MAJOR EXHIBITION BY JANE FORD

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full-time art career

GLENEAGLES ARTIST Jane Ford recently launched her
career as a full-time painter with a major exhibition in the
atrium of the Bank of Hongkong.

Although Ford has done solo
shows before, she says this exhib-
ition, which ended last week, was
her first real introduction ta the
public.

A 48-year-old mother of four
with 30 years of combined paint-
ing, art teaching and education
under her belt, Ford says she now
has the confidence to step out and
share her artistic vision with

‘ others. To this end, she intends to
hire an agent to do her marketing
and framing, leaving her free to
“take the plunge’? and paint on a
full-time basis. .

Ford says that *‘excelling is dif-
ficult’ if one hes adopted the role
of Canadian mother, and that an
artist can ‘talmost sabotage’’
herself by not making the effort to
show works and stay in the public
eye. E:ren when bringing up her
own children, she says she kept in
touch with what was current in the
art world. Now, with children
grown, she says she is ‘‘over the
biological’. and experiencing ‘‘a
whole new awakening."’

Along with experience came
confidence in her work, and
although Ford enjoys hearing what
people sce in her pictures, she says
“what people say, I don’t care.””

This, she says, is a change from
the days when she would hide her
works-in-progress from friends,
afraid of what they might think of
her ability.

Ford is emphatic that ‘‘if you’re
in touch with yourself, you'll be
original,’ and has no patience
with art teachers who insist that
students conform to certain tech-
niques or mimic well-known ar-
tists’ styles.

When teaching her own classes
at the West Vancouver Recreation
Centre, Ford's first lesson involves
playing with the medium —
crumpling paper, splashing paint,
and doing “‘all the things that
everybody is afraid to do." That,
she says, removes ihe students’ in-
hibitions, and they follow her ex-
ample. of experimentation rather
than mimic her exact brush strokes
in-an attempt to recreate her per-
sonal style. ‘‘] encourage them
totally ... you never give them rec-
ipe art.’’

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By PEGGY WHITTA
lager Reporter

Ford is also frustrated with what
she calls a widespread media
response to art shows, and quotes
Degas, who said ‘the literary will
kill art.*’

JANE FORD ... has decided to
paint full time.

While she says critics always
look for the artistic expression of a
*tnew idea’’ to laud, ‘‘people get
tired of (art) being dissected down
to its underpants,” and want
something they can relate to. This,
she says, is provided by the artist
who can create a work with an itn-

THY

pact that can be felt by all people,
regardless of the extent of their ar-
tistic background.

Then, according to Ford, it is up
to the media to interpret that feel-
ing in words and attract interested
readers to the exhibition,

Ford sees the diverse influences
of artists with different ethnic
backgrounds as being a positive
influence on today’s Canadian art
world. “It’s very exciting for Ca-
nadians to see our environment
through their cyes.""

In her own work, Ford says she
“takes simple things and makes
(herself) small,’ giving the viewer
a cosmic view of, for example, a
nebulous flower that hints at a
panoramic sky in its petals.
Another important inspiration for
her paintings comes from sources
of water in nature.

Ford says she loves living in
Gleneagles — ‘‘I live in West Van
because it is a village’? — and says
her main objective now is to
becomc knovn in her own cum-
munity and market enough paint-
ings to allow her to paint full time.

There are limits to the extent she
will market her work, however —
she refuses to print reproductions
of her popular works, preferring to
repaint a picture from scratch. A
painting of sweet peas that hangs
in her husband’s office she has
painted five different times for five
different customers, and with each
reworking she feels it gets better.

Ford will already be known to
Many West Vancouver residents
through her art classes and shows
at the West Vancouver Memorial
Library, A & R Art Gallery and
through her work as curator of the
Outstanding Artists ef West Van-
couver exhibition held at the
municipal hall last year.

7 ~ Sunday, August 14, 1988 - West Vancouver Villager

Photo submitted

FUN TIMES are abcad for all at the West Van Rec Centre Summer Car-
nival on Aug. 19. Last year’s participants are shown digging for treasure.

Carnival coming up

JOIN IN the festivities at the an-
nual summer carnival put on by
the West Vancouver Recreation
Centre.

Activities include a variety of
penny carnival games, a
waterslide, entertainment and
refreshments. The only cost is for
refreshments and it is suggested
participants bring lots of pennies
to play the games.

The event will be held on Friday,

TO
AMBLESIDE &
PARK =

‘WE'RE UPGRADING TO SERVE YOU
BETTER

The Ambleside Merchants are open during the construction

taking place. Where Marine Drive is closed please support your
local businesses by using their back doors. Plenty of parking is
available on back & side roads. Thank you!

Sponsored by:

The Ambleside Merchants

Humberston Edwards
Maikin Cleaners
Swensens
McDonalds

Squarerigger Pub
Howard's Paints

Terry Fogel (Architect)
West Van Furniture

Quill Printing

Or. Frank Martin
Lonsdale Draperies
VV. Boutique

Ambieside Pharmacy
Ambleside Hobbies
Hagan Travel

Trishas Woo! & Fibres

Ambleside Inn
Breakaway Bikes
Gundis Gourmet
Regis Gallery

August 19 from 10 a.m. to I p.m.
on the recreation centre grounds,
780-22nd St.

For further information call Jill
Deering at 926-3266.

OR MORE!

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1447 MARINE DRIVE
WEST VANCOUVER, B.C.
922-9822
Please use our back entrance
through McDonald's parking

during August.
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