Waxing Poetic: Andrew Beck
In the normal course of things, delivering mail might not seem like a terribly romantic avocation. But this joining together of flight and words and art evokes a desire to wax poetic, to be garrulous, to lean into a kind of flowery loquacity, bordering on the bardic.That’s how I might say it if I were a Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) The first part of its Latin name means “silk tail.” The second part means “excessively talkative.” This is a wordy-birdie.
But as sculptor/painter Andrew Beck points out, these birds are also something very special to look at:
I would be a Bohemian waxwing because of their subtle and colourful plumage.
They are subtle. At first glance, these birds appear almost steel grey, but a second look reveals much more to their silky soft plumage: hints of yellow on the edge of their wings and their tail feathers, spots of sparkling white highlighting the orange smudge near the eye, a peach blush across the face onto the breast, all topped off by sharp black beak and a rather elegant smoothed-back spike on the top of the head.
Andrew Beck’s work also demands more than a first glance. His sculpture calls for a slow walk around, to see all of its angles, to discover its nuanced lines and textures and yes, there is colour there, too.
His paintings have familiar feel if you are from “around here.” The landscapes sing out Manitoba lakes and woodlands. His urban landscapes are captured from Winnipeg’s downtown not far from his studio in the Exchange District. You’ve seen them before. You’ll see them differently through Andrew’s eyes:
My art is about contemplating the surrounding world and pondering the dualities of negative/positive space and colour relationships. I see a thread that runs through all these different media that centres on silhouettes/objects in their surroundings and an exploration of positive/negative space.
Feeling less voluble. More contemplative.
Still soaring,
Wendy King p.p. (pigeon post)
Discounted advance $5 tickets for Proutopia: Birds of a Feather festival art market are available now through the links below. Regular price is $10 at the gate.
NOTE: From Runs with Scissors:
I couldn't resist. Here's my take on Bohemian Waxwing. - Heidi Hunter
PROUTOPIA LINKS
Comments
Post a Comment