Art show
features

   

cross-genre two-artist show titled

Classic Lines will run in the Amelia

Douglas gallery from February 12
until March 6, and hopes are high that the
wider appeal provided by two very different
artists will provoke a good response from the
Douglas College audience.

Printmaker Irina Florov will be supplying
Classic Lines with two-dimensional pieces,
mixing pen and ink drawings with etchings
and a variety of monoprints. A political
refugee who left Bulgaria in the 1970s,
Florov’s economical, figurative images play
with sensuality and the female form.

“I’m fascinated by the simplicity and
elegance of line drawing,” says Florov. “And
in either line drawing or etching, I am
attracted by the possibilities of black &
white. It can express mood and ideas better
than colour; it allows for more intellectual
searching.”

Many of Florov’s pieces involve
references to classical antiquities, but always
in contemporary settings. A nude woman

- reclining against a crumbling Grecian
column, for example, shows both the
continuity of the old civilizations as well as
their limitations.

“I come from a country that is very close
to the classical land,” says Florov. “Perhaps
I carry these images around subconsciously,
because they keep showing up in my work.”

Contrasting Florov’s playful, sometimes
humorous style is the Greek-inspired

on

sculpture of Michelle Mathias. Intending to
fuse modern anxieties with classical
techniques, Mathias creates her clay
sculptures to counterbalance what she
believes to be dehumanizing architectural
design.

“My sculpture is a reaction against the
poor urban planning and cheaply
constructed architectural developments of
our modern cities,” says Mathias, “I believe
that sculptures of the human body celebrate
man’s existence and act as a humanizing
force.”

Marty Sulek, a member of the Amelia
Douglas Art Exhibit Committee, likes the
contrast created by featuring two distinctly
different artists in the same space.

“The committee was looking to create
some variety,” he says. “We need more
turnout at the openings, so we decided to
try varying the medium a bit. Incidentally,
we also need people willing to serve on the
committee, so people interested should
come by for the opening and introduce
themselves.”

Classical Lines will run from February
12 to March 16, with an opening reception
on February 22 from 4pm to 8pm featuring
classical guitarist Charbell Bo Letef. Wine,
cheese, and fruit will be served. I

 

 

Chess Intrigue and other pieces of classically-inspired sculpture by Michelle
Mathias will be joining the line art of Irina Florov at the Classic Lines show.
Classical guitarist Charbell Bo Letef will be playing at the opening reception.

10

Raffle to
support
Nicaragua Solar
Oven Project

raffle to raise funds for the
Ay Solar Oven Project has

been organized by the Douglas
College Nicaragua Committee and began
on January 29.

The project has been developed to help
protect the environment, contribute to
better health for people, and let the women
of Nicaragua gain more control over their
lives by promoting the construction and
use of solar ovens.

The draw will be held March 15.
Tickets are $2 each and prizes are
Grizzlies tickets and a like-new Toshiba
laser printer. Tickets will be available at a
booth in the concourse during some noon
hours. You can also get them through
committee members Al Atkinson, Mia
Gordon, Gillies Malnarich, Cathy
Cookson, Tad Hosoi, Jan Gara, Cecil
Klassen, Jamie Gunn, Rob Linschoten,
Tom Childs, Carmen Rodriguez, Jean
Emerson, or Jeff McDonald.

People can also make donations to the
project and receive an income tax receipt
through the Douglas College Foundation.

The Solar Oven Project is a joint effort
of the Nicaraguan Institute for Popular
Education and Research (INIEP), the
Nicaraguan Network for the Use of
Alternative Energy Sources (RENICFAE),
and the Central American Solar Energy
Project (PROCESO). Douglas College
has established a strong partnership with
INIEP through a popular education
training project funded by the Association
of Canadian Community Colleges.

Talk to any of the committee members
for more information about the project or
the raffle. I