That’s Not Art

By Doreen Jung. The dream began in the sands of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

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Three young Abbotsford artists attended the Burning Man Project and saw a community built to celebrate radical self expression and art.

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Innovative installations, sculpture, performance, and costumes were all part of this week-long experience.

The young artists returned to Abbotsford, bringing with them the desire to create an event that would challenge conventional notions of art.

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Cover Art (top right): Pearls By Jen Shepit
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Thus, the event, “That’s Not Art” was conceived. It would be an opportunity for non-traditional artists to show their work along with international caliber artists and emerging artists.

On Saturday, May 8th, organizers Brandon Shultz, April Solomon, and Josh Hildebrandt saw their vision come to life. Enthusiastic artists, musicians, photographers, and many other artistic participants gathered in a large venue at 2190 West Railway Street to show their work.

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Wes Giesbrecht, a wood artist and abstract painter displayed large wood mosaics and bold acrylic paintings.

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His mosaic wall hangings are made from over fifty species of wood including walnut, maple, and exotic woods such as wenge, canary, bloodwood, and purple heart.

Wes’ designs range from abstract images to famous faces. In his paintings, Wes enjoys working with vivid colors and free form shapes.

He says, “I am not big on subtlety. My paintings tend to reach out and poke you in the eye.”

Karen Durant is a seamstress, fibre artist, and one who loves to experiment with a variety of materials. She brought a dragonfly, one of her favorite inspirations, created in wire mesh and mylar tissue. It accompanied her fibre art which included clothing and wall hangings.

One of the organizers inspired by the Burning Man Project, April Solomon exhibited her work in graphite and colored pencils.

April is inspired by the textures that she sees in nature such as tree bark, bones, fur, and ferns. She merges creatures, creating new textures and anatomy.

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April loves to create mythical creatures such as dragons. Her work is detailed and intricate. April has painted numerous murals in Abbotsford in both public and private spaces.

Two of her murals can be seen, one on Centennial Pool and another in the Clearbrook Decorating Centre.

Another organizer of “That’s Not Art”, Brandon Schultz has been a graphic designer for seven years.

He exhibited acrylic paintings, collages, and work done in collaboration with his wife, April Solomon. Artist, Steve G. Fultz showed his acrylic painting, “Passion and Tsunami” which was inspired by the 2005 tsunami in Thailand.

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His work “Taking Flight” combined rich colors with stylized images. Surreal images of women in oils by Jen Shepit captured the viewer’s attention with their delicate beauty.

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Many other artists, musicians, and craftspeople came together to create a community for a day.

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Like the Burning Man Project, this gathering celebrated the artistic spirit in the community.