llery is more com Portraits and Figures. Georgia’s Studio Gallery, 107 7 Kapilano 100, West Vancouver. Opened Nov. 19, 1992. EFORE RETURNING» to Toronto after a fem two-year stint as art reviewer for the North Shore News, my predecessor, Ar- chie Graham, confided that the problem with the North ’ Shore art scene was not so much a lack of serious artists as a lack of art galleries with sufficient vision and integrity to attract serious reviews. At that time Archie cited Pres. entation House Gallery, Gallery Alpha and the newly opened Seymour Art Gallery as the only hopeful prospects — none of . _which could seriously be consid- ered a’ commercial gallery i in any” real’sense. Recently a concerned letter from local commercial gallery owner ’ Georgia Tremaine of Georgia's ' “Studio Gallery crossed the desks of - the North Shore News, question-. ing the reluctance shown by - ’ Evelyn Jacob and me either to pro- file her current artists or to review is “the work in her current exhibit, . Portraits and Figures. 7 That letter. was pregnant with’ .£\. exasperated indignation. Was her gallery's attempt to : - promote North Shore artists not a’ we laudable pursuit worthy of some: Vancouver Playhoiise: Together, Teeth Apart. Terrance McNally’s latest play draws'a hu-":-. rous but terrifying portrait of the‘emotional isolation of two couples.-Stars North Shore actor Stephen E; Miller and Wendy Noel.;To Jan. 30 at 8 p. mie with: ° Saturday, matinées at-2 p.m. Pay-What-You-Can Matinee Jan 9. at 2-p.m. ‘Tickets: 873-33 Ie or, The Year.in Revue, with political satire‘duo Local Anxiety. One of: the hit'acts of the 1992. Vancouver International: Comedy Festival an “Edmonton Fringe Festival returns ‘home to Vancouiver with a satirical look’at the year that: was. To Jan... 9% 8: 2 One often hears Cc snadians com. *. plaining about the high amount of : vtax they pay. What many individu- 5 , do not realize is that simply by’. | * structuring their investments care- : fully, ‘they can pay. far less tax. ‘ s guide will provide you with for saving tax: through your ment program... ? Call today to receive your com . plimentury booklet. “ Mark Osachoff. 661 -7433 - sesdiahhersea 3 + usted mvesiment edece unde 1921-4 ae Ron Faicioni “ART. FIEVIEW “recognition? Was it not in some way the re-~ sponsibility of the North Shore News to provide coverage of such _ local exhibits as a service to its readers if not to the local art scene? Despite the fact that these issues gravitated more to the politics rather than the esthetics of art, it seemed fair to respond to the ap- peal if only to indicate, more by -example than explication, the criteria and responsibilities of the serious art reviewer.. -” For those unfamiliar with Georgia’s Studio Gallery, it is ‘ located south of Marine Drive ad- ' jacent to Park Royal and ovezlook- ing the Capilano River. ’ With windows in excess of wall: » space, it has more the air of a gift -shop,.than an art gallery — an im- pression that is heightened by the * accumulation of such objets d’art ‘Kast season's popula musical returns from Jan.12-30 before ; heading’ out ona four-province tour. Mon.-Fri. at 8:30 p.m.; Sat. at 6 and 9:30 p.m. 2/1 Monday | even: . ‘ing ‘Inatinees and Wed. at.5 p.m.: ~Firehall Arts Centre: Touchstone’ ‘Theatre.and the Belfry Theatre . resent 3 # ‘he Hope Slide, North”: ‘Vancouver playwright Joan.’ Q ‘MacLeod’s latest play. The work : ‘follows a young woman's coming =. © “'of- age during the.’60s. Jan: 6-17.at 8 p.m.; Sun. 7 e. m.; 2N matinees,, oad “FOR ANY MAKE OR’ | MODEL PLEASE CALL ~ SALES & LEASE. 925-3235 | (OR CELLULAR 351-1950 _ as decorative papier mache masks, glass tables with sculptural orna- ments, artglass screens, ceramics, and custom furniture — not to mention the presence of such un- likely artifacts as an overstuffed panda and a diminutive handmade wooly. sheep. Landscapes and wildlife studies also abound in spite of their lack of aptness with respect lo the cur- rent show. : Notable for its absence here is the conventional wisdom which ~ dictates that a contemporary art gallery should be spacious and spare of furnishings to reduce any’ superfluous distraction that would ~ counteract an appreciation of the * artwork displayed. While the gallery does possess a : certain idiosyncratic ambience, it forfeits credibility asa serious ex- hibition space by ernphasizing commercialism at the expense of a ‘common-sense display esthetic. Of the current exhibit, which of- . ficially opened Nov. 19, the figures - alluded to consist almost entirely of works by Polish artist Richard . Wojciechowski. On the whole these are fanciful works by a technically capable ar- tist who is still struggling to recon- |’ cile his Old World vision to his new-found culture, ‘ For the most part these some- what superficial and unashamedly ’ ‘sentimental works are strictly an _acquired taste. ' Their chief redeeming quality i is: : Tickets: 689- 0926. . ; : _ Station Street Arts, Centre: Lick- *: ing the Floor Co-op mounts the: - musical comedy revue, One ; Morning || Realized 1 Was Licking»: ~ . the Kitchen Floor: a comic look at “depression. Stars North Shore ac- - “tor Wendy Donaldson. Tues. “Sun... “at B p.m. to Jan. 23. Tickets: $11 at 688- 3312 199’ Maxima GXE's 192 2405X SE's ALL PRICES INCLUDE FREIGHT &P.D ere * Seb more page 1s - feghn $16,995 than their sense of humor. Other figurative works included in this show range from a whim- sical papier mache figure by Rob Mackay to a strikingly ac- ~ complished nude study in oil by portrait artist Elizabeth Smily. The portraits in this exhibit, for. the most part, reflect the gallery's" self- professed objective of becom- ing “B.C.'s unofficial portrait headquarters,’’ Examples of the four artists’ work represented here‘are - : primarily aimed at securing com- missions rather than enlightening the public with anything new or. interesting. They range from the slick aca- demicism of Edgardo Lantin to the conventional technical approach of Georgia Tremaine herself. Few of these works reflect the’, fact that a fine portrait study is as” much a representation of the per- sona of the artist as it is an accu- "rate description of the sitter’s facial features. Unfortunately only Elizabeth . Smily’s work rises above con- - siderations of mere technical: competence to attain a distinctive a personality. : On the whole it would be unfair ‘to observe that Georgia's gallery is - oe oo. artistic something of a disappointment, That would have implied an in- ‘nocent predisposition to positive expectations to begin with. What we have here is not so much a serious art gallery as a. commercial enterprise with artistic pretensions which, on this side of | Burrard inlet, are typically narrow and unengaging. Thisis not to disparage Georgia’ s° “gallery unduly. It is hardly thie worst to be found here. That distinction would have to go to... the superflous abun- dance of ... patronizing “art: - ; shops’ which unwittingly, beguile their clients with expensive. reproductions of such question: able intrinsic value that they can hardly even legally, be defined as If Georgia's Studio Gailery lacks intellectual integrity and a delib erate exhibition program,’ it is‘at. least providing a venue for some very talented traditional artist whose work is well executed, unpretentious: © Not the stuff of serious al reviews, perhaps, out-not thy of attention either...” But then, don’t take m ten’ $23°795 192 NKI6GCS OL Drons” $12;905 3 ‘Sentre ‘Classics “plus options, ‘$8,995.