a Bodies, cliches Finding

litter The P atrict Printmaker

@ The Patriot &x* (out of
.5). Directed by Roland
Emmerich. Starring Mel
Gibson, Heath Ledger and
Joely Richardson.

WHAT American citi-

zen would dare not do

his duty and see The

Patriot ir. the days lead-

ing up to Independence
Day, July 4th?

Because of this test of loy- -

alty on a nation of 275 mil-
fion people, it matters little

_ what critics have to say about
“. The Patriot: it is guarantced
to do well. o-

~ Of course, Mel Gibson in

the starring role doesn’t hurt |

“things either. But those hop-
ig for a ‘stirring historical. _.
pic in the. Braveheart style ..

will be disappointed. Though ©

comy ns are inevitable, --

The Patriot’s thin screenplay ~
jakes it the pleasant-but-.

© piece of work, giving the
fo!

Life

soever. Clichés litter the film
like bodies on the battlefield.
And the dialoguc is at times
incredible: When Martin
approaches token love interest
Chariotte (Joely Richardson)
with a gentlemanly “May 1 sit
heze?” fe gets the memorably
bad “It’s a free country... Or
at least it will be” in response.

At dimes the patriotism is
too much to bear: people

~ seem to quote the as-yet-

unpenned Declaration of
Independence verbatim; and
Tavington is nearly offed
with, what else, an American:
flag-cum-lance.

Bue all is not lost: cine-

matographer Caleb Deschanel
has created a visually stunning

audience a real feel for the
beauty of the country and the

~ terrain of the battlefield. And

the battle scenes are the:
strength of the film. 3)
¢ horrors of war used

to be something men didn’t _-:

cven tell their wives; now the -

audience gets to experience _

all the gore in glorious tech-
icolour. ‘The pitations °..

and instant ‘amputations fival . ’

’s: Braveheart and: :*
Ridley Sco

C5
moments of genuine
oe twos hoitn

"8 Gladiator, this.

finds peace in
her process

Visions of the North Shure is a

fovernment-funded miltenni-
um project initiated by the
North Vancouver Community
Arts Council and partnering
cultural agencies. Here, we
present the third in a series of
profile son 12 local artists com-
missicned by the project to cre-
ate art specific to a historical
site on the North Shore.

By Maxine Adam
Contributing Writer
THROUGH her art, Setsuko Piroche is able to
express herself and find peace.

Piroche had many dramatic influences as a young girl liv-
ing through the war years in Japan. In the past her paintings
had reflected a lack of light and brightness, but through
exposure to the changes in the art world cver the decades of
her career, she has been able to choose more radical work.

Today, Piroche likes to create and give good ideas, to offer

- delicate soft sculptures and happy children’s images. The art —
gallery in the io of her Norgate area home is full of pieces
that reflect her various art mediums and her internaiional
influence. She has two large oil paintings on one wall, full of

. vibrant red and gold cofours, which are reminiscent of her

study trip to India early in hercareer.

- Hanging from the high ceiling are three-dimensional art
pieces covered in delicate tapestries that were woven by the .
artist. The fine gold fibres reflect the light as each piece

"- moves slightly when she walks by, creating a mystical effect.

. _ Picoche likes to use materials left behind by others, “to
: give life with her art.” —-

Her home studio contains the prints that have just been

.’ completed for the Visions of the North Shore project... « .
Maplewood Farm is reflected in her piece and she has cap-.- >: -. - Archiv: V
te gS. s'on display at other North Shore venues in the upcoming year.

tured the pastoral nature of the site.

: : : y.

: - Piroche’s print along with the others by: Visions of the

"North Shore artists‘is part of R
~Vancouver Museum & Archives Jul

Friday, June 30, 2000 —- Nerth Shore News - 17

e life in leftovers

MAPLEWOOD Farm was a natural choice for Setsuko Piroche, one of 12 artists com-
missioned to create prints that commemorate historical sites on the North Shore. _

Piroche loves to draw animals, as evident in her art work
which appears in numerous children’s books, so the farm was .
a natural choice. She has used a unique method for this print-"
making project, which involved painting the printing plate. :
once for each print. aes Coe on
od, the various vibrant ©
ge to

of Place at the West

f Reflections. e We
; to: Dec.:16 and will b

all Ticketmaster-280-3311 Toda
te and Group Sales 687-5315 v

te