Whenever you find yourself in a community that is jam packed with artists, it is a really good idea to take a very close look at your surroundings and experience them with as much depth as your six senses can fathom. The Artscape that is Salt Spring Island is evident in artistic works of every imaginable media.

       There is something for every physical sense and samplings of artistry that will delight sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Visual works in paint, clay, wool, basketry, wood, threads, glass, clay, metal, wax, theatre, music, gourmet and organic and raw foods. The local Saturday Market is a smorgasbord, and has mushroomed into Farmers Markets on Tuesdays and another Artisan & Farmers Market on Wednesdays. Salt Spring bursts at the seams with offerings of visual and edible arts. 

       Your ears will delight in the sounds of local musicians either impromptu park performances, scheduled concerts at Art Spring, or other Venues. Theatre performances are also popular here, with a second to none performing arts program at the high school Salt Spring Island is rich in young and diverse talent in all of the arts; dance, theatre, & music. Many talented and published authors can be found here as well. This is a community where all of the arts are valued.

       Equally interesting is the silent undercurrent of art that runs peacefully under the surface.  This type of art is harder to see, and often invisible to the eye while experienced by the heart, this is where your sixth sense will come in, and this is where being in the present really comes in handy. 

There is the art of community, the art of self-sufficiency, the art of gardening, the art of cooperation, and the art of doing random acts of kindness because it’s the right thing to do, not because you believe you can erase all your karmic debt with one small act. This undercurrent flows because of an unspoken level of acceptance for people to be themselves. 

       Watch the way young people and families dance freely in the park with impromptu and planned concerts. Sounds of music from a many genres flood the airwaves on a hot summer day. Listen to the way locals share stories teaching and learning about the art of self -sufficient gardening.  Locally grown organic foods are pleasures of the palate and palette combining the senses and wrapping them in the warm and vibrant hues of island life. All of these things are an art form. It takes every single person’s effort to form a sense of community.

         This is why Artists congregate and take up residence here.  It is not just the richness of the landscape, variety of moods created with the weather, the beauty of the ocean surrounding us, and the variety of flora & fauna. It is the depth of acceptance that happens on this island that feeds and nourishes the souls of many Artists. An environment where it is understood that; peace is necessary, and valuable and people learn to disagree agreeably (or usually move away) .This peace includes the freedom to speak one’s mind and still be accepted and respected as an individual. 

These elements are necessary for true community. Artists thrive in these types of supportive environments and the evidence of this is seen in the many beautiful varieties of works created by local Artists, Artisans, Musicians, and Writers. This makes it easier for Artists to do what we do, make Art. No need to justify it. We make Art, that’s what we do plain and simple in whatever form it pleases, painting, music, writing, dance, and theatre.

        I’ve lived in many small towns on Vancouver Island, the Yukon, Northern B.C., and even Newfoundland. Salt Spring Island has been one of the most interesting towns to put my finger on the pulse and observes what makes its heart beat.  I believe I have ascertained in a rough way words to express what it is, although words however accurate or well thought-out are inadequate to describe what sometimes needs to be purely experienced. 

      The community, landscape, the vibe, all of it combined into a special recipe and shared respectfully creates a unique place that feeds and nourishes the souls of its artists from all genres and allows them to thrive. The result is a vibrant, pulsating, and colourful tapestry magically woven into the Artscape that is Salt Spring Island. 


Leanne Brusatore is a freelance writer and artist.

i often quote Webster's dictionary when i want to provide context or an opening for an essay, to put the reader on the same page, as it were, as myself. 

well, in this case it was fruitless. Webster's online dictionary cites 'Artspeak' as An early simple language for plotter graphics. wow. it does not offer any other uses, neither does it call it a noun or verb nor does it assign an historical etymology to it. shocking when you consider that leagues of professors and art students, critics and writers who practice it on a daily basis. 

here, in the spirit of OXOgraphy, let me define it. 

artspeak (aaaartspeeak)
n. + v. conflatulance

1. Superhuman effort to imitate, alter or supplement the work of the artist through the written language.
         a. The delusional utterance or arrangement of words in a manner that adversely affects the artists intention.
         b. To lecture on the practice of these activities.
         c. the conveyance and opinion making on the product of these activities. 
2. High quality though unwarranted verbal suggestion and aesthetic execution of these ideas.
3. To be engaged as a spokesman in the grand-staging of art or other creative endeavour. 

well then. if a picture is worth a thousand words, then this video is worth it all. 

until next time, enjoy.

ok, so we have discussed imbibing as a lubricant to inspirational output for writers. but what is the source of inspiration in general for artists, aesthetic for example, and how does that translate into art and the production of artworks. ask 100 artists and i am sure 110 answers will ensue. 

i know from the get go that this is an unanswerable question, in that inspiration can come from any source at any time from each individual. for example, as i just sat down to write my blog post, with one hour before a BBQ and an iced bottle of gin to greet me, i had nothing, not even a subject. write, dont think!! i glanced across the room, filled with enough art to inspire a league of art writers, and wondered what it was, fundamentally, that precipitated the production of these artworks. 

inspiration is a seed. a thought. an idea. this last is fundamental to me as i am a conceptualist, but doesnt every work of art start with an idea? perhaps not. expressionist painters must be screaming in their own special way at me right now. it makes me wonder when the idea of the idea for an artwork arises. does it come after the work is made? before? during maybe? 

my recent work with gillian mcconnell and the OXOgraphy collective, for example, was already realized way before the paint hit the canvas, or the box printer received the files. but in turn, the inspiration for that inaugural exhibit had already been well established through months of exploring an idea. in fact i cant even recall what the initial inspiration was. i can talk about my exposure to 60s art, Indiana and Warhol among them. i can talk about my friendship and exposure to General Idea, the toronto collective of inventive appropriationists who have always inspired me. i can talk about my own exploring with my colleague gillian, who has written and workshopped extensively on the topic with the art therapist and sculptor louise goodman. but for the life of me, that initial seed germ is lost to me.

maybe, just maybe, inspiration is just a key, a portal to art production, and unimportant in the development of the work. maybe it is the same thing as popping that cork. an excuse to put the brush to canvas or to boot up the computer. 

i will invite others to weigh in here, as i am now late for a classic aussie grill dinner. with actual aussies. cheers.

writing....

the first in a series of posts exploring the idea of 'self determination' as a definition of "what is an artist?"

i took some recent advice from a friend and saved my writing until i had already enjoyed some drink, cheers ralph. it was neither his idea, nor my own, nor had we even been enjoying a shared drink, but that of a writer/journalist who has inspired me greatly. Ernest Hemingway. there are two things i love most about him. three actually. first he was the master of the run-on sentence which could and has at times continued well beyond what your mediocre grammar teacher in middle school would have prescribed but no less is still perfectly constructed and comprehensible. shall i go on? dont make me. second, he used the comma in a way that, well, makes me weep, while at the same time, no doubt, annoying the hell, and high water, out of those same mediocre, and, sometimes, downright, vulgar, middle school grammar teachers who, no doubt, would not recognize that comm-ical, if i may, skill, if it hit them in the rear, of, class. 

to either the curious among you, or the ignorant to the masters methods, it must be said that he stated. "write drunk, edit sober". francois, i need more wine! (more on francois, my erstwhile houseman, another time) when my friend reminded me of this little quip, being the oscar wilde devotee that i am, i immediately responded by stating that "of course i, like to write editors while drunk...." oh my. sorry gail. 

anyhow, it should not come as any surprise that writers are imbibers, what with several voices in our heads living out the identities of our muses and characters. its enough to drive anyone to, well, drinking. it is a social lubricant, and to writers, an antidote to that bright 27 inch, blank, white, page, staring back at you. it is no mere coincidence that the esteemed actor sean connery who portrayed an insiring writing coach to a young man in the classic film finding forrester said "the first key to writing is... to write, not to think". no doubt he had the fermented fortification in his own youthful days as a writer. 

you will i hope excuse me if you are reading this post betwixt my writing, and my editing, it.

all photos by tilai ellis-stairs

easter 2013 on salt spring island marked the opening of the 7th annual Easter Art Tour. a total of 31 galleries, special exhibits and artist studios took part this year. four noted deceased salt spring artists were the focus of this years' anchor exhibit in historic Mahon Hall in Ganges. over 525 visitors enjoyed a survey of the work of Gordon Caruso, Allan Crane, Deboragh Gainer and LeRoy Jensen which opened on friday, march 29 and ran through easter sunday, march 31, 10-5 daily. 

the opening reception was a wonderful gathering of the friends and families of the artist's, joined by art enthusiasts from both on and off island. special VIP guest Elizabeth May was in attendance and, never one to make a photo-op and then leave, she stayed the entire evening, graciously meeting and talking with the guests. of this exhibit, press material stated that curator anthony matthews, a co-founding organizer, said "this is the first time that deceased artists have been the subject for the feature exhibit. it is a tremendous honour to work with the estates of these artists, some of whom i considered personal friends." 

as a curator, [me again] working with the artist is a whole different experience than working with the families. every single family member i met through selecting the art while organizing this exhibit, is a new friend. i cant express in words the joy and mutual admiration i felt when i met each person in turn, from the youthful to the aged. it was a whole new easter experience for me, a reminder that easter is a family time. 

as successful as it was on so many levels, i am really happy to say that we sold a record number of artworks. my deepest gratitude and congratulations goes to the purchasers. every cent of the money went to either the families, or to a small commission to benefit the salt spring arts council for its own programs. it was, agreed by many, a beautifully installed exhibit and sits as one of my own personal favourites. (next years exhibit will be interesting, three years in the making....more to follow)

i want to thank more than a few people. first to all the participants on the tour, the galleries and the shops with special exhibits and to the artists who opened their studios, some from the very first tour. thanks also to those who sent emails for me and got things printed and helped fix things and ran errands and drove me around and raised money and interviewed me and covered the event with photos and published articles and especially to the volunteers who sat the exhibit with me throughout the weekend!!!!! so, many, people. i thank you very much. and to my co-organizers susan wetmore and genevieve price, a dream team.

if you want to read more web material, then have a look.....

visit www.saltspringeasterarttour.com to learn more about the Tour and view the archives.
http://gulfislandsdriftwood.com/entertainment/easter-tour-celebrates-arts-mecca/#.UV4Vb6U1H8s

to me, this is the year the easter art tour came into it's own. after 7 years, it is here to stay.

the tour is a project of the salt spring arts council and is co-sponsored by the salt spring island chamber of commerce.