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Local Guides
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LAURA HOLLICK
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by
Elaine Hujer
August 6 - 12, 2009 |
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It was almost ten years ago that I first interviewed Laura Hollick. At that time, in her small studio retreat near Webster’s Falls, Hollick was teaching modern dance and body awareness classes and fashioning artworks in a flamboyant collage technique. I recall wondering how someone so youthful could speak with such wisdom. Now, a decade later, I’m happy to report that Hollick has continued her journey of self–awareness to become an even more articulate, savvy young woman –– an intensely focused person who is determined to transform her own life into a work of art.
Hollick’s latest project is an exhibition to be held at the Carnegie Gallery. The opening reception is on August 7 from 7 to 9 pm and the show will continue until August 30. On view will be four or five of Hollick’s large sculptural works and a series of elegantly styled photographs, a collaboration between Hollick and local photographer Kevin Thom.
The exhibition is called “Birth your Dreams” –– the invitation a glamorous, yet tongue–in–cheek take on Botticelli’s famous “Birth of Venus.” Hollick describes the show as a chance for viewers to go on a journey with some of her sculptural creatures. She hopes that visitors will see it as an opportunity to ignite their imaginations and enter their own magical worlds.
The standing sculptures are a gentle Pan’s Labyrinth of creatures and characters that Hollick has lived with over the years: the tall, gawky “Journey Walkers”, constructed from branches and twigs found on her daily hikes, a wooden dragon/dinosaur that just seemed to feel the need to be pink. Standing by like guardians are a collection of her shields, a dazzling array of simple shapes extravagantly festooned with sumptuous fabric and feathers, laces and velvets. With the colours layered in romantic purples, pinks, violets and fuchsias, the sculptures resemble three–dimensional oil paintings. Hollick sees the shields as a necessity: “If you want to live your purpose, you must sometimes be ready to take on a hero’s journey.”
The photographs that accompany the sculptures feature Hollick in a variety of handmade costumes, artfully posed with other creatures that have special meaning for her: a vivid red bird is an ongoing symbol which acts as a guide to let her know that she is on track; a white bird signifies purity and cleansing; a hawk directs her to explore new pathways; a unicorn reminds her to kindle her imagination. And it’s not by chance that the photographs are all posed outdoors. Hollick always has been acutely aware of her need to communicate with nature and hikes the local trails from Dundas to Ancaster every day. The settings, which may appear to be exotic, are actually all nearby. Hamilton’s beach strip, for instance, acts as a backdrop for the invitation and the photograph with shields. A farmer’s field near Guelph, with just the right kind of hill, made possible a beautifully realized image of Hollick and her Journey Walkers silhouetted against a luminous sky.
Hollick says that the exhibition itself is her vision, but the photographs are very much a collaboration with Kevin Thom. The two met in 2004 when Hollick saw a poster of Thom’s work hanging at the Staircase Theatre. She says, “I was so drawn to the poster that I was almost drooling with desire to work with the photographer.”
She called him and asked him to be a guest on her radio show on McMaster’s CFMU where she does interviews with people in the arts. The rest is, as they say, history.
Thom says, “Laura and I really don’t have a lot in common – it’s more like we complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. She is so good with the physical materials, creating the costumes and so on and she’s a fountain of ideas. It can be like a creative explosion and sometimes I know she’s holding back because she doesn’t want to overwhelm you.”
Hollick says of Thom, “I had a vision of magical places and I needed to work with a photographer who could make it real. Kevin and I first worked together on a photo shoot that was made into a documentary about my life by Bravo TV, and we really were able to take the work to another level as a result of the collaboration. Besides, he’s also a computer genius who designed my wonderful website.”
The website gives some idea of Hollick’s future direction. The multi–talented artist, interviewer, writer and model really yearns to be a guide or teacher. She says that this show will bring together the two parts of her life: her need to express herself as an artist and her need to teach a lesson or an insight.
“In my Soul Art Studio, I act as a guide to help people find their spirit. They are all at different stages in their relationships, their work, and so on –– I guess it’s a form of art therapy. Now, with the internet, I can do teleclasses and make videos for people all over the world.
“Everything is going very fast because of the computer. It’s so amazing because ten years ago, I wanted nothing to do with technology. Then I met Kevin and he has been so instrumental in my life.”
The exhibition is the culmination of a past spent making art in all forms imaginable, from collage, to watercolour, oils, dancing, and body movement. Still, the artist maintains that while her processes and media have varied over the years, she has always had the same vision – a desire to teach others how to connect with their creative spirit and design a life that expresses it.
“The work has evolved but the common threads remain – a reverence for nature and a desire to make something beautiful. It’s really a way of teaching for life. When things are not going the way you want, you always must remember that there’s something that you can’t see. You can’t see around the corner, but it’s all going to be fine.”
'Birth Your Dreams'
an exhibition of the exotic inner world of Laura Hollick, featuring photography by Kevin Thom
Carnegie Gallery
10 King St. West, Dundas
Show opening August 7th at 7pm
Show continues till August 30th. V
[Elaine Hujer]
Cover photographed by Kevin Thom
hair & makeup Sue Upton
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