Local painter Coralie Swaney is known for the sly humour she injects into her works. There’s Canadian Gothic, Eh? which features a Canada goose and a moose with a hockey stick in the familiar pitchfork-wielding posture of Grant Wood’s iconic painting. How about Botticelli’s Venus on a seashell – aiming a modern hair dryer at her romantically floating hair? Or Hero Sandwich, in which a sneaky Spiderman reaches from the pages of the comics to snatch a sandwich from a plate. Now she’s tackled some other artistic icons in a new work called The Waiting Room.
In the medical waiting room the sign points to the Ear, Nose, and Throat Department. But wait, these patients look strangely familiar. Is that Vincent Van Gogh with his bandaged ear? Beethoven, hoping to stave off imminent deafness? And poor Frida Kahlo, with her injured throat! Even better, Swaney has depicted each individual using techniques of each one’s characteristic style, helping viewers get in on the joke.
Think she’s missed the nose part of the doctor’s specialty? Look again – whose iconic hat and gloves are discarded on a waiting room chair? Someone who had a very famous nose job? (Hint: he insisted it be modeled on Diana Ross’s nose!)
Swaney, one of the longest-standing members of the Sunshine Coast Artists Cooperative (who are transitioning their name to The Landing Artists to better reflect their local history), enjoys using her considerable acrylic painting skills to poke a little fun at modern and historic icons. She is also known for her highly collectable polymer clay sculptures of one-of-a-kind characters, and has recently begun a new series of quirky owl sculptures.
You can view Swaney’s new work, and that of her fellow artists in the co-operative, at their current show, A Festive Landing, at the Gibsons Public Art Gallery (GPAG) which continues through Dec. 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Swaney will be in the gallery to tell the stories behind her memorable works on Sunday, Dec. 10.
– Submitted
