arts / 8

Behind the art:
colour, canvas, and computer images

» Artist's talk offers insight to gallery exhibit

Cheryl Minns
& Arts Editor

Marts
@theotherpress.ca

C olourful paintings,

 

digital images fill the Amelia
Douglas Gallery for P. Thomas
Wood's exhibit, Art as Therapy.
The artist made an appearance
on February 21 where he

spoke to a large audience of

students and faculty about how i -
: includes a variety of art from

handprints to teacups to

: political pieces. His series

: “Flagmentation” began after

: several galleries turned down

the series “Transformation, Self- : °~ ' ;
: his work because it wasn’t

Appropriation,” is a collection of political enough, so he decided
versions of Wood’s previous art. : to try his hand at political

: art. These works depict the

: Canadian and American flags
: in ways that represent the

: country’s current situation.

: His version of the Canadian :
: flag features a red maple leaf

: ona white background with

: colourful stripes and patterns.
: The piece represents Canada’s
: multiculturalism beyond red

: and white, and explores how

: the country takes its natural
we : : resources for granted. His :
digital image into the computer : version of the United States flag :
: isa large, red target on a white
: background with a small blue
: square full of stars in the left

: corner. The target represents

: the current state of the US:

randomize his previous artwork :

and fit the pieces together while : * country that has become a

he created his work and the

inspiration behind his art.
The artwork featured on

the exhibit’s poster, Birth from

miniaturized and randomized

Using the computer
programming skills he
acquired in college, he cleverly
integrated a randomizing
program originally used for a
solitaire computer game into
his illustrating program, which
allowed him to transform his
previous artwork into a new
piece of art.

“What I’m doing is taking
my own paintings, putting a

running it through the
randomizer and mutating my
own artwork,” he said.

For the Birth piece, it
took Wood seven months to

: keeping colour theory in mind,
: which was not an easy task.

“The randomizer that I

: made randomizes the picture

: when I put it into the program

: and then I’ve got to save it,

. : : otherwise if I do anything else

experimental ceramics, and : ~, —— soy
: it'll randomize it again,’ Wood

: said. “And even when I save it,

: it still randomizes it! So I’ve got :

: to be two paintings back before

: Teven do anything, otherwise I

: lose the one I just made.”

Wood’s recent work

: target to outside forces.

: Wood discussed his political

: art, Douglas College aired the
: Canada vs. US 2014 Olympic

: hockey game nearby in the

: campus concourse, with fans

: cheering loudly enough to be
: heard from the gallery. Wood
: thought it was appropriate that
: his political work would be

: discussed during the Olympic
: Games since often there are

: many athletes and attendees

: who wave their country’s flag

: around to show their patriotic
: support.

: Gallery at the Douglas College
: New Westminster campus until
: April u.

: Wood’s art, visit his website at
: patrickwoodartworx.wix.com/
> artworx

theotherpress.ca

The artwork
featured on the
exhibit’s poster,
Birth from the series
“Transformation,
Self-Appropriation,”
is a collection of
miniaturized and
randomized versions
of Wood's previous
art.

aah
AG ire =
OR REE KR

“

Coincidentally, while

Art as Therapy will be on
display in the Amelia Douglas

To learn more about

 

The Canadian Flag (TOP), P Thomas Wood talks to students (BOTTOM)
By Cheryl Minns

Superhero films in flux as stories
change, characters evolve

» Movies prove change is good

Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

 

he first trailer for the

latest Marvel movie,
Guardians of the Galaxy, was
recently released and, like

many of the latest blockbuster : Benet eeene meet iicrenta

: opportunities and elements
: within the picture. Allowing
: these changes has proven

: popular with audiences,

: which is why these critically
: acclaimed movies continue to :
rake in hundreds of millions

superhero movies, it showed
a different side to the
superhero story. This time
the film takes place entirely
in space, the superheroes
are a ragtag team of outlaws,
and the tone is much more

: humorous than previous
: Marvel movies. Despite the

: deviations superhero films are :
: now taking from the standard :
: (Captain America: The First
: Avenger, X-Men: First Class)
: and explored new worlds

: (The Green Lantern, Thor).

: This approach brings a new
: originality to the superhero

: formula plot, they’ve never

: been more popular.

: Innovative superhero

: changes have been creeping

: in for the last 10 years, setting
: anew standard and opening

: ways. What was previously

: acomic book-based genre

: with hints of science fiction
: has expanded to include

: drama, comedy, detective,

: and even fantasy-based
approaches. Films have

: become much darker than
: before (The Dark Knight

: of dollars in profit, and garner : of an origin story with one

: sequels. Most superhero : standard hero and one evil

: films have developed into : villain and the battles between
: franchises, with reboots, : the two. How superhero

: sequels, and spin-offs aplenty. : movies will continue to evolve
: The best example would be —-:_ and entertain audiences

: The Avengers, a sequel to : will be exciting to see. As

: several Marvel films, which : more spin-offs and obscure

: is currently the third-highest : superheroes become adapted
: grossing film of all time. : for the big screen, it’s possible
: Perhaps changing : the superhero movie may

: genres has allowed a new : dominate the 2010s as the

: group of audiences to start : most popular film genre.

: enjoying the movies, instead: Perhaps the ultimate reason

: of just comic book fans. : these films prove so popular

: Or maybe audiences want : comes down to the fact that
more originality and new : we all sometimes wish we
approaches to the basic plot could be superheroes.

trilogy, Man of Steel), been
set in various time periods

genre, and allows for new