By Gail Gromaski. The Abbotsford Arts Council announces its next show at the Kariton Art Gallery: a dual exhibition featuring a collection of works in mixed media by Jeff Sawatzky and a separate collection of works in mixed media by Jennifer Chew.
Jeff Sawatsky
Jeff Sawatzky’s contribution to the show entitled “series 9” includes works inspired by drawings he found in old instructional and technical manuals. The simplicity and the educational nature of the manuals became the foundation for the repetitive nature found in his paintings.
Working on these made Sawatzky feel “connected back to a time with less technical reliance and more dependence on mechanical means of development.”
Sawatzky began his art career working with various art professionals including muralist Dean Lauzé, producing signs and painting murals for theatres and gymnasiums.
He later attended the University of the Fraser Valley in the Fine Arts program where he received numerous awards and grants.
His work has been shown and collected around North America, and he continues to exhibit his newest work around the Vancouver area.
Jennifer Chew
“The Interstitial Spaces Series” is the title of Jennifer Chew’s collection of works for the show, inspired during her constant travel, entering and exiting places between work, university, and home. Being located within these “interstitial spaces of mobility” has allowed her to “take notice of how they are continually shifting.”
“Often overlooked, these spaces of passage are part of our everyday experience as we use, pass and move through them to get to somewhere else,” says Chew.
Chew has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Emily Carr University and a Bachelor of Education from Simon Fraser University. She is an instructor at the Surrey Art Gallery and has recently exhibited her work in the Harmony Arts Festival in 2011 and the Baron Gallery in Gastown, Vancouver.
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The show will run from April 5 to April 30 at the Kariton Art Gallery, located in Mill Lake Park at 2387 Ware Street. The gallery’s hours are Tuesday to Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The artists will be present at an opening reception on Sunday, April 7, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For additional information, please contact the Abbotsford Arts Council by phone at (604) 852-9358, by email at abbotsfordartscouncil@gmail.com, or visit our website at abbotsfordartscouncil.org.
About the Abbotsford Arts Council
Established in 1972, the Abbotsford Arts Council acts as a resource for local artists while promoting the vision, creativity, and energy of the Abbotsford community through the arts. We consist of members, volunteers and directors representing diverse artistic, economic, and cultural interests of community members of all ages. We showcase the talents of local artists at the Kariton Art Gallery and at a number of events throughout the year including the Envision Concert Series, the Arty Awards and the Christmas Artisan Gift Fair. To learn more about the Abbotsford Arts Council, visit our website at abbotsfordartscouncil.org.
Cover photo Jeff Sawotsky’s 4 elements