Colours

Todos los Colores
Karen Muntean & Hazel Harris @ Arts Centre at Cedar Hill Main Gallery
September 6 - October 1 2017
Opening Wednesday September 13 7-9PM

Hazel Harris and Karen Muntean shared studio space in Vic West for several years. During that time they moved from figurative to abstract painting forms. “We began to condense our experiences of life into colourful abstractions,” says Karen. Both artists are influenced by travel and study in Mexico, hence the Spanish name for the exhibition. Todos los Colores, means "all the colours" in English. They agree with Cezanne’s observation: “When colour is at its richest, form is at its fullest.”

For this series, Hazel Harris drew inspiration from the tile and stone murals that decorate marketplaces, building facades and ocean-side walkways. Public art is greatly encouraged and well-funded throughout Mexico. While teaching in the elementary grades, Hazel introduced arts based learning in the curriculum whenever possible. “At any age,” says Hazel, “creativity enriches our lives. Now in retirement, my painting sustains and ignites me every day.”

While in Mexico, Hazel visited agave fields which are harvested for the making of tequila. She walked through the vast fields of dusty-blue spiky plants. In Agave Fields (below right) she translates this experience into a soft conglomerate of squares and rectangles in blue-green tones. Lively accents of black, yellow and orange enliven the painting.

Pinatas #2, acrylic on canvas, 30x36 in, 2016

Agave Fields, acrylic on canvas, 30x30 in, 2015

Hazel Harris completed her Masters in Art Education at UVic in 1993. UVic’s newly created studio-based Master’s program immersed her in many hands-on art projects. Inspired by figurative painting, she created characters for the Voluptuaries series, presented in 2014 at the Vic West Studio Tour. In February 2015, she spent one week in Mexico learning abstract painting from instructor Bob Burridge. This transformative experience gave her the confidence and skills she needed to launch into non-representational artworks.

“Bob Burridge is very respectful of the art inclination,” she says. “He encourages others by being enthusiastic and empathetic.” Each morning, their teacher demonstrated a compositional method, finishing a painting in about 20 minutes. He presented his students with a simplified colour wheel to facilitate harmony and balance. “It worked!” says Hazel. “His techniques made painting approachable and dissolved the mystery.”

Street Parade through the Zona, acrylic on canvas, 30x36 in, 2016

Fiesta Flags in the Zocalo, acrylic on canvas, 30x30 in, 2016

While in the tourist area (zona) of Puerto Vallarta, the artist was delighted by an impromptu celebration. She enjoyed the musical mayhem of a passing parade. Bright colours and energetic shapes give a joyful exuberance to
Street Parade through the Zona (above left). White circles of various sizes float like cheerful bubbles within the composition.

Hazel explored local beaches and villages with workshop participants. One charming village called El Tuito had an historic old town with a public square (zocalo). Tattered flags from a recent fiesta fluttered in the breeze. Fiesta Flags in the Zocalo (above right) shows a cacophony of shapes and colours beneath a brilliant summer sun.

Born in Idaho, Karen Muntean immigrated to Canada in 1971. She has an arts degree from the University of Idaho and worked in design and publishing for many years. Karen operated Gallery Rosa on Saturna Island for ten years. Her repertoire of techniques and mediums includes watercolour, acrylic, etching, linoprinting and monotypes. Karen studied multiple plate monotypes in the Santa Reparata Studio in Florence Italy. This launched a ten year focus on creating larger monoprints. At a summer school in Wells BC, she taught monoprinting, drawing, watercolours, silkscreening and hand painting on silk. Karen’s originals grace many private and corporate collections in North America.

Arabesque #1, acrylic on canvas, 24x24 in, 2012

Cloud Harmonic, acrylic on canvas, 30x30 in, 2017

An arabesque is a decorative design featuring geometric patterns and floral figures. For Arabesque #1 (above left) the artist used water soluble crayon on canvas to define the forms. She drew the floral shapes free-hand, describing her approach as more cerebral than spontaneous. The artwork is carefully layered, with ochres shades added first, followed by layers of aqua blue, with navy added last. “Colour forms the language of this artwork,” she says. “I used a mid-range balanced palette and carefully placed accents.”

During a lull in her creative output, Karen looked for a way to rekindle her inspiration. She read about Matisse making collages from brightly painted sheets of paper during an illness. The artist made small maquettes, cutting up boldly painted paper and adding found shapes like the Buddhist cloud symbols. These original designs acted as drawings for the larger works such as Cloud Harmonic (above right). The Harmonic series is painted with acrylic on textured canvas boards.

Boogie Woogie, acrylic on canvas 30x30 in, 2015

Spring Energía acrylic on canvas, 24x24 in, 2015

Spring Energía (top right) celebrates the dynamic energy of springtime renewal. The calligraphic markmaking was inspired by a visit to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. In the museum’s foyer, Van Gogh’s famous repetitive brushstrokes danced within a video projection of light and shadow. Surrounded by these vibrating visuals, visitors experienced the primal energy of a Van Gogh original. In this series, the artist’s curvilinear shapes become short hand expressions of energetic waves and magnetic patterning.

Hazel Harris (right) and Karen Muntean (left) shine
at the opening at Arts Centre Main Gallery on Sept 13.

The artists welcome your interest in their artwork.
They can be contacted via email.
[email protected], www.karenmuntean.com
[email protected], www.hazelharrisgoestoparis.com

The Arts Centre Main Gallery is located at 3220 Cedar Hill Road. Hours of operation are 6:30AM-9:30PM.

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by Kate Cino

Kate previewed arts events for 18 years at Boulevard magazine.
She has a History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from the UVic.