By Imogen Whale, Special to the Times Review
The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre's upcoming exhibit will feature the works of Kip Wiley, Jennefer Rogers, Donna Naprstek and Theresa Browning. I had the chance to meet with Rogers and Naprstek to talk about their works.
Rogers left Revelstoke for Vancouver after high school to pursue training as an animator. “It was before computer generated imagery (CGI),” Rogers explains. “Everything was hand drawn.”
Since then, Rogers has been involved in many shows, including solo exhibitions, throughout B.C., in several American cities including Baltimore, San Jose and Philadelphia, and locations as far flung as Nairobi and Tokyo. She moved back to Revelstoke in 2007.
A science fiction and fantasy enthusiast and avid gamer, Rogers often displays original painting and prints in the artist rooms within several international conventions.
Rogers often works as a conceptual artist involved in game design. “I provide ideas in the form of paintings or other mediums,” Rogers laughs, “and I collaborate a lot with people in Australia. I'm busiest from 11pm – 4am!”
An artist with no favourite medium, Rogers uses “whatever is closest! Be it paint, sculpture, digital...”
An avid writer, Rogers is also in the process of developing a dystopian science fiction series she plans on self publishing upon completion. For now, Rogers’ show, Myriad-Myth Conceptions, will bring a touch of fantasy to the visual art centre.
“I have always loved a good story, fable, legend or myth,” she said. “This exhibition delves into the stuff of dream, of inspiration... and explores the commonality of the stories that emerge in all cultures, showing that perhaps we do have a shared consciousness. It is a personal journey or ‘visual tour through my imagination’ as I share my interpretations of the collective mythologies that have inspired me through the years.”
An example can be found in one of her pieces inspired by Marici, a Japanese goddess. While representing the feminine aspect of yin, she was nonetheless the goddess the Samari's looked to. “I found it so profound, especially in the modern war of the sexes, that Marici inspired warriors, who clearly valued her,” Rogers said.
Having to “cherry pick” the myths she could represent given so many wonderful myths globally to choose from, viewers can expect to see her interpretation of a variety of cultures mythology, including the Raven and Crow.
Donna Naprstek, also showing a series in the upcoming exhibition, has lived in Revelstoke for the past year and a half, having relocated from Ontario. A painter focused in watercolours, Naprstek began painting in high school and continued to develop her skills over the next 20 years.
For the past seven years, Naprstek has been working as a painting instructor. In the past year she has offered watercolour classes through the RVAC.
After having her art displayed in gift shops and galleries in Ontario, Naprstek has been involved in several group shows in Revelstoke. She is thrilled to have a solo show of her art in the upcoming exhibit. Her show, titled Light and Shadow, features the exquisite scenery of the west.
“I am amazed at how light and shadows play in the mountains and change their appearance through the day, depending on the weather and the time of year. I hope that people can see this in my paintings,” Naprstek elaborates.
The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre exhibit with Rogers’ and Naprstek's shows, as well as Sense of Time by Kip Wiley and It's Only Natural by Theresa Browning, is scheduled to open October 3rd and run to the 31st.