Robin Deyo, Shelley Ouellet
Illusion of Sky – Shimmering Spectacles

October 15 – December 9, 2004
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 14, 6:30pm

The large scale “landscapes” by Robbin Deyo and Shelley Ouellet are anything but traditional images of the natural world. In Skyscape, Robbin Deyo considers how the grid functions to define the interior and exterior; how a window functions as a portal to another place and time. She understands that: Gazing out the window can be to escape and dream, in moments of longing, contemplation or in search of inspiration. On the other hand, Shelley Ouellet takes paintings by 19th century artists who represented the Canadian geography as dynamic, sublime and ideal, and renders them as wall size beaded curtains; shimmering spectacles of gigantic proportions.

Both artists have embraced non-traditional materials and working processes. Shelley Ouellet’s curtains (she calls them sculptures) were constructed by members of the community where they were previously exhibited. Just as the painted image was transformed into beads the artist is transformed into a conceptual artist with the ancillary tasks of designer and manager of an enterprise completed by the community. On the other hand, Robbin Deyo works alone in her studio pouring wax to produce the convincing shifts in colour and value that will give her the illusion of sky. As more panels are produced, the individual panels shift their place within the grid, forming and reforming their cloud structures. Robin Deyo says: "The sky is not seen from a distance, the viewer’s perspective is that of being in it; the effect hovers between sublime and disconcerting."


ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Shelley Ouellet works across a variety of mediums and addresses her interest in community-based projects. Her local, national and international practice is based in Calgary, Alberta. She trained in fine art at the University of Calgary and worked as the Director of Stride Gallery and currently teaches at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Robbin Deyo’s featured piece, Skyscape, consists of two hundred and forty encaustic coated canvas panels. Other works in this exhibition include poured wax pieces with titles such as Forget-me-not and Keep in Touch. These labour intensive pieces which resemble images of wallpaper will act as counter-point to Shelley Ouellet’s beaded works.