HOW MANY WAYS can you draw the same scene? He's sharing part of the creative process in his latest At least 24 times, according to artist Peter Dickson. show, Feltscapes, on now at the Terrace Art Gallery. Emotions are basis for drawings By CRIS LEYKAUF IF YOU’RE reminded of children’s art when you look at the new show al the art gallery, then you’re not far off the mark. Antist Peter Dickson hopes to show people thal art doesn’t have to be about choosing just the right shade fora tree or mountain, then neatly framing the picture. Instead Dickson has tried (o strip this ‘‘social condition- ing?’ from his drawings. “The pencral arts scene hasn't been accustomed to more vibrant colour and expression,” he says. “I was wncon- ..sciously influenced by all that.”’ Dickson decided to free himself from the ‘‘social mores” that had influenced his earlier paintings, and made him retreat to black and while charcoal drawings. ' “That kills art. You can’t allow thal to happen,” he says. So Dickson travelled to an art school in Atlin last sum- mertun by Gemol Dick. And since then he’s produced an -astonishing amount of work. Not surprisingly, it’s ex- tremely colourful stuff. In one half of the gallery Dickson has hung a wide vari- ety of works from a single sketch he drew on Long Beach on Vancouver Island in 1971. The sketch was of a mountain, forest, sea and sky. ‘On a wall are eight charcoal variations of that sketch, In each one there's some variation — the sky is more forbid- ding in one, in another the ocean is more prominent. The ninth sketch hangs on the opposite wall, flanked by coloured versions of itself. “Twas exploring the power of the simple sketch,’’ he ex- plains. As for why he did nine different, sketches, he says “he enjoys having-a geometric.base to his art: (| “Dieksow-then took one ‘of the-sketches (hanging on-the « opposite, wall) and developed 24 colour drawings from it, done in-oil pastels, That number he chose because, “they — fitcon my wall at home.” He says doing 24 variations on a black and white sketch was a real stretch from him. “It’s like looking in a series of mirrors and getling a reflection back, Each one grows out of the last one.”’ In the pastel drawings, the mountain predominates. Quite often it resembles a huge sundae, with scoops of pistachio, lemon, strawberry, mint, and blueberry. Dickson says he did the mirrored drawings to show people how artists can evoke different feelings with minor variations. In the other half of the gallery are ‘‘fellscapes’” a term Dickson coitied to show the difference between his art and more traditional landscapes. There are many filters between an artists’ instinctive feelings or self, and what finally comes out on paper, ex- plains Dickson, Those could be rules, such as the sea is blue, or something more complex, such as conservative so- cial forces. The feltscapes are his effort at removing those filters, reaching out with the raw inner self. “Memories, feelings and emotions form a sense of oneself. The felt sense comes out of that, All of those inter- playing and resonating off each other,” says Dickson. “They express that interior world,”’ Therefore there is no composition or arrangement to the feltscapes. Dickson closes his eyes, and looks inside to get inspira- tion for his drawings. “7 start from a mark and work from thal.”’ Even the frames are atypical. Dickson has spraypainted core board and mounted bis drawings on them. He was masking off edges to make clean straight ‘lines, and then ‘realized he didn’t have to. * “Phe whole idea of what’s acceptable, 1’m just shatter- ing that,” says Dickson. ‘‘It’ll be very interesting to see people's reactions.”’ MEN'S FLEECE | KANGAROO TOPS ) it reg. 28.98 | reg. 5.99 WHITE 3-PAK SPORT soci STORMRIDER JACKETS | | reg. 72.98 -STANFIELDS KNIT | BOXER BRIEF reg. 12.98 ‘LADIES CASUAL | COTTON PANTS SY | reg. to 36.98 me Jemma poo, °8 4 | ri ; 2 —/. Skeena. Mall, "635-3249 ° Use yaur Universal Cord, Mastercard, Visa, « > Amerigaw Express or fnilerac Direct Payment, eco www jeans northcom Universal Workwear Salutes the Athletes of our community. “Hl Dan Miller Store Hours Mon, - Sat. 9am-6pm Fri, til 9 pm Sun, 12 - 5pm The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 12, 1997 - Ba ~ You called it “COOL” Then you called it “ HABIT”: .- Now's “an ADDICTION” It’s time to call it QUITS. Phone: 737-5864 of |-S00-065-LUNG ee. 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V8) 1Mé 7:30 Caledonia Senior Secondary School Library CUPE/CIEA « The Board of Northwest Community has passed its draft 1997-2000 operating plan. To balance the College’s budget, the Board proposes to cut 56 university credit classes, inclucling: The Second Year Science Program Second Year History Courses Second Year Psycholagy/Sociclogy Courses The First Year French Program | First Year English Courses | First Year Computer Science/Math Courses First Year Science Courses The threat to the future of your community college is real. | Don’t let them turn out the lights! a Come to a meeting of concerned community members. _.. Wednesday, February 19, p.m. - Or write, free of postal charge, to: Premier Glen Clark or Paul Ramsey, Minister of Education Legislative Buildings Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4 BCGEU \ e NWCEC Students’ Association College 8:30 p.m. Helmut Giesbrecht MLA Terrace/Kitimat #2? 4423 Park Avenue Terrace, B.C. V8G 1V5 Bill Goodacre | MLA Bulkley Valley/Stikine. 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