Renowned Canadian Artist to Release Fine Art Print
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
West Vancouver, BC: A stunning new limited edition, fine art print by iconic Canadian artist Gordon Smith entitled Tangle Beach will be released in time for the opening of the new Community Centre in West Vancouver on March 28th.
The 29” X 34” photo-based etching was inspired by the public art installation Beach Tangle created by Gordon Smith with the assistance of Smith’s assistant, Curtis Racette. This extraordinary mural, which graces the west atrium wall of the new West Vancouver Community Centre, has been generously donated by Gordon Smith to the community through the District of West Vancouver public art program, with the assistance of the Spirit Square Grant from the Province of British Columbia. The piece is composed of materials found on shorelines in and around West Vancouver.
Smith created a photo montage using imagery transposed from the public art piece. The completed image was then reproduced onto a copper etching plate and printed by hand using traditional intaglio techniques. The work is being performed by Master Printer Peter Braune with Katie Dey, in collaboration with Gordon Smith, at the New Leaf Editions studio on Granville Island. Accents of colour were painted in watercolour by Smith on each print. “It just enriches the print,” says Smith, referring to the bits of colour he added to each black and white print. “It doesn’t need colour. It’s just the suggestion of orange.”
Published by the District of West Vancouver, this edition of prints has been graciously donated by Gordon Smith to support collections at the West Vancouver Museum and future public art projects. “It’s something I’d like to give back to the community because I’ve had a lot of value from living here,” says Smith. “I just love living here.”
District officials are delighted to receive both Gordon Smith pieces and anticipate a strong response to the print project. “Beach Tangle is an inspiration, and so is Gordon Smith. We are enormously grateful,” says Mayor Pamela Goldsmith-Jones.
Gordon Smith immigrated to Canada from his native England early in life and settled in Vancouver after fighting in World War II. He taught art first at the Vancouver School of Art (Now Emily Carr University of Art and Design) then at the University of British Columbia until he retired from teaching in 1982. The venerable artist has continued to be prolific with his depictions of British Columbia’s wilderness finding a distinctive balance between the figurative and the abstract. Smith was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1996. In 1997, the Vancouver Art Gallery mounted a 55-year retrospective of his work which was accompanied by a major book. He is one of the founding patrons of Artists for Kids Foundation. This year Gordon Smith will turn 90 years old.
The Tangle Beach prints will be available after March 28th through the District of West Vancouver Museum Gift Shop. For purchasing information, please call the Museum at 604-925-7295.
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Tangled Beach Prospectus - specifications, pricing, and background info (PDF 2 MB)
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