Is there an artist so righteous that he, or she, is not taking part in someone's exhibit of Christmas possiblities? This week, I draw your attention to The Imagists, a group of nine artists whose winter show takes place this weekend and next at David Hun-wick's Sculpture Studio (211 Harbour Rd.) just over the Blue Bridge in Vic West.
Included in this show are David Hunwick, David Lad-more, Laurie Ladmore, Nancy Murphy, Paul Pere-gal, Carole Thompson, Linda Woodbury, Melanie Furtado and Tony Bounsall. I took this opportunity to interview Bounsall, a photographer and facilitator of the arts. Most of us know him for his incisive and sympathetic photo portraits of local artist and others that have been appearing for years in Focus magazine.
"I've been with Leslie [Campbell, editor of Focus] for 18 years now," he said.
This work itself is a valuable archive, and he adds that it has been wonderful to meet these people. The memorable images he created during sessions with Phyllis Serota, P.K. Page and Pat Martin Bates come to mind.
Bounsall grew up in Ottawa and was set on his path during his four years in the Vocational Arts Program at the Ottawa High School of Commerce. It was a curriculum offering broad experience and chance for a young man to meet and work with some really creative people. On graduation he worked as a graphic artist, stripping negatives and doing layouts with letratape, which is how paste-up worked in those pre-computer days.
Commercial photography was the most lucrative part of his job, so he went on to train at Toronto's esteemed Ryerson Poly-tech. Soon launched into the professional world of Toronto, he and his wife (a clothing designer) managed full-time jobs and also operated three clothing stores with 12 staff - and ran themselves into the ground. An escape to Victoria 20 years ago was the best antidote.
Bounsall's skill set and big-city drive allowed him to achieve an admirable career here as a commercial photographer - shooting fashion, architecture and working for 10 years with the Victoria School District. His natural abilities as a communicator led him to a teaching position in graphic design, first at the Western Pacific Academy of Photography, where he worked with Quinton Gordon (now of Luz Gallery) and John Taylor (now of Eclectic Gallery).
Now he continues to teach at the Victoria College of Art.
Bounsall credits his students at the college and elsewhere for inspiring him to rediscover the creative path. "They want to bridge the disciplines," he explained. So he opened up his wide experience to them and began to explore antiquated photographic techniques: cyanotype, gum bichromate prints, clich脙漏 verre handmade negatives and collage. Aside from his commercial work and his teaching commitments, he found his way back to the fine art stream and a form of digital "painting."
The digital paintings he creates begin with an image on his computer screen, but as the picture is manipulated the imagery disappears and the remaining colour and composition break free of any representation. When he is satisfied with what he has created, he prints it off on a high-quality gicl脙漏e printer at his studio and then laminates the dazzling coloured proof onto a wooden panel. Using oil stains and the application of coloured melted wax - encaustic, as it is called - he adds texture and surface effects to the flat image from his computer.
"Photography has become very, very constrained," he told me without fear of contradiction.
"Attitudes to the image and composition are still stuck in the 19th century." With his repertoire of techniques and attitudes, he effectively helps his students plan their escape from this image trap. The courses he has created have brought illumination to photographers and artists at the Coastal Collective (Colwood), University of Victoria Continuing Education, Denman Island Arts Council, the Old School House in Qualicum, Photographers at Painters' Lodge (Campbell River) and the Western Academy of Photography (Victoria). He also continues to teach at the Victoria College of Art and at the Metchosin Summer School of the Arts, where he is chairman of the board of directors.
When I visited him, Bounsall was preparing 10 of his photo-based collages for The Imagists' annual winter show. This group has been in existence for four years now, providing all the support that creative friends can add to artistic endeavour. A talented and diverse group of artists, The Imagists are worthy of your attention.
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Dec. 1 and 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 250-383-1814.
