What would happen if a painter created unique artwork based on a photographer’s pics from Israel? Toronto will soon find out, when Double Reflection debuts at Gallery 888, featuring work by Dr. Harvey Schipper and Pat Leary.
Digital Journal – In the basement of Pat Leary’s east-end Toronto home, art takes centre stage. Acrylic paintings stand sentry beside cabinets, art supplies stuff shelves and photographs are pinned to walls. The photos seem to be the only items out of place amidst the other visual art media. Leary is not a photographer but she is closely working with a hobbyist in order to complete an artistic project with a funky twist.
Double Reflection, an exhibit running from Nov. 13 to 30 at Gallery 888 in Toronto, blends photographs from Dr. Harvey Schipper and paintings by Leary. The photos inspire the art, creating a stunning “reflection” of the snapshots as if the paintings were twin siblings of the original. It’s a unique project bound to turn heads (and perhaps open wallets).
The 12 photos were shot solely in Israel, Dr. Schipper, a physician and engineer, explains in an interview with DigitalJournal.com. Taken in cities such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and the Galilee area, the photos capture “the spirit of the place,” Dr. Schipper says, adding how Israel’s geography is “so layered and intense” he couldn’t help but snap more than 1,000 photos during his one-week stay in the country two years ago.
The artists didn’t want the project to become political, with the focus instead trained on the small beauties and poignant scenarios captured in the country’s unusual corners.
The idea to blend paintings inspired by the photos came about when Leary and Dr. Schipper discussed their mutual fondness for Israel and art. It morphed into a project that excited both artists, spurring them to select the right photos that would also work on canvas.
So what’s the process? After Dr. Schipper shows Leary the chosen photos, she spends several weeks studying each print and decided which area to focus on in her artwork. Some paintings will take up to six trials to find the perfect look. She uses acrylic, watercolour, silkscreen and even pumus materials to craft her artwork inspired by the photos.
For instance, she might see a close-up photo of several clay figures and she’ll focus on one of the figures, an area “that will jump out at me,” Leary says. Her eye might be trained to see a sliver of colour and highlight it, or she may want to recreate a shot of a window and stairwell, using wood, 3-dimensional pieces and paint. The final result is beautiful.
Or a para-sailing photo will motivate Leary to paint a delicate portrait of curved sails, bouncing with colour and vibrancy.
“I like getting a fresh perspective on the photograph,” Leary admits. “And I think visitors will have fun to see the paintings juxtaposed with the photographs.” She believes the artist’s personality comes through with every brushstroke, every photo cropping.
What’s Dr. Schipper’s favourite photo? He likes a pic showing a girl in a pink dress in the Old City of Jerusalem, an uncropped photo depicting the child off-centre. “When the viewer is looking right, she looks left, and I find that fascinating,” Dr. Schipper says.
Every photo in Double Reflection was taken with a Canon 5D camera, printed on a high-quality Epson printer and displayed on 5.5- or 13- by 20-inch prints.
Another trait links the two artists – they are highly involved in biology and science. Dr. Schipper helped develop one of the world’s first regional cancer treatment systems that provided chemotherapy for patients in small communities; and Leary attended Harvard Medical School and worked as a research associate at Wellesley Hospital in Toronto.
Leary sees a relationship between art and science. “The artist and scientist need to pinpoint subtle differences in their subjects,” she says. “To do the job well in both fields requires the individual to be a very keen observer.”
Leary adds that using art for her creative expression put her “in another world.” It’s been a retirement hobby earning her some spare cash, too: she has sold 130 pieces within the past five years, ranging from $200 to $1,800.
Now that their idea of exhibiting paintings based on photos is close to completion, what next? Would the opposite process – photos based on paintings – work as a possibility?
Dr. Schipper laughs shortly. “Photographs are all about being in the moment. But painting requires more patience, and it wouldn’t be a good fit to a sequel to Double Reflection.”
Samples of work from “Double Reflection”
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Double Reflection will exhibit at Gallery 888, 888 Queen Street East, Toronto, Canada, from Nov. 13 to 30. Opening night is Nov. 13 from 6-9 p.m. For more info, check out the gallery website here. Schipper’s website is located here and you can see a slide show of work that will appear in the exhibit here.
