Shots from my Stride Show

All photos below of my "Divine Inspiration" pieces are courtesy of Stride Gallery and taken by photographer M.N Hutch.

Adding Galaxies - SHIVA

Shiva's dance of destruction inspires the creation and destruction of the cosmos. I was inspired by hubble images and added them around the dancing figure. Here is how they look all together on the finished piece.

They also look really cool when viewed thru my Chromadepth 3D glasses. Below are 7 close up examples of the various galaxies I painted around Shiva.

Go see the work at Stride, closes this Friday and will never be hung together as a collection again.

Strides website/ information.

What in Samhain?

Here is the Link to the essay below by Mark Allard about my show. 

/EXHIBITION TEXT

BATISTA’S DIVINE INSPIRATION: AN INVITATION TO THE OTHER SIDE /MARK ALLARD

Creating divine icons can be a meritorious act that nourishes the spirit and brings about the existence of deities and good luck. Calgary artist Brian Batista tests the possibility of sublime experience in art. His work, DIVINE INSPIRATION, blends sacred geometry with historical references to re-imagine traditional images and cleverly conceptualize contemporary life in terms of Vedic deities and sublime mystical revelation.

The development of Vedic deities was a fusion of ideas from invading Aryan tribes - from the region of Iran, and the indigenous people of northern India. The Aryan herdsmen were less interested in rural deities and stressed the adoration of natural phenomena. The sun (Surya) and fire (Agni) were personifications of divinity. As A. A. MacDonnell describes, "true gods of Veda are glorified human beings, inspired with human motives and passions. Born like men, but immortal."1

Deities from the succeeding RigVedic era were less secure, gaining or losing prestige, and new ones emerged, replacing those that had become obsolete. Indra was considered the almighty powerful God and became Prajapati, the creator and preserver of the universe, and would be identified with Brahma in the post Vedic period. The new Vedic deities would influence Buddhism, eastern mysticism, and future religious thought generally.

DIVINE INSPIRATION began with Batista choosing models to represent various Vedic deities. He photographs them in traditional poses and then translates the photographs on canvas using Vedic mathematics. His images are rendered differently from the one-dimensional flat Tibetan style by Batista’s use of a more Western Renaissance style. They bear bright, abstract colors and deeply representational forms and shadows. Established traditions are maintained where figures hold ritual implements to signify specific identities and narratives.

Vedic deities are very often male, but Batista intentionally confuses representations of gender to achieve a visceral effect. He hopes “to transcend representational art by creating a mystical experience” and “shake a person to their core.” He wants to “delight the eyes and ignite imaginations, with the intention of inspiring beauty, reverence, and curiosity.” Gender confusion is Batista’s springboard for achieving these goals, as is Batista’s use of chromo-depth, a technique wherein the colors are coded by depth. With the use of special glasses, the two-dimensional images become multidimensional, causing the paintings themselves to come alive.

The pieces in DIVINE INSPIRATION are bold and colorful acrylic and oil paintings on canvas, with gold and silver throughout. The largest one measures 5ft x 8ft though they all seem to be grandiose. They are hung high on the gallery walls so that viewers must look up to find their eyes. When contact is made the image meets the viewer’s gaze with a sparkle of reflective metallic elements, but only the most perceptive viewer will notice this secret message. Bright colors, textures, and patterns add depth and broaden perspective, fusing traditional Eastern iconography with contemporary Western influences. Batista intends the fusion to initiate an immediate embodied response of awe and wonder, as one might imagine the original deities did.

How we imagine ourselves has much to do with how we imagine divinity. DIVINE INSPIRATION invites us across divides between here and there and now and then. The viewer may find him- or herself on the other side of conventional and historical standards, experiencing new heights in modern spirituality. In the company of Batista’s images, one discovers, or is reminded, that spirituality can come from within. These paintings remind us that limited, skewed, and biased views of divinity affect our ability to experience ourselves as full bearers of the divine image. DIVINE INSPIRATION celebrates our potential and offers a profoundly contemporary reinvention of sublime Vedic and mystical revelation.

1 Arthur A. McDonnell, Vedic Mythology (Delhi: Motilal Banersidass Publishers PVT. LTD., 2002, first edition 1898) page

2. In-person interview between Allard and Batista in the artist’s studio, September 22, 2012, Calgary, Alberta.

3. Also from September 22, 2012 interview, as above.

/WRITER BIO

/MARK ALLARD describes himself as a “guerrilla journalist,” referencing his time with the Zapatistas in Mexico, paramilitaries in Northern Ireland, and a three-month sojourn into off-the-radar Ethiopia. His first novel, Regressions, was released in October 2012.

Local-Motion

So come on, come on, view some local artwork with me........

I have the rare opportunity to hang work in a new development in the Calgary art scene.  A new gallery is opening up in Eau Claire Market called Motion Gallery. "What is in a name, that we are thus or thus?" Well...... Motion: because it had to come together quickly. Maybe in hopes to moving lots of artwork. Hopefully not because the gallery will be short live and have to move. It is a huge space where artists can buy in for $50 and hang their work with little restriction.  There is a lot of space, but I know with my artistic drive I could personally fill it if need be.  If you are an artist reading this and are interested, get involved. Hang beside me. Drop me a line and I'll point the way.

Dealtails for fellow artists and creative vendors: 
The gallery takes a 15% commission on top of the membership fee, they provide staffing daily so you can drop off your stuff, put up a price an cross your fingers. Its only $50 to take a chance. The downside is that it is the slowest time of the year for Eau Claire Market and there is virtually no advertising or marketing plan for the gallery. The upside is the location. I am told that many business people go there for lunch and browse around during their break. This alone should promise some traffic. If you have seen what kind of trinket stores are in there, an art gallery should have no problem opening its doors, people will hopefully browse the collection in droves.  In my experience, as long as you keep getting your work in front of peoples eyes, you can find someone interested in buying work and/or supporting the arts.

I threw up these three pieces quickly. I will be dropping off more works in the days to come.

The gallery has sufficient track lighting suspended form the ceiling. In order to create a sense of uniformity before the opening all the information and sales tags including artist CV's and bios will be created by the gallery. As soon as the gallery gets filled, the doors will open. 20 is the perfect number of artists to have on the roster for a space this side but I am sure more can be accommodated. By the looks of it, there will be an opening party this Saturday, but I will keep you posted as things develop.

There are patterns everywhere. I made the observation to my room mate yet again that the magic of observation and what we say often comes to fruition, but in far more eloquent terms.  The other day while at EMMEDIA, I was talking to Noel about the stretchers I bought off of his mom Carol Green.  I told him that I needed larger stretchers for the work for my show next year at the Stride Gallery. He asked if I got the cedar ones he made with the smooth bevel. I didn't.

I was letting my friend into the studio to move his stuff again last night and I noticed some frames sitting by the elevator. I asked them if they were theirs. They said "no" they have been there for days. it didn't take me a second to grab up that opportunity. This is why I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.  Not only did I score some free stretcher bars of unequivocal stability and quality for nothing, but they are the exact size I need, and potentially the exact ones we were talking about a few days prior.

If there was an series of steps,
it might look like this.....

1) Put it out there (make a wish)

2) Wait

3) Observe and listen for a response or an Opportunity,

4) Act. Jump on it!

5) Continue to make wishes