If you were in town this weekend and happened to cruise through the lobby of Vancouver’s Four Seasons Hotel en route to YEW, you might have been privy enough to catch a glimpse (or brush stroke, as it were) of young professional contemporary artist Zoë Pawlak hard at work. Pawlak is the latest Artist in Residence to take part in an ongoing program that brings the artists to the forefront and helps shine a spotlight on talent from throughout BC. This Saturday and Sunday saw Zoë painting and chatting up a storm as she worked toward creating another masterpiece as part of the programme that offers the general public insight into the eye of a true artist.
No stranger to high-profile, high-pressure timelines for production, Zoë experienced this sort of so-called spotlight when she worked to produce a piece simply titled “Stampede” a few years ago (see it on film here.
Unique to the hotel, the AIR program invites guests, passersby and pretty much anyone enamoured with art an opportunity to interact with the artist as they bring brush to canvas.
This program aims to support the thriving BC art community with a cost-effective means for new, emerging talents to gain much needed exposure for their work on a broad scale. With a high level of international and local foot traffic through the hotel, the venue has seen some artists sell thousands of dollars worth of work – without having to harbour the cost of expensive gallery fees or commissions. Through the AIR program, Pawlak said she was provided with a “perfect opportunity to expose [her] work to an international audience visiting Vancouver while being able to engage and interact with clients in an unconventional space and energized location.”
For Pawlak, this opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time, as she looks forward to the upcoming reveal of new works at her first show in four years aptly titled “It Takes Time to Make Magic.” The show will run for the month of June with an official opening party on May 31st at 315 Carrall Street and will showcase unique pieces from an artist known for her approach to form and colour.
We can’t wait to see what else this design-savvy, former creator and curator of the lululemon Lab Artist Series has in store.