecture rather than as a backdrop or support for other art forms. It also helped to transport me back to a time, hundreds of years ago, when all churches and cathedrals would have looked like this chapel: before they were hidden with the 'make up' of art. The chapel may seem incomplete, perhaps misunderstood, to most viewers but its plainness helped me fall in love with the real Saint Thibeault chapel.
Sunset Snooze
Dimensions: 22 x 28 x 1
Artist statement: In simple moments in the waning day, love is revealed in its purest form on a park bench.
Love is Salish Sea Surpises.
Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 1
Artist statement: Love is Salish Sea Surprises is my tribute in colour, shape and texture to the ever present joy and yes love, that I experience every time, in every season or at any hour that I walk or cycle by this impressive body.
Love is Arbutus Joy
Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 1
Artist statement: A walk among the Arbutus is my quintessential place of peace and love. I have painted my hommage to the Arbutus with heart, colour, marks and texture.
and now here is my secret
Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 1
Artist statement: Both in form and content this piece reflects an alternative language of love. The form: messy abstraction, muted earth tones with a splash of colour, partly obscured text, loose gestural marks, oil and cold wax are the ingredients that can create artwork that most inspires and delights me, whether my own work or the work of others. The content: inspired by a quote (by Antoine Saint-Exupery from his book The Little Prince - And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye) the making of the piece expresses love for a person. If successful this expression is felt and not explicit
Path Along the Lagoon
Dimensions: 22 x 28 x 1
Artist statement: Having been born in Victoria, the beach and the ocean have always been there, right down the road from me. Esquimalt Lagoon was the place to go as a teenager and then, for the past 15 years, my art studio has been on this same Lagoon, inspiring many of my paintings. We bought a house with a view of Jaun de Fuca Strait where I can sit and look out at the water from my deck every day. Most of my life I've taken my surroundings for granted, not realizing how it's shaped who I am and how important it would become. My love, is a whole lifetime rooted in this place called 'home'.
Awestruck
Dimensions: 24 x 20 x 1.5
Artist statement: In these particularly challenging times, it is important to me to try and capture the natural beauty around us in my art. This classic song "It's A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong never fails to inspire me in my art and my life. "Awestruck" is one example of the wonder in the sky, the ocean, and the beaches that surround us. Nature is truly a love language that we can all speak.
Mother's Love
Dimensions: 14 x 18 x 1.5
Artist statement: I chose this piece to represent love because of my experience in Guatemala, seeing the beauty of the mother as the center and source of love for her family.. She holds her children close as she goes to market to provide for them. In a country of great poverty these mothers create beauty in their clothing and presence and provide supportive loving instruction for their children.
For The Love Of Flowers
Dimensions: 16 x 12 x 1.5
Artist statement: Flowers are everywhere on our Island. The Greater Victoria Flower Count is an annual event "to spread spring cheer to the residents of Greater Victoria and encourage them to stop and count the flowers while out in their communities." The rest of Canada loves and hates us for being able to to that in March! I love giving and receiving cut flowers. They add such a brightness to any room.
Son
Dimensions: 36 x 24
Artist statement: “A mother is a son’s first true love, a son is a mother’s last true love.” – Denzel Washington “Son” is a portrait of the artist’s eldest son. I fling, drip, and move paint around until it resembles something knocking on your heart's door. I want to disrupt my reality and lose myself in an exploration of emotional content through color and the blurred edges of reality – a conversation between what is seen and what is felt.
Wild Child
Dimensions: 36 x 24 x 1
Artist statement: “A mother is a son’s first true love, a son is a mother’s last true love.” – Denzel Washington “Wild Child” is a portrait of the artist’s youngest son. I fling, drip, and move paint around until it resembles something knocking on your heart's door. I want to disrupt my reality and lose myself in an exploration of emotional content through color and the blurred edges of reality – a conversation between what is seen and what is felt.
I know you know
Artist statement: Wearing love on my sleeve is a way of life, creating with my hands is my voice, and recreating fabric and fashion are part of my family history. This jacket of many colours embodies all of these things, and my musical choice, “I know you know” by Lyle Lovett, was my wedding song over 33 years ago. Putting on this hand made garment with its literal message of love painted on the back, was created to remind myself and others that love is everywhere if we just remember to look.
Waiting in the Rain
Dimensions: 24 x 18 x 1.5
Artist statement: Giving love sometimes feels as though we are waiting in the rain and cold. It is possible to keep shining, but there is a sense of fragility, a fear of falling apart, an awareness of flaws. But we continue to wait in the cold, flowers in hand, hopeful, head turning at every sound hoping that we wont fall to pieces. Will this piece hold up over time? I'm not sure. But if it doesn't I'm okay with that, because like loving, I am taking a risk.
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