The Comox Valley Art Gallery is launching a new and innovative fundraising initiative.
it's designed to bring revenue into the gallery at a time of financial need while disseminating the work of fantastic local artists into the homes and businesses of the Comox Valley.
Inaugural artworks are by Tony Martin, (CVAG’s previous executive director/curator), local artists Andy Everson and Alex Witcombe — three visionairies helping shape the esthetic landscape of the Valley through their unique styles and visual stories.
The artists are working in collaboration with local screen printer Andy MacDougall to produce original limited edition serigraphs which are have been printed onsite at the Comox Valley Art Gallery as part of the CVAG exhibition: Screen Printing; Ad, Art or Alchemy, which runs until Nov. 3 at 5 p.m.
The prints have been available for pre-sale since Sept. 28. Each edition is hand screened on 100 per cent rag paper, signed and numbered by the artist in an edition of 100. Prints will be sold for $99 each, tax and framing not included.
The unveiling and launch of the completed prints will take place at the CVAG’s sold-out Cirque du Soiree masquerade dinner, dance, circus and silent auction gala and celebration this Saturday, with the 3 artists present.
• Educated at St. Martin’s School of Art (now Central St. Martin’s) and Alberta College of Art (Post Grad Painting), Martin retired in 2010 as CVAG's director/curator.
He has exhibited in Switzerland, Germany, Vancouver, Calgary and the Comox Valley. Tony has artworks in the municipal collection of Freiburg, Germany; the Comox Valley Art Gallery and the Canada Council Art Bank.
Retirement has allowed Tony to continue his practice full time as a painter of watercolours and acrylic stencil paintings; this gives him a renewed desire to exhibit.
• Everson was born in Comox and named Na̱gedzi after his grandfather, the late Chief Andy Frank of the K’ómoks First Nation. Andy has also had the honour of being seated with the N'a̱mg̱is T̓sit̓sa̱ł'walag̱a̱me' name of Ḵ̓wa̱mxa̱laga̱lis I'nis.
Influenced heavily by his grandmother, he has always been driven to uphold the traditions of both the K’ómoks and Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw First Nations.
The ability to create and print most of his own work has allowed Andy to explore and express his ancestral artwork in a number of contemporary ways.
• Witcombe resides in the Comox Valley and graduated with the inaugural class of BFA graduates from the Emily Carr University at North Island College External degree program in 2007. His talents in illustration and design have garnered many private and public commissions.
Witcombe recently travelled across the United States to work on painting large wall murals for private commissions. He is developing his illustration business and will be set to launch it online in the near future.
• MacDougall, ASPT is a screen printer, consultant, writer, and member of both the American Poster Institute (API) and the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA). He was elected to the internationally based Academy of Screen Printing Technology (ASPT) in 2007, for his writing, demonstrations, and promotion of the screen printing process in North America and worldwide.
His lifelong interest in music and art has been mixed with a long career in the screenprinting and advertising graphics industry, having worked in and owned a number of large printing plants and more recently a smaller studio www.squeegeeville.com.
For more information or to reserve your print now, contact CVAG at 250-338-6211.
— Comox Valley Art Gallery