Artful : The Gallery owner Kristina Campbell has spent a couple of years drawing attention to emerging and established artists from throughout the Comox Valley and beyond.
From now until Christmas, the Comox Valley has the opportunity to see what Campbell has to offer.
With the solo exhibition ‘Ancient Songs,’ Campbell has reached back through her Danish ancestry to bring the Nordic gods to life. This exhibition is an overview of the artwork Campbell has produced on this theme through the past decade and includes several commissions especially created for buyers with an affinity for a particular Norse god.
In 2020, seeking metaphorical protection in the early days of the pandemic, Campbell began producing shields on round wood panels, complete with iron shield bosses at their centre and runic inscriptions for strength and protection.
Campbell initially learned how to ‘draw like a Viking’ by copying the designs of each of the various Viking periods. She quickly found her signature method of ‘drawing’ with a Dremel drill into the surface of wooden cradle panels before painting with warm, rich red and earthen pigments and adding gold leaf to her designs. The art of the Vikings shows the influence of their contact with the Celts, particularly in their adoption of woven knotwork. Campbell was intrigued to see how the Vikings, beginning within the geometric formality of the Celts, proceeded to deconstruct the design, maintaining the weaving while freeing the final forms. Over time, the coiling woven tendrils became the bodies and limbs of fantastical beasts and creatures.
Campbell’s mythopoetic style is an expression of her belief that access to human wisdom is contained in all world mythologies. For Campbell, creativity is both the beginning and the end; without imagination, there is no access to the language of myth, metaphor, symbols, or poetry.
She believes it is through immersing ourselves in these non-linear, fluid flows of experience that we nurture and grow our imaginations and creativity.
Ancient Songs runs at Artful : The Gallery through Dec. 24. The gallery is located at 526C Cumberland Rd., Courtenay, and is open from noon-5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.
Follow Artful : The Gallery on Instagram at @artfulthegallery or visit www.artfulthegallery.com.