September 6, 2006

Dear Friends and Artists:

Announcing new exhibitions at Gallery Vertigo. Gallery Vertigo and Members of the North Okanagan Artists Alternative are proud to present these exciting exhibitions to start off an action-packed Fall season. The exhibition run is September 8 to October 6. Please join us for an opening reception this Saturday night, September 9, at 7pm. Enjoy complimentary refreshments, musical entertainment and a Haiku reading. (There is still time to sign up to read a haiku, traditional or original at the reception.) The artists will be in attendance. Admission is by donation. Read on to find out what other events and workshops are coming up at your artist-run center in the near future.

In Gallery One:  Haiku : Carie Helm   To investigate the effects of the  labelling and naming of consumer items, Helm has written poetry in the traditional Japanese form of haiku to respond to the evocative names of house paint. The poems, succinct elaborations of each colour’s name, are wonderfully nostalgic, taking the reader directly via imagery into a tiny snapshot of a perhaps larger story.  Helm only differs from haiku convention by incorporating humour and taking in a wide range of subject areas (as opposed to being limited to the seasons). The result is a strikingly touching exhibition that draws the viewer into personal memories and experience through words and colour. Anybody want to buy some paint?  Do not miss the interactive portion of this exhibition and the chance to write your own haiku. This former Okanagan resident is now living and working in Vancouver. 

In Gallery Two:  The Tao of Equus: Jaime Seward   Seward is a self-taught emerging artist whose aim is to capture “the true core energy or the raw truth of [her] subject” (Seward).  Focusing on, but not limited to, portraiture, Seward’s work has been shown at various locations in the Okanagan and the Lower Mainland.  Each charming image conveys a story about its subject, whether person or animal. The works, done in a variety of two-dimensional media, reflect the artist’s  aim for simplicity as “the supreme excellence” (Seward). Seward is an Enderby resident. 

North Okanagan Featured Members Wall: Robert Began   Local artist Robert Began moved to Vernon from Europe eight years ago. One of the many new things he discovered here is his passion for playing with balance in the visual arts. A self-taught artist, Began's process is one that continues to evolve through self-discovery and inspiration gleaned from the world around him. Working as a software developer, digital media employed as art technique was a suspicious avenue to the artist. Recently however, the artist experienced his sense of balance kicking in when editing his digital photographs. This process quickly transformed into a playful session that awakened the same delight in him as his paintings. These semi-abstract prints are based on Began's photographs of classic cars, taken during a few shows in Vernon.