Although Karen Goodfellow considers herself a “Jack of all trades, master of none” kind of artist, the “master of none” part is not true. She has exceptional skills as an emerging contemporary aboriginal experimental mixed-media creator.
She admits, “As I grow, my art grows and as soon as I think I am finally going to be settling into a genre, it feels like I’m onto my next experiment. I construct, destruct and reconstruct found treasures and paint in order to honour the past in the present.”
Prolific and original, her layered experiments in textural deconstruction are a spirited evolution of enlightenment and exalted consciousness. Some of her elevated steampunk contraptions have emanated from living and teaching art at 9,300 feet above sea level in the U.S. Southwest.
Goodfellow employs an endless list of juxtapositions to emphasize contrast between components: modern and historical; “flowy” and angular; whimsical and serious; rough and smooth; grounded and surreal. She describes her creative stimulation — “Where to start… the steampunk-inspired native art, I think, stems from my coming to terms with the romantic view of First Nations peoples with modernization. Being of mixed blood (Squamish/Sto:Lo First Nation and Austrian), I feel sometimes in one world or the other, but not necessarily both at the same time. Sometimes when speaking of First Nations, for example, I’ll say ‘us,’ while other times I speak of ‘them’ as if I’m not a part.”
The process starts with an inkling, a feeling, a notion. Then Goodfellow moves into the “gather and collect” stage for initial inspiration and eventually selects a substrate like an old tequila box from Value Village or an old painting. The assembly begins, which could include metal, collage, resins and beeswax. She starts with an end in mind, but then lets that go fairly quickly, pausing during the process to ensure that life continues and nothing is falling apart from neglect. Once the piece is finished, she comes up for air and lets everyone know that she’s back.
Goodfellow’s other passions are being an aunt, a step-mom, facilitating groups and couples, and travelling off the beaten path! Come to the Foyer Gallery to see the bits and bites that this ingenious non-traditional “hunter and gatherer” utilizes.
Goodfellow’s “MetalPedia” is on display from May 6 to June 2. An opening reception is planned on Saturday, May 10, from 1 to 3 p.m.
For more about Goodfellow’s work, contact [email protected]
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Don’t forget to purchase your “Foyer Friends” sponsorship this weekend at the library front desk. All forms received by Sunday (May 4) will be entered into a special early-bird draw. With your $50 donation, sponsors receive an invitation to the Annual Foyer Gallery Soirée on Monday (May 5) at 6 p.m., where your name is entered into a draw for more than 60 pieces of art donated by “Artists of the Gallery.” The draw starts at 7:30 p.m., but before that, enjoy a fun-filled evening of wine tasting and nibblies, live art performance by Karyn Wong and entertainment by Carolyn Grass and Friends!
Toby Jaxon is curator of the Library Foyer Gallery. She can be reached at (604) 898-1985.
